India, September 21st, 2023: Tinder, the world’s most popular dating app for meeting new people, has released new insights about how 18-25-year-old young singles in Bengaluru are supercharging dating by challenging traditional relationship goals and gender stereotypes and embracing fluidity and innovation in dating. Dating apps have become a bonafide stepping stone into the dating pool for many singles, with Tinder standing out as the #1 most-downloaded dating app amongst 18 year olds globally to forge authentic connections that reflect their individuality.2

More than half (55%) young adults in Bengaluru believe that dating apps allow them to meet people they would otherwise never have met – even those outside their social circle opening them up to a world of endless possibilities.1 To uncover the current landscape of dating, Tinder’s Future of Dating, Bengaluru edition shares insights on how young singles in the city navigate romance and meaningful connections with a fresh and fun approach.

Quote on behalf of Aahana Dhar, Director of Communications, Tinder India, “We are excited to reveal new insights about how the future of dating is shaping up in Bengaluru. This generation of young adults in Bengaluru knows exactly what they’re looking for when considering someone’s profile with shared interests and dating intent outweighing everything else. Whether it's finding love through a mutual taste for music or placing a strong emphasis on self-care and mental well-being, they're at the forefront of redefining modern romance. Tinder is proud to be a part of their journey and no matter what kind of connection they are looking for, it starts here. It Starts with A SwipeTM.

6 Dating Trends in Bengaluru from Tinder

Dating starts with ME: Gen Z in Bengaluru is willing to be more real and more honest about their relationship with mental health and the need to prioritize it. Close to 79% young singles in Bengaluru find matches who prioritise their mental well-being more attractive.1 Even if many young singles are prioritizing other parts of their life, relationships are a big part of their journey to self discovery and improvement. 77% say that having a partner who values self care is critical to a happy relationship and 78% say they will never compromise on self-care practices or boundaries for a relationship.1 This is a cohort that’s prioritizing qualities like intentionality and transparency, with self-love and personal fulfillment being a primary consideration.

AI plays Digital wingmate: Technology continues to positively disrupt how people meet with more than half (52%) of the young singles in Bengaluru using dating apps.1 Technology is redundant unless it meets and satisfies a need, Gen Z tells us so. While this young generation of singles is excited about the opportunities that AI may bring, it won't be at the expense of realness. Gen Z is happy for AI to help them build out a dating profile (58%) but at the same time there’s little interest in using AI to help write responses to a match on a dating app (19%).1 Perhaps AI's potential will be to act like a coach in helping young singles authentically highlight their unique qualities. 

Music - the love language of young Bengalureans: For young singles in Bengaluru, shared interests such as a music taste is one of the top factors that make a match more attractive.1 With 32% agreeing that music taste determines a partner’s personality type and an equal number agreeing to using music to express their emotions and feelings to a date, Bengaluru’s young singles are tuning into a unique language of love.1 In fact, music concerts or karaoke are few of the top picks for first date activities that young Bengalureans like to go for with a match.1 

Aparna Jayabal, a 22-year-old Tinder user from Bengaluru shares his story, “I'm all about meeting new people and making new friends, and that led me to my most epic Tinder date! We both had a thing for the quirkiest, most offbeat music you can find – the kind that might make some people cringe. And our first date was completely off the charts! We managed to snag tickets to a live jamming session and kicked off the night at Bob's, Bengaluru’s famous restobar. From there, we hit up Souljams, where we sang our hearts out. It turned out we didn't just share a love for music; we were also into discovering new microbreweries and stuffing our faces with street food. The best part – we were totally upfront about wanting to connect as friends and it made our journey super honest and relaxed. No mixed signals, and no drama." 

Commitment is not a one-size-fits-all:  Gen Z in Bengaluru know exactly what they’re looking for when considering someone’s profile with the most important factor being dating intent (68%).1 They prefer to use terminology that doesn’t try to define a connection before they’re ready to, or even want to –  hence terms like vibing, kicking it, deep liking, and of course the word of the season - situationship - aligning more with how 18-25 year olds perceive the dating process. In fact, 43% young singles in Bengaluru pick situationships (a relationship without any pre-set agendas centered around transparency and freedom)1 as their current dating preference1. Tinder offers young singles a world of dating possibilities and the most popular Relationship Goals for Bengalurean Tinder users on the app are ‘long term relationship’ and ‘figuring it out’.3

Inclusivity is limitless: Gen Z is challenging long standing views of sexuality, gender and also ethnicity, culture and geographical restriction. Gen Z’s rejection of traditional gender roles is validated by their dating patterns as 76% young singles in Bengaluru agree that their generation is challenging traditional gender stereotypes that were passed down from previous generations.1 Moreover, 54% of young Bengalureans are open to dating someone with a diverse gender, sexuality or identity and 39% singles are open to dating people from other races and cultures.1 With 32% of young singles in Bengaluru open to finding love in another city or making meaningful connections across borders, distance is no match for the kind of match they want to vibe with.1 46% of passport users globally use Tinder’s Passport but don’t travel to the place they have passported to directly after, which suggests that Tinder members have a strong interest in exploring possibilities outside their immediate network. 18-25 year olds passported on average 9 times a month.4 (Top destinations where young singles in Bengaluru passport to added below) 

Prioritising safety with fun: In a city where love meets technology, young singles are prioritizing their personal safety while dating. Before taking the plunge into in-person dates, 49% check if their online date has a verified profile, while 46% look over their social media profiles for any red flags.1 Young Bengalureans are also making dating from home a whole lot simple with 31% of them scheduling a video call with their online match before meeting.1 The three ‘must-have’ safety features for young singles in Bengaluru while dating online are features that help in maintaining privacy, that help authenticate the profile of their matches and features that help promote good behavior.5 This blend of playful and smart-dating precautions showcases Gen Z Bengalureans approach to finding love in the digital age.