Partiful’s “Crush” Tool Brings Dating-Style Matching to Event App

Partiful, the event planning and invitation platform that has grown rapidly among young users since its 2020 launch, is expanding the social capabilities of its app with a new feature aimed at facilitating romantic connections. The company has begun rolling out a functionality called Crush that lets users signal interest in people they’ve met at events via the app.

Traditionally used to create and share party invites, track RSVPs and coordinate social gatherings, Partiful is increasingly being seen as a broader social network beyond its core event tools. With Crush, users can anonymously select up to 10 of their “Mutuals” – people they’ve both attended events with – indicating a romantic interest. If the interest is reciprocated, both users receive a notification and are encouraged to start a conversation in the app’s direct messaging interface. Notifications reference only the last event the pair attended together, not the identity of the person who expressed interest.

The feature began appearing in select U.S. markets in late December 2025 and is set to expand in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day 2026. Partiful’s cofounders have described Crush as a response to the common post-event hesitation many people feel about reaching out after an in-person encounter. The company frames the tool as a way to reduce barriers between meeting someone socially and pursuing a connection thereafter.

Alongside the new Crush capability, Partiful has added elements such as user profiles, feeds of events that friends are attending, photo sharing from gatherings and interactive tools reminiscent of older social features like Facebook’s “poke.” These changes have encouraged observers to describe the platform as moving beyond simple event coordination toward a more comprehensive social experience.