Dating App Burnout Drives Major Platforms Toward Friend-Finding

As dating app burnout grows, major platforms are pivoting toward friend-finding to retain users and explore new engagement strategies. Many users report feeling emotionally and mentally drained from dating apps, with a recent Forbes survey showing 78% of users experience burnout, leading many to question the effectiveness of online dating. Factors like the overwhelming “paradox of choice” and deceptive practices are leaving users dissatisfied and disconnected.

In response, platforms are shifting focus and expanding their range of services beyond straightforward dating options. Bumble allegedly plans to expand its BFF feature, which helps users find friends, while Match Group’s new app, Yuzu, offers a “social-only” mode alongside traditional dating functions. This move reflects an industry-wide exploration of how social connections might offset user fatigue in romantic matchmaking.

While users may not pay for friend-finding services, free features could keep them engaged with the apps, making them more likely to return when seeking romantic connections. Considering that more and more users have been struggling to feel enthusiastic about the conventional “swiping cycle” of many dating platforms, shifting into double duty as a social platform could make a difference.