Dating app users are swiping left on sharing identifiers
Dating app success is all about monetizing the return customer. This all hinges on engagement – the more, the better. Like many app categories, dating apps’ top KPIs usually revolve around long-term revenue: customer lifetime value (CLV), average revenue per paying user (ARPPU), churn rate, conversion rate — you get the idea.
To win users’ time, app publishers need to deliver a tailored, positive experience. User data can be the key to unlocking these personalized experiences, but consumers are understandably cautious with sensitive data.
But going through the survey response data in our 2025 In-App User Privacy Report, we discovered that dating app users are actually more willing to share specific types of data that can lead to increased engagement, year-over-year. Here’s how the data from our over 4,000-person survey breaks down:
| Data type | 2024 | 2025 | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My name | 26.9% | 23.3% | -3.6 pp | -13.4% |
| My email address | 21.4% | 19.8% | -1.6 pp | -7.5% |
| My gender | 27.3% | 27.6% | 0.3 pp | 1.1% |
| My mobile number | 15.1% | 12.9% | -2.2 pp | -14.6% |
| My DOB/age | 20.3% | 20.5% | 0.2 pp | 1.0% |
| My region | 15.9% | 18.7% | 2.8 pp | 17.6% |
| My ethnicity | 19.5% | 20.0% | 0.5 pp | 2.6% |
| My health data | 5.3% | 7.1% | 1.8 pp | 34.0% |
| N/A – not willing to share | 52.9% | 54.3% | 1.4 pp | 2.6% |
They’re more willing to share region & health data
First off, dating app users are more willing to share region and location information, with users’ sentiment increasing by 2.8% from 2024 to 2025, which is also the highest increase in the survey data. This makes perfect sense as dating apps work best within a confined geography and by sharing region data, users can match with people in close proximity.
Secondly, willingness to share health data increased by 1.8% from 2024. Health data could cover sensitive details such as weight, height, HIV status, and more.
They’re less willing to share identity data due to hackers
Based on the survey, it turns out data points such as name, email address, and mobile phone number have slipped in favor from 2024:
- Names decreased by 3.6% from 2024 – the largest drop in willingness to share data
- Mobile numbers decreased by 2.2%
- Email addresses decreased by 1.6%
A fear of malicious actors gaining unauthorized access not only to a user’s information but also to private conversations and photos plays a large part in the reluctance to share this identity data. After all, names, phone numbers, and email addresses are identifiers often used to log into dating app services. Unfortunately, a 2025 study found that 75% of the major dating apps have poor cybersecurity – some with particularly weak email authentication processes – which may account for the large number of data breaches at dating services over the years.
So what’s an app to do? Obviously, dating apps will still need identity data – though perhaps asking for it later, rather than sooner, is ideal so users can experience the service’s value before having to subscribe or share personal info.
There are more people who don’t want to share anything
An interesting tidbit: the survey showed an increase (+1.4%) in the number of consumers who answered “N/A,” indicating they were not willing to share any data with dating apps. As the third-largest increase in sentiment from 2024 to 2025, it suggests a growing trend of app users desiring less identification, which becomes clearer when you look at the gender data.
Dating app users: by country and gender
When you break the data down further, there are some interesting highlights. Among them: women in both the US and the UK are increasingly unwilling to share any personal data at all. Males have no problem sharing their information, as evidenced by decreasing numbers of N/A answers.
UK women who answered N/A or “I’m not willing to share any personal data with this type of app/platform” increased by +3.19%. US women experienced an even higher surge in those answering N/A (+5.72%).
In general, US women revealed the largest decrease in willingness to share names (-7.72% from 2024) and mobile phone numbers (-7.19%).
For UK men in 2025, all the data points showed an increase in willingness to share info with dating apps. The only decrease was in the N/A category (-2.98%). US men also saw a similar decrease in the N/A category (-2.03%). Although American men also saw a -6.40% decrease in willingness to share their name.
Dating app users: by age
When you look at all those who answered N/A by generation, you’ll see that the biggest decrease in willingness to share any data at all is with the 16-24 year olds (bear in mind that dating apps are usually 18+), who saw a 10.07% increase in unwillingness, followed by the 45-54-year olds (+7.16%). Meanwhile, the largest increase in willingness was from the 55+ year olds with a slight 1.95% bump.
Takeaway: the oldest generations are more willing to share data while the youngest are growing more jaded toward sharing personal information.
Across the board, there is a decrease in willingness to share names, except for the 25-34 group which saw a tiny bump (+0.76%). But mobile numbers and email addresses all saw a decrease in every age group.
And then there is the date of birth/age data. Only the youngest group, the 16-24-year olds, decreased in willingness to share their DOB or age with dating apps. All other generations experienced small increases in willingness, but increases nonetheless.
The challenge that dating apps face
If dating app success relies on customer lifetime value but the vast majority are reluctant to start sharing identity data, then the onus is on the apps to educate users on the benefits of sharing their names, ages, email address, or phone number. Show users how you intend to keep customer data safe, plus, incentivize them to change their behavior. Simply saying that they’ll find love if they share their data with the service just doesn’t cut it. Particularly when the majority of women as well as 16-24 year-olds feel like they don’t want to share any information at all with dating services. It’s an uphill struggle, but one that becomes easier with the right value exchange.
Want to learn more about user privacy trends in mobile apps, CTV, and web? Download our 2025 In-App User Privacy Report.