Dating apps changed single life forever when they brought swiping, liking and ghosting to the masses.
Now, nearly two million people in the UK use online dating services to find love, according to Statista. But in the 12 years since Tinder revolutionised romance, many people say they fell out of love with the process.
“Most dating apps are just matching apps, not dating apps – I want to build a relationship,” said Zaahirah Adam, who has spent the last decade swiping on every app from Bumble, Hinge and Tinder to the League and Inner Circle.
She’s not alone. Some 78 percent of dating app users say they feel “emotionally, mentally, or physically exhausted” by them, according to a 2024 study by Forbes Health.
People have come up with inventive ways to find true love for centuries, says relationships expert Marian O’Connor.
From Victorian promenading to 1920s tea dancing to lonely hearts columns in the newspaper, we’re a species that likes to matchmake. Now, hoping to make Britain flirty again, there’s a slew of entrepreneurs building the new age of dating apps.
Zaahirah Adam founded the dating app Hati after becoming frustrated trying to find love
‘Petrified I’m going to die alone’
Take Zaahirah, a glamorous ex-bodybuilder whose day job is in finance. When we meet in London Bridge, she’s wearing a giant, fluffy jacket and a big smile. Soon though, we’re talking about existential crises.
“I woke up about two and a half years ago having probably one of the worst panic attacks of my Iife because I’m petrified I’m going to die alone,” she says.
Despite spending 10 years swiping, she has had had no luck finding The One, was sick of being ghosted (when the other person just disappears) and was…
