how dating apps are reinventing themselves

Sarah and Léon downloaded Fruitz a few months ago, one of the latest dating apps, which is a hit. “According to the types of encounters you can have, you choose the fruit you want to be”explains the 27-year-old woman. “We have the choice between four different fruits: the ‘cherry’ for a serious relationship, the ‘grape’ for a relationship that is not necessarily serious but in which we agree to have several drinks, ‘watermelon’ for a sex friend and ‘peach’ just to have a one-night stand.”

Léon, 34, appreciates the flexibility offered by the concept: “You don’t have to stay on one fruit. You can change overnight. If you want a one-night stand, you change the fruit. It depends on your mood.”

Today, each application tries to stand out: Bumble lets women take the first step, on Happn we find people we meet in the street and on Feeld the presentations are made by video. The market leader, Tinder, whose parent company also owns OkCupid and Meetic, has understood this well: new things are needed. “Our members can now meet according to their intentions and interests”congratulates himself Benjamin Puygrenier, spokesperson for Tinder France. The application now offers a “fast cat“, that is to say “a kind of virtual speed dating” or a music mode, with Spotify, “which allows you to listen to the person’s favorite music before meeting them”.

“We have gone even further in terms of innovation and that is what allows us to continue to interest and attract young people, by launching other features.”

Benjamin Puygrenier, spokesperson for Tinder France

at franceinfo

Users are there, especially since the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which some started for the first time. “About one in three French people, aged 18 to 69, has already registered on a dating application during their lifetime”explains François Croze, director of the gender and sexuality division at Ifop. “We can see that in terms of experience, it’s something that is slowly but surely becoming commonplace, especially in generations under 50.”

SAccording to the App Annie market analysis platform, more than four billion dollars were spent on these applications worldwide in 2021, almost a billion more than in 2020.

You can also listen to this report in our news podcast Le Quart d’heure.