Dating App Trends | Future of Dating App

Dating apps have been operating on the same model for years: Users throw in a handful of pictures and fill out a bio. For the most part, people look at those profiles and swipe left to deny or swipe right to express interest. If two people swipe right, they match and could end up on a date.

But now that is changing.

The pandemic has caused a level of disruption that has allowed companies to consider what the future of dating apps might look like without mindless swiping.

Take Bumble, for example, which has a "Night In" trivia option. The feature allows users to set up a virtual trivia date if they match up with someone. It also allows users to send matching voice notes, a feature that has gone viral on TikTok earlier this year.

And Tinder, Match Group's biggest dating app, has "Swipe Night," a live, interactive dating feature where singles follow a story together. Over a set period of time, people try to find out who committed the made-up crime. At the end of each episode, the members work with another participant via "Quick Chat" where they can talk about the story, discuss different clues, and help solve the mystery together. Later, they can also choose to match.

The addition of video and audio will allow people to interact in a way online dating hasn't yet, with the hope that they'll spend more time on the apps (bringing in more money) and form better connections that could attract more people online.

The companies have hinted that there's more to come in terms of social elements and more interactive features, but haven't said exactly what's on their product roadmaps. Potential features could include clubhouse-like audio chat or more ways to integrate friends into the experience.

"While swiping left and right has significantly changed the way singles connect, we think users want more control over that experience," Citi senior analyst Nicholas Jones told CNBC in an email. "To maintain a healthy and engaged network, BMBL will need to continue to innovate to offer users the experience they seek."

Users have made it clear that they're interested in meeting via video as a way to break the ice or check out date "vibes" before seeing them in person.