Tinder became a global phenomenon, and by 2022, boasted upwards of 75 million monthly users. Competitors Bumble (created by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd) and Hinge (owned by Tinder's parent company Match Group) remain the world's most popular dating apps, a decade after their invention.
But in 2026, the honeymoon appears to be over. And modern dating? It's got more problems than ever.
According to Forbes , 78 per cent of dating app users are experiencing "burn out" due to ghosting, lack of quality connections and repetitive, surface-level conversations. Many are logging off.
Shares in Match Group, the US tech company which operates the world's biggest portfolio of online dating services, have fallen by more than two-thirds over the past five years. Tinder lost 489,000 paying users in quarter four of 2025, marking a multi-year low for the platform. Shares in rival Bumble Inc are down nearly 95 per cent since their pandemic highs.
Australian entrepreneur May Ku says people need the very things big tech tried to engineer out of dating: time, effort, intention, and yes, even a little healthy rejection.
Reev founder May Ku pictured outside the Incubator building at Macquarie University. Photo: Chris Barlow/Macquarie University.
The 36-year-old tech market researcher has developed and launched her own dating app on Macquarie University's Wallumattagal Campus.
Loosely based on the hit Netflix dating series Love is Blind, Reev is a uniquely voice-led app that replicates the best elements of speed and blind dating for a new generation.
"I think dating is broken now, mainly because of the apps," Ku says. "As a Millennial woman who remembers what dating was like before, I thought, 'What if people started talking to each other again?'"
Reev users create voice-based profiles using a series of prompts. They can either ask someone out by requesting a five-minute phone call via their profile, or they are randomly matched up for calls during regular live speed-dating rounds.
Screenshots of new voice-led dating app Reev that show: live speed dating live events; video calls that can be unlocked; the prompt to accept/deny a date offer; and the calendar function for planning dates. Photo: Supplied.
If both users want to connect after a speed date, they 'unlock' the ability to schedule another call. As they spend more time getting to know each other, the matched couple can progress through various 'intimacy' stages, including exchanging messages, photos, video calls, and comparing schedules to plan a first date. Both sides of a match must consent to unlocking each new phase of a connection.
"One of the most common complaints with dating apps is that when people meet up, they're disappointed," Ku says. "The match isn't the person they're expecting.
"My hope with Reev is to close the expectation gap. When you meet someone for the first time, you'll know what kind of conversations and chemistry to expect, because you've already been talking."
As with most dating apps, users can filter matches by gender, age, and location. Premium users can apply additional filters such as religion, desire to have children, and various lifestyle habits for a $19.99 monthly fee.
Reev also offers a unique 'break-up note' feature, designed to prevent ghosting. For each person you un-match, you're asked to provide constructive feedback in one or two sentences.
Early feedback from beta users, who are predominantly Macquarie students, is promising.
Maquarie University students Kayla Wilson, 20, and Sophie Maltby, 21, downloaded Reev because 'people don't ask each other out anymore.' Photo: Chris Barlow/Macquarie University.
"I wanted to try Reev because people don't ask each other out anymore," says 21-year-old Sophie Maltby. "I actually had a guy ask for my number the first time this year."
"I like doing flash dates, which is where you're talking to a different person every five minutes, and then can decide who you want to keep talking to. I've had three follow-up calls so far, and the guys that I've spoken to have been curious. I haven't had a call with anyone where I've felt like they're wanting a hook up.
"It takes a few calls to unlock the chat feature, so you can't get away with minimum effort. But the app does give you ice breakers so it's not too awkward."
Maltby convinced her best friend Kayla Wilson, 20, to join.
Wilson, who has only dabbled with Hinge and Tinder, says Reev appeals to her because it leads with interests, not photos.
"I found the experience much more comfortable," she says. "On Tinder, you can get 10, 20, 30 different matches and suddenly you've got so many notifications. You get opening messages like 'you're cute,' and 'hey,' and the chat is dead before it even starts.
"Instead of declining people based on assumptions , on Reev I'm listening to their voice and thinking about what we have in common."
Shares in Match Group, the US tech company which operates the world's biggest portfolio of online dating services including Tinder, Hinge, and OKCupied, have fallen by more than two-thirds over the past five years. Photo: Getty.
Ku says the majority of dating apps are designed by and for men: "Most apps are built around high-volume, photo-led selection, which tends to suit how men approach dating more than women. Men generally cast a wider net and filter faster on appearance, whereas women tend to weigh context, personality, and safety earlier in the process.
"Dating used to be a fun, natural part of life," Ku says. "You'd meet somebody, get to know them, and ask them out. We've lost that, and I want to help us get it back."
Ku is a member of Macquarie University's Incubator program for start-ups and entrepreneurs. She plans to continue testing and refining Reev on campus, before rolling it out nationally.
