Dating apps are leveling up the dating experience for young singles by hosting in-person events.

Dating apps are leveling up the dating experience for young singles by hosting in-person events. As young people ease back into in-person events, dating apps are offering ways to connect with potential partners IRL. Thursday is a dating app that, just like its namesake, only operates on Thursdays, and hosts in-person meetups in NYC and London to encourage matches to get to one another in-person. OG dating services like Match and Bumble are also getting in on IRL dating experiences: Match is developing Meet, which will help users take their online conversations in-person “without necessarily having to go through the traditional loop of sending likes and waiting for matches and spending time in a chat,” while Bumble created a safe space for users to meet up with Bumble Brew (although the location has yet to stay open due to building complications). Though dating apps are popular among young singles (YPulse’s dating and relationships research shows nearly one-third of young people have used a dating app to date / flirt), they can create a “pen pal” situation where users message for days on end without making formal plans to meet up, and dating services want to help singles make more meaningful connections by encouraging them to experience their in-person events. (CNBC)