In a world shaped by social shifts, today’s singles are approaching dating with new clarity — looking for relationships that align with their values, feel authentic, and bring a sense of realness amid the chaos.
To help singles manifest their 2025 dating goals, Tinder will introduce the Year in Swipe™ Vision Board to create personalized mood boards to recap their 2024 dating journey and set intentions for the year ahead. There is an interactive tool – which will be available later this week.
Nearly 20% of singles surveyed internationally reported that they are creating a vision board to reveal their ideal relationship in 2025. A new tool designed to help singles reflect and date with more intention in the year ahead has been created, including social filters to share their 2025 dating vision. friends and family.
The year may be coming to an end, but dating is here to stay! The Year of Tinder is back in Swipe, highlighting all the standout trends from 2024 and offering a glimpse of the future of dating in 2025. This year, daters became clear about what they want and are moving towards 2025 with unattainable intentions.
“Single people are adopting intentionality in their dating lives – being clear about what they want and refusing to compromise. This shift has inspired three extraordinary trends: loud looking, kiss-mates, and nano-ships,” explains Melissa Hobley, Tinder’s chief marketing officer. “These trends are about empowering choice – whether it’s confidently stating your needs during loud looking, enjoying casual moments through Kiss-Mate, or finding meaning in micro-connections with nano-vessels. Have to find. While last year focused on ‘dating for the sake of plot’ and casual discovery, this year, singles are moving forward, moving with purpose, and making their dating journey truly their journey.’
Looking Out Loud: Whether it’s the “guy in finance” or the “gamer girlfriend”, singles are abandoning ambiguity and becoming confidently and unapologetically vocal and specific about their needs and desires.
Kis-mate is a playful twist on “kismat”, meaning destiny or fate. A kiss-meet symbolizes the idea of seeking spontaneity and stumbling upon happiness. It’s basically a modern rebrand of the classic “meet cute.”
Nano-ships: No romantic relationship seems small enough to matter. Single people are finding meaning in even the smallest conversations – whether it’s something serious or just for fun, those little micro moments are leading to real possibilities.
The dating trends that shaped 2024 and are fueling the possibilities of 2025
#1. Single People Are Watching Out Loud – Bratt Is Leaving The Guessing Game In Summer
Looking for… anything but uncertainty!
Last year was all about being the main character, living for the plot. This year, we’re in the director’s chair – taking charge of our dating journeys, knowing what we really want, and saying it loud and clear. “Looking for…” was the top biography mention on Tinder in 2024, which shows people were moving from the start. And in 2025, nearly 20% of singles surveyed reported they plan to manifest love by creating a vision board that lists trust, physical attraction and shared values as the top factors in dating. Singles are matching for the purpose – clearing out empty chats (only quality convos are allowed!) – and with more than half of these singles setting limits in advance, mixed signals remain in 2024.2
In 2024, single people are caught in an “epidemic of assumptions”, with green flags being mistaken for red flags. Case in point: Our Green Flags study found that 65% of women thought men were mostly behind casual sex, but only 29% of men actually said that was what they wanted.4
Fast forward to now, loud looking has increased the chances of dating and leaves no room for silent signals. circumstances? They’re finally going out!
#2. Some people call it fate, we call it kiss-mate
Dating rules? Who is she?
The planned-but-unplanned is the environment of 2025. A new relationship starts every 3 seconds on dating apps, leading to “OMG, did we really just do that?” moment. Sure, your meeting can start online, but what’s next? Enter Kiss-Mate! This year, dating was all about embracing the magic of the unplanned. Singles will move away from strict dating “rules” and dive into authentic, spontaneous relationships. Think sweaty hike dates—about 40% of singles surveyed are planning to make that a priority in 2025—to pottery classes that get messy (in the sweetest way, 34% of singles plan on this ), and nostalgic shopping trips that turn into fun little fashion shows.2 2025 is moving toward those real, unscripted moments that make dating so memorable.
#3. It’s not that small to define any romantic relationship in a world of nano-ships
Reclaiming romance in all its forms!
Whether it’s the quick spark you had with someone on the subway that you call your “iContactship” to the person who regularly sends you “Good Morning” messages to what you call your “textuationship,” 2024 showed us that even the tiniest of romantics. Even moments can be meaningful. In 2025, we can expect nano-ships to continue to flourish as singles enjoy these micro-connections while searching for their forever person. Every glance, every random coffee chat – every little moment has its own feel. Nearly one-quarter of singles surveyed are focused on finding positivity and happiness in the world, bringing an optimistic approach to dating and relationships2, and appreciating the little sparks along the way.
#4. dating is a team sport
Starting line? Virgo, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, and yes, Scorpio…
Daters are streamlining their roster, with nearly a quarter of singles surveyed choosing fewer, more meaningful connections to keep their energy and enthusiasm for dating alive. This means that singles need to look their best – not only to impress their date but also to win over the entire village that comes with them! In 2024, nearly 60% of singles surveyed turned to friends for dating advice, and nearly 20% even asked their friend to pre-screen their date by checking their social media profiles! Friends are officially the emotional support MVP of dating, with nearly 50% of singles saying they plan to rely on their friends to get ahead in the dating world in 2025.2
And you don’t just have to impress friends—cosmic alignment matters, too! Nearly 40% of singles say that “astrology love predictions” will likely shape their dating choices in 2025. But it has to be the music for Virgo, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio and Sagittarius that have received the most likes on the app among the star signs. In 2024!
#5. communication is queen
The bar has officially been raised and only the best boy will win!
Singles are prioritizing reliability (40%), physical attraction (35%), shared values (31%), emotional availability (30%) and shared interests (28%) among survey participants when dating this year .2 Meanwhile, deal-breakers like poor hygiene (50%), rudeness (44%), and talking too much about an ex (34%) are major icks. 2 And while financial stability is valued, 22% of singles also want a partner who knows when to log off and set work boundaries. At the core of dating in 2025 is a focus on clear, honest communication. It’s no wonder that nearly 45% of singles are looking for a “Golden Retriever type” in 2025 – someone loyal, friendly, energetic and full of optimism!
