Recently, single women told Mashable that dating in 2026 is, in a word, bleak. But that opinion seems to transcend gender. Take a look at any dating or dating-adjacent subreddit, and you'll find people saying that trying to find a partner sucks.

Posts range from users hating their dates to not having luck finding a date at all. A throughline between all these differences is an overwhelming dissatisfaction. Of course, these being people from Reddit, it's bound to skew negative, but it does at least say something about what dating is like for a segment of the population. 

Mashable reached out to several men on Reddit, all of whom chose to be anonymous to speak freely about their experiences (and, thus, we also have to take their takes with a bit of skepticism). And I chatted with men's dating coach, Connell Barrett, about his thoughts on what dating is like for men right now, too. 

The looksmaxxing dater

Wading through the muck of r/onlinedating, r/dating_advice, and other subreddits, I came across a post I believed was ragebait. I can't copy and paste it here now, as it has been deleted from Reddit, but to summarize: A young man asked for dating advice because the women in his orbit were overweight and "letting themselves go."

I reached out to this man, an 18-year-old attending the University of Florida, before his account was also banned from Reddit. I asked him if he believed what he said, or if he was ragebaiting (as some commenters believed). He told me he really believed this, and that it was a similar case when he went to high school. 

But how did he look himself, physically? "Pretty muscular," he told me over Reddit DM. "I was fat until I started taking reta," he said, referring to a weight-loss drug called Retatrutide that's not FDA approved, yet is available online by sketchy retailers, "and a couple months ago I started a steroid cycle."

That's not all this teenager did to "looksmax," or improving one's appearance, oftentimes with extreme measures. He listed the ways he does this to Mashable, including the Retatrudide.

1. Perm hair

2. Skincare

3. Invisalign

4. Melanotan II for tanning (also an unregulated drug — the Skin Cancer Foundation just issued a warning about Melanotan)

5. Teeth whitening

6. Penis pumping "for size gains" (A penis pump can make it look larger temporarily.)

7. Retatrutide 1mg "for lean bulk" once per week

8. Four IUs of Human Growth Hormone "taken before bed for better gains" (HGH is highly regulated and has a long list of side effects)

9. 300mg Testosterone enanthate per week intravenous (which is typically used for testosterone replacement therapy)

10. 20mg Anavar (a steroid) split into two doses twice per day

11. 5mg Tadalafil for erectile dysfunction

12. 1.2mg oral Finasteride and 3mg oral Minoxidol per day to prevent hair loss prophylactically

13. GHK-Cu peptide "for skin" (it's touted as anti-aging)

14. Accutane for steroid acne

15. Exercise and diet

"Also shaving face," he wrote. "Also, I take a beta blocker for high blood pressure from [steroids]."

This man is looksmaxxing in order to get a "harem of girls," he told Mashable, and cited the anime High School DxD as his inspiration. He said he still has no romantic experience, but he hasn't been on campus while looksmaxxing.

"I'm certain it is going to work though," he said. "Many looksmaxxes take lots of time to work."

For now, however, he considers himself an incel, as "any man who would like a relationship but hasn't got one is an incel." He plans on meeting "Stacies" and "Stacelites" (attractive and sexually active women, according to Mashable's incel glossary) on the University of Florida campus this fall through Tinder and frat parties.

"The pros of looksmaxxing will always outweigh any side effects," he said. When Mashable asked if this was all some sort of joke, he insisted it wasn't. 

"You don't have to be on an incel forum to be one," he said. "Not posting on forums doesn't mean you're not a genetic dead end."

Looksmaxxing and incel culture are tangential to the manosphere, a right-wing subsection of the internet that claims (among other things) that men are superior to women, but that men must look physically attractive and be high earners in order to obtain a desirable partner. 

Dating coach Connell Barrett said the manosphere is a place where many young men are lonely and confused, and don't know why they're alone. Then, manosphere figures come in and say, "You're not crazy…women are the problem."

"That is toxic," Barrett said, "it's a total poison being poured into the ears of young men, but it gives that young, lonely man an answer where he doesn't have to look at himself and say, 'You know what, I need to work on myself, I need to grow'...Instead, he gets to say the problem is women."

Why men are afraid to date

Not every man is an incel, of course, but the manosphere does tap into real anxieties and insecurities men have. 

"The biggest thing that I see from men is that men are more afraid than ever to talk to women in real life," he said. They don't want to come off as creepy or get mocked on TikTok. There are a few reasons for this: social media surveillance and the fear of being cringe; a lack of social skills due to growing up online; and fears fueled by the MeToo era. 

When discussing MeToo and how to square men's fears of rejection with women's fear of physical assault (81 percent of women reported experiencing some sort of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center), Barrett said he makes sure his clients understand the latter. 

"I tell them, 'Look, I know you got your dating frustrations, but let's be honest…we don't have to worry about the same things women have to worry about,'" he said.

As a coach, Barrett also sees how insecurities can manifest as fear of dating and approaching women in person. He works on their beliefs, like teaching them that they are worthy of love, and then works with them to build confidence to speak to strangers in the real world. 

The daters who've given up

While the 18-year-old Redditor is looksmaxxing to get ahead, another man, a 35-year-old, said he "tried all the possible dating advice out there," like going to the gym, wearing better clothes and cologne, and improving education and social skills. He told Mashable over Reddit DMs that the only thing he hasn't tried is the "extreme" measures like surgery.

While he's on a number of dating apps (Tinder, Bumble, Facebook Dating, Badoo, and Hinge), he said he's been rejected for 15 years and doesn't have high hopes. He's also not willing to put in as much effort as he once did.

A 30-year-old man Mashable spoke to over the phone, who commented on the r/OnlineDating subreddit that he gets around a match a year, and has gotten one date out of those matches a couple of years ago. (He texted that date for a bit after, but he said she kind of ghosted him).

This Reddit user tried meeting women through his social circles, but the options have been limited. Meanwhile, he does want a wife and a family.

When asked what's contributing to the trouble, he said, at the risk of sounding like "certain groups of people on the internet" (like incels), "if you don't have something that makes you remarkably attractive to women, there's not going to be a whole lot of signals of interest." He meant physical appearance or height; if you're on dating apps, he said, these are the metrics that matter.

Beyond looks, he believed there was a societal element to dating where people don't feel safe around each other anymore. "I fully understand why women don't feel safe around a lot of men," he said. "It makes sense why women are handling those interactions that way, but at the same time, that's filtering out the good men just as much as it is the bad."

This echoed what Barrett had been saying about how men are afraid to talk to women. "Society has changed the behavior of so many people, especially men, to look for love first and foremost on their phones, that most men are just not in the habit and hobby of going out into the real world," he said. And the universal thing he's hearing from men and women is that "pretty much everyone hates apps." Barrett has no problem with the apps — but said people don't fall in love on their phones. 

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Redditor said dating apps give the illusion of having lots of opportunities, and that combined with social media has risen expectations. "I think people do kind of have an inflated idea of what a reasonable expectation is for they can kind of expect out of a partner," he explained, "and so there's probably a lot less people that are perceived as potential partners, and we all kind of suffer from being on the outside of that."

"When you're looking for the perfect match, you probably miss a lot of people that would be pretty good ones," he continued.

When discussing what dating is like for men overall, he said that, "There's a desire for better from a lot of people involved, but maybe a limited amount of willingness to change personal approaches to make it happen."

It's a cycle: Women are highly selective, and then have bad experiences with men — which is men's fault — and they get more cynical towards dating, and thus more selective, he said. 

"Women's solution is men need to be better so we actually want them, men's solution is women need to lower their standards, and neither of those is actually really a step towards either being more appealing to the other," he said.

He's also frustrated by what he calls "toxic positivity" content, and the idea that he's not behind. He wanted to have kids by 30, but he just turned 30 and is single. 

"It's not just like a loneliness or a wanting attention thing. There's actual bigger things we want in life that are impacted by this, too, and it's not as simple as this can happen when it happens," he said.

At the same time, however, he mentioned some things he could do, like get in better shape and be more aggressive about asking people out.

Barrett encourages men to go to any place where it's socially acceptable and reasonably normal to meet women, be it a bar on a Friday night, a gym, or a party. "People fall in love — or begin to connect — and eventually fall in love by meeting in person," he said.

And yes, men will have to deal with the fear of rejection, but as Barrett said, "Welcome to life."

In the age of on-demand everything, it’s no surprise that we can get "dates" (and I use that term loosely) with the tap of a button. Thanks to classic hookup apps like Tinder and newcomers like Pure, finding a sexy new friend can be as straightforward as ordering a pizza. As for the quality? That’s about the same as your pizza — hit or miss, depending on the time of day, where you're located, and how hungry you are.

Fortunately, you’ve got me, your resident dating app expert (though I prefer modern-day Carrie Bradshaw), to guide you to the promised land, aka the best hookup apps.

I’ve spent the past three years (yes, years) researching, downloading, and testing dozens of the top dating apps to find the best ones for all kinds of daters, including the one-night-stand crowd. From discreet sexting apps to dating sites for serious relationships, I've swiped through them all. I also consulted a helpful panel of sex and relationship experts to make sure my picks are solid.

How to get the most out of hookup apps

My number one rule is to be brutally honest about what you want. Are you here for a good time? Own it. That means staying in your lane; don't go looking for a one-night stand on an app like eharmony.

"Hookup apps help prevent situations where people are on mainstream dating sites with the intention of having a casual hookup but are unclear about these intentions," Suzannah Weiss, resident sexologist for Biird and author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject, tells Mashable. "They also give women a space to be openly sexual creatures without judgment."

And here's a little secret I picked up from Alexander Liebisch, the CEO and founder of TinderProfile.ai: Timing is everything. He found that people messaging on Tinder's "free tonight" feature after 10 p.m. on a weekend had a 45 percent higher chance of hooking up.

So, whether you're looking for a one-night stand, a regular FWB situation, or just a space to explore your sexuality, I've got you covered. Based on all my hands-on testing and expert consultations, I’ve broken down the best hookup app for every type of person and mood.

Recent updates to this guide

• Hinge: Hinge just keeps getting better, so I’ve bumped it up higher on my list as of October 2025. In our most recent update in July 2026, it still earns the top spot. Its user base is growing, and my own recent tests on the app have been surprisingly positive.

• Sniffies (added September 2025): I've added Sniffies, the map-based app for queer men, because it's been gaining a lot of traction. (It got a little too spicy for Apple and was pulled from the App Store, so it's now technically a dating site.) Don't say I didn't warn you about the NSFW content.

• FetLife (added September 2025): FetLife is my new favorite "Honorable Mention." It's not your typical hookup app; it's more of a social network for the kink community (and, oddly enough, the best hookup app for gamers). Just remember: it's a community, so don't treat it like Tinder.

• Plenty of Fish (removed January 2025): POF went through a rebrand recently, and honestly, I'm not impressed. My latest tests showed they got rid of key features like free messaging for non-matches, and I kept running into the same old profiles.

• Match (removed August 2025): I know some people say they've found casual hookups on Match, but that's not what it's for. Match is where you go to find a serious, long-term relationship, and I still recommend it for that. But for a hookup? You're just fishing in the wrong pond.

Why some popular hookup apps didn't make the cut

You might notice a few apps that pop up in ads or other lists are missing here. That’s intentional. I swipe through the good, the bad, and the downright sketchy so you don’t have to. For an app to make my list, it has to be effective, safe, and worth your time.

Here's a shortlist of apps that didn't make the cut this year:

• Wild: You’ve probably seen ads for this one. On paper, Wild sounds like the perfect casual dating app. In practice, the paywalls are aggressive, the distance filter doesn't work, and you have to pay for anything that's even remotely useful. Unless you're willing to spend serious cash upfront (and hope for the best), the experience feels limited compared to more open apps like Tinder.

• DOWN: This app (formerly "Bang With Friends") is known for its simple "Get Down" vs. "Get Date" feature. It sounds clever, but in reality, the experience is messy at best. Many users report feeling scammed by subscriptions that don't deliver matches, or finding that the few real people on there are... let's say "odd." It’s hard to recommend an app when the main user complaint is "Is anyone real?" Hard pass.

• Facebook Dating: Yes, Facebook has a dating section, and it’s surprisingly massive (and completely free, which is huge). While it's a decent option for casual dating, the vibe tends to be a bit more "friends of friends" and "relationship-focused" than the anonymous, no-strings energy you get from apps like Pure or Feeld. (For Mashable's Chance Townsend, signing up was "the most uneventful dating experience" of his life.) It's worth a shot if you're already on Facebook, but it didn't quite crack my top tier for hookups specifically.

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The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

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3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

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Credit: ExpressVPN

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

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A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder examined how people emotionally engage with "generative ghosts" — AI chatbots trained to simulate deceased loved ones.

The study found that users generally preferred bots that spoke as the deceased in the first person ("reincarnation") over those that merely described them ("representation"), despite acknowledging the risk of becoming too attached.

First author and information science doctoral candidate Jack Manuel Manning presented the research at the Association for Computing Machinery's Designing Interactive Systems Conference in June.

Researchers conducted a qualitative study with 16 participants aged 22 to 50. Each of them interacted with two chatbot versions of a deceased loved one: one that spoke in the first person, mimicking the deceased directly, and one that described the person in the third person, more like a narrator.

According to the study, participants found the first-person "reincarnation" mode more emotionally vivid and comforting, though some worried about the psychological risks of relying on it too heavily. One participant, referred to as P4, described the experience as offering unexpected closure. "In the [reincarnation], it just feels like I'm getting the closure I needed so bad," she told researchers.

Another participant, P11, expressed more caution, saying, "I am worried that over time I will come to be reliant on the voice... it's going to end up very similar to how people are falling in love with AI characters."

The researchers also found that participants cared more about whether a chatbot's tone and phrasing "felt right" emotionally than whether it was factually accurate.

In several cases, participants continued treating the third-person "representation" chatbot as though it were speaking directly as their loved one, effectively ignoring the distinction the researchers had built into the study design. One participant, P12, explained, "I don't see this chatbot as a person, but I still say 'you.' I think it's just thinking about what you would ask the person and conflating that with what you were asking the chatbot."

The study's authors were upfront about its limitations, chief among them its small sample size. With only 16 participants, the researchers acknowledged that their findings don't capture "the full range of cultural, religious, and individual perspectives on grief and technology" and noted that mourning practices vary widely across communities, in ways that could shape how people respond to these tools.

The study also focused on single, short-term sessions rather than repeated or long-term use, leaving open questions about how attachment might build or fade over time.

The paper argues that future development of these systems needs to weigh emotional benefits against the risk of unhealthy dependency, and calls for careful consideration of consent and family governance before such tools are deployed for bereaved users.

Several single women recently told Mashable the truth about dating in 2026: it's bleak. But that doesn't mean there's no hope. While singles are increasingly frustrated with dating apps, one coach said the apps aren't keeping people single; it's how they're using them. If you're swiping into the void and avoiding talking to people, yes, it may be hard to find a date! But it is absolutely possible to find your person online. In fact, Mashable recently interviewed several married couples who met on dating apps.

According to 2023 findings from the Pew Research Center, one in ten partnered adults (married, living with a partner, or in a committed relationship) met their partner on a dating app or site. If you're a younger adult and/or LGBTQ, you're more likely to have met your significant other online: one in five adults under 30 and nearly one in four for LGBTQ adults.

The same study found that almost half (44 percent) of dating app users said a major reason for using them was to meet a long-term partner. So, if that's you, you're certainly not alone, despite what you might see people lament on TikTok. 

But with so many apps, from Bumble to eharmony, it can be challenging to determine which ones to invest in. And the discourse on dating app culture can be unrelenting. In 2025, singles told Mashable they'd rather meet a potential partner in person, but they're begrudgingly on the apps. Some, like Tinder, have seen their revenue decrease in recent years, while Hinge is growing. Even then, though, daters bemoan even the most popular of apps. A Kinsey scientist recently told Mashable where daters are going wrong: use dating apps as a tool, not to let them run the show — and stop self-optimizing, already.

Despite the frustration over The Apps™, it's undeniable that if you want to date from the comfort and safety of your home, they're the way to do it. If you're, say, introverted or have difficulty approaching someone in person, an app can still be useful.

What is the #1 best dating app?

Considering the variation in experiences on all the dating apps, it's difficult to quantify which ones are the "best." Some people find their spouses on Tinder, while others are disappointed that their matches are only looking for hookups. 

That being said, if you're looking for something serious, your best bet is likely an app with a large user base, options for you to indicate what you're looking for in your bio, and filters to weed out who you really want to partner with. There are also apps whose branding is geared towards finding one's ultimate match — like eharmony and Match, both decades-old sites with reputations for helping users find their spouse. Hinge, Bumble, and Coffee Meets Bagel also have a reputation for more "serious" connections.

Depending on the type of relationship you're seeking, you may also benefit from a more niche app. Take one app on our list, SilverSingles, for people over 50. Sure, there are older adults on apps like Tinder and Bumble as well, but you may have more luck finding someone age-appropriate if you're in a space meant just for you.

Which dating site is best for serious relationships?

Mashable has researched to pick out a few from the plethora of dating sites (and apps) out there. These options are available for both Android and Apple users, so the type of phone you have won't determine your options. In terms of monetary investment, you can use some of these for free (like Tinder and Bumble), while others are more pay-to-play. We've also included some "niche" options, like the aforementioned SilverSingles and Elite Singles, so you have more than the standard buffet of dating apps.

Here are the best dating apps for serious relationships:

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from West Virginia with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states have introduced age verification laws for online adult content, including West Virginia. Pornhub has responded to these new laws by restricting access to potential users from those locations. It's a complicated situation with a quick and easy workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from West Virginia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in West Virginia

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

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Credit: ExpressVPN

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

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Pride Month might be over, but there's still reason to celebrate. It's summer, after all, a time for patio hangs and barbeques and all-night dancing. And if you want a fellow sapphic by your side, why not try a dating app?

As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.

There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don't know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live. 

Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?

How to find the best dating apps for lesbians

Niche lesbian dating apps aren't your only option for finding love. Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable

In Mashable's recommendations below, you'll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you'll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that's probably not what you're looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.

Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there's no "Grindr for lesbians" — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble. 

You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.

Diving into the dating pool isn't easy, but the water's fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.

On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed Texas to enforce a state law requiring app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for minors who want to download apps or make purchases on their phones, the Associated Press and others reported.

The law is called the Texas App Store Accountability Act, or SB 2420, according to SCOTUSblog. SB 2420 requires app stores, primarily Apple's and Google's, to use a "commercially reasonable method" to verify the age of account users, though the law doesn't specify what those methods could be. If the account belongs to someone under 18, it must be linked to a parent or guardian's account to obtain permission to make downloads or purchases.

Two groups have sued to block the law: the Computer and Communications Industry Association and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas. Both have claimed that the law violates the First Amendment right to free speech.

In Dec. 2025, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman temporarily blocked enforcement of the law, but last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit put those orders on hold, SCOTUSblog reported. This prompted the groups to file a petition with the Supreme Court.

On July 6, Justice Samuel Alito denied both petitions, allowing the law to stand for now.

"Every day the law is enforced, Applicants are denied their basic rights to organize, advocate, express ideas, and discover new perspectives through the most important medium for human communication," attorneys for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas wrote in their filing.

In their own filing, attorneys for the Computer and Communications Industry Association stated, "No State has ever required its citizens to prove their age before reading a newspaper, entering a bookstore, or even accessing the internet. Texas Senate Bill 2420...does exactly that — for every mobile app on every mobile phone."

On June 1, when the Court of Appeals issued its decision, Attorney General Ken Paxton, the defendant in both cases, stated, "Parents deserve to know what their children are downloading and to have the ability to stop them from accessing harmful or inappropriate content."

Last year, SCOTUS upheld Texas's age-verification law, requiring similar age checks to view explicit content.

If you haven’t heard of AdultFriendFinder (AFF), honestly, consider yourself lucky. This online platform has seriously earned its reputation for being one of the raunchiest and spammiest "dating" sites cluttering the internet.

Sure, the name sounds wholesome and innocent enough, right? But peel back those endless paywalls, and what you find is a digital den packed with X-rated content, questionable profiles, problematic language, and aggressive marketing tactics that seem way more interested in your wallet than your actual experience. They constantly push you to spend more money on basic functions. (Oh, and did I mention it’s also visually offensive? Seriously ugly, aesthetically speaking.)

The best way to describe the AdultFriendFinder website (no app) is through its overall layout, which feels like a relic from the early 2000s internet. It's a mess of flashing banners, intrusive ads, and a user interface so poorly designed it feels intentionally built to overwhelm and confuse anyone brave enough to sign up. You know that scene in Because I Said So where Diane Keaton’s character awkwardly stumbles upon AdultFriendFinder while trying to vet dates for her daughter? Yeah, that's still the energy.

But is there anything redeemable behind the chaos? In this review, we do a deep dive into the AdultFriendFinder experience to figure out exactly how it works (or doesn't), what features it offers, and whether it actually connects people looking for hookups.

This site is for making adult "friends," not friends who are adults. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

What is AdultFriendFinder?

AdultFriendFinder is one of the most well-known sites for finding quick sexual encounters and literally anything else even remotely related to sex. The rowdy feed of matches makes it heaven for anyone looking for a good time with no filter — and hell for someone who wouldn't be caught dead clicking on a "There are hot singles in your area" ad.

On AFF, you can find someone to sext via messaging or video chat (and plan to get it on IRL, if that's what you're looking for), watch live streams, or join niche group chat rooms to connect with other members. You can easily view photos and videos from other members, though interacting is often locked behind a paywall. Is it worth $20-something per month? Depends on how much fishy content you're willing to overlook for a juicy sexting session.

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So, who's actually on this platform? While the site used to flash huge, questionable stats like "98,897,765 hot photos" on its signup page, those crazy numbers seem to be gone now (though they may show for people who've never logged onto the site before; we couldn't get it to replicate it in incognito mode, so it's probably safe to say they're just gone). According to Similarweb's data for May 2026, AdultFriendFinder has pulled in around 9.8 million visits.

AdultFriendFinder's ranking has slipped significantly; noting a steady drop from previous years, it currently sits at 84th in the Adult category in the United States. This suggests people might be finding better alternatives elsewhere, and we're not surprised. Today, you can download kink- and poly-friendly hookup apps like Feeld and Pure, plus hookup destinations like Tinder, which have a huge user base of people ready to meet.

Specifics on the demographic that most people care about — the gender ratio — can be hard to track down. According to SimilarWeb, the audience is roughly 76.44 percent male and 23.56 percent female. This kind of imbalance is pretty common on hookup-focused sites. It means it's likely a paradise if you're a straight man, maybe hit-or-miss if you're a straight woman or LGBTQ man, and probably an actual hellscape if you're an LGBTQ woman trying to navigate it.

On the flip side, AFF does let you identify as and search for a man, woman, a couple, or trans. They've made some attempts to be a "sex-positive" site with blogs, groups, and even a "sex academy." However, their language around the LGBTQ community has historically been anything but inclusive or positive. Previously, the AFF sign-up page listed "TG/TV/TS" as the "trans" gender selection — we'll let you infer what those stand for. After reaching out to AdultFriendFinder about it, this language has improved somewhat with more gender options that are appropriately labeled, though "trans" is still a separate selection from "man" or "woman," which feels more like fetishization than inclusivity.

The sexual oreintation selection is a bit more inclusive than the "searching for" section. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

Is AdultFriendFinder legit?

As far as legitimacy goes, AdultFriendFinder is a real site with real users. However, the question is whether you can really find what you're looking for there, or if you'll mostly find a bunch of bots and scammers. Many users report that it feels like a scam site due to the number of fake profiles and the pressure to spend more money. Compared to other legit sites, its reputation is definitely questionable.

Because AFF is pretty spammy, it's hard to tell how many active members are actually using the site. The 1.4 Trustpilot score isn't reassuring either.

From the start, AdultFriendFinder makes it clear that it's not really aiming to build long-term relationships. The site emphasizes casual hookups and even allows for explicit content, so users know what they're getting into. But if you're looking for something more than just a one-night stand, you might want to consider other platforms.

One of the biggest turnoffs for potential users is that so many features are locked behind a paywall. While you can technically sign up for free, you can't do much beyond browse profiles or view photos from other members. Free members have very limited interaction options; you typically need to upgrade to send messages or see anything substantial. There’s also a brand-new age verification feature that won’t let you past the home page unless you verify you’re actually of age. You can either take a photo of your face to confirm your age or upload a valid photo ID that confirms your birth date. (Honestly, we’re glad they’re at least trying to protect minors from seeing anything they shouldn’t be seeing or connecting with pervy older people.)

There's brand-new age verification feature that won’t let you past the home page unless you verify you’re actually of age. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

How does AdultFriendFinder work?

Signing up takes like 30 seconds. Seriously, just an email, username, password, and a quick intro will do. Of course, you'll have to go through the strict new age verification process too, but it's pretty quick.

Once you're in, brace yourself for the instant notification spam; apparently, a gray silhouette is enough to attract attention here. To even think about connecting with someone real, you absolutely have to add photos and details to your profile — essentially, prove you're not just another bot contributing to the noise.

AdultFriendFinder features a personality questionnaire to personalize your profile and up your chances of finding a compatible match. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

After registering, there are a ton of ways to personalize your account (way more than you'd expect for a hookup site, honestly). The more you fill out, the better your chances of meeting someone (and improving your sex life). There are the basic physical appearance questions about eye and hair color, and since I identified as a woman, cup size was an option. (If you identify as a man, I'm sure you can guess what question they ask.)

The site also features a Personality Type test and a "My Kinks" form where you can select whether or not you're "curious about, into, or can't live without" a certain kink (e.g., anal, bondage, role play, etc.). It also lets you choose whether you're a voyeur, the giver, or the receiver.

One weird thing about the Personality Type test is that it asks several questions about whether or not you enjoy shopping at discount stores — not really sure what that's about. It also asks whether or not "a quiet time for prayer should be allowed in school." You can choose "strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree, or strongly agree."

Once you finish the personality test (20 questions), you can opt to have your Personality Type show up on your profile or have it hidden. It will also show you which personality types complement yours.

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

Matching on AdultFriendFinder: What to expect

Here’s what you can expect when you're looking for a connection:

• Like a traditional dating site, AFF throws a collage of potential matches at you, showing who's online or nearby. But any resemblance to a "traditional" site stops there.

• You barely have to scroll before noticing that there's no shortage of nudity. Depending on whether you set your preferences to men, women, or both, you'll see all of that stuff up close, personal, swinging around, in action. You name it, it'll pop up.

• You can try to refine your results by gender, age, location, race, sexual orientation, body type, etc., but good luck making a dent in the sheer volume of profiles (real or otherwise).

• The message section looks weirdly like old Gmail. You'll get a mix of messages; some might be genuinely friendly, but expect a fair share of instant, crude ones too. It's the online dating equivalent of creeps on Tinder, but amplified.

How much does AdultFriendFinder cost?

You can do a decent amount of looking without paying (this includes browsing profiles, getting limited messages, and hitting up some chat rooms). But hit any of that "juicier hidden content" or try to actually talk to someone, and you'll smack into a paywall or the site's non-monetary currency, "points." You earn points through activity on the free version, which is kind of like playing a mini-game just to unlock basic functionality.

To really get anywhere, especially if you're a guy looking for women (as some on Reddit noted, women prefer paid members for perceived credibility), you'll need a Gold membership. The prices bounce around a bit, but generally, the longer you commit, the cheaper the monthly rate.

Here is how the current pricing breaks down:

• 1 month of Gold is $24.95 (billed monthly)

• 3 months of Gold is $20.95 per month (billed quarterly at $62.85)

• 12 months of Gold is $14.95 per month (billed once at $179.40)

The prices bounce around a bit, but generally, the longer you commit, the cheaper the monthly rate. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

The site shoves other weird add-ons at you, too. For example, there's a separate fee required just to "interact with standard members" on the platform. That costs $19.95 for one month, or $11.95 a month if you bill it quarterly. These layer-on costs, meaning the price you see for Gold might not be the actual price of a usable experience.

AdultFriendFinder also gives members the option to confirm their identity with ConfirmID. If you do this, the site promises to give you two weeks of Gold for free. The ConfirmID works by entering your legal first and last name, home address, gender, and date of birth, and uploading a copy of your driver's license, passport, or other government-issued ID.

If you spend more quality time on the site than expected, springing for a paid membership is definitely something to consider. Once you're paying, you basically become royalty on the site: Your profile will appear way higher in searches, you can use the most advanced searches, unlock profiles with private photo albums, check out video profiles, and message to your heart's content. A general rule is that increased involvement and payment on your end generally equals more success on the website, as your constant activity and heightened searchability make it easier for others to find you.

So, does AdultFriendFinder work?

Once you get past the in-your-face sexplosion of naked profile pictures, horny AIM-era profile names, and explicit videos, the big question is: Does AdultFriendFinder actually work? Like, can you realistically log on and find what you're looking for? The short answer is... maybe, but probably not as well as you'd hope. While you're there, you will have to stay on guard for window shoppers and scammers.

Let's put it this way: AFF might work if you are very open-minded, specifically looking to blow off steam with casual sex or explore niche kinks, and you're completely over the slow pace of traditional dating sites. It has a ton of activities, ranging from direct messaging, sending virtual gifts and tips, watching live videos of people in your feed, joining adult chat rooms that can get very niche, or entering photo contests.

Aside from the NSFW content, the website is relatively straightforward (albeit ugly). Every feature is advertised in big letters, notifications are displayed clearly with labels, and you don't really have to click around to find anything. This makes it super accessible for users of all ages, even those who aren't tech-savvy and can't even figure out Facebook. Buttons are all over the place, but you figure it out after messing around for a few minutes.

Think of AdultFriendFinder as the dating site version of New York City — it never sleeps. It's like that booty call who's always awake when you text them. Or at least that used to be the case... 10 years ago. What was once a hot site that a few Reddit users were quick to hype up is now one of the dating sites that Reddit users can't help but diss — in the few instances that AFF is even being discussed at all. It's notable that, on a site where online dating is such a mammoth topic of discussion, AdultFriendFinder has rarely been mentioned in a positive light since the early 2010s. The Reddit community is diverse and open-minded; if a dating site exists, someone on Reddit has used it and has an opinion. When an innocent soul does ask if it's legit, AFF usually gets dragged for sketchy pricing and being riddled with fake profiles.

However, some Reddit members have praised AFF as a site for men meeting men. Even so, the site's still buggy and isn't exactly great for meeting real people who aren't, as one Reddit user so eloquently put it, "busted and unstable."

Good for: Very open-minded people looking to blow off steam

Stating the obvious, AdultFriendFinder is a space for people who want to bang with no strings attached, people who are in a sexual rut, people who are tired of porn, and people who find sites like eharmony boring. Getting to know someone for weeks before meeting up can be exhausting, and sometimes, you want to skip the small talk and do the dirty with a random. It's gonna get kinky out there, and that's great for those who are dying to blow off steam and want someone who will respond well to a brusque, sexy message.

As with all dating sites, catfishing is a big buzzkill. Your chances of being pursued are way higher if you have a lot of pictures of the same person (AKA you), videos, and a genuine profile that lets people know they're not dealing with something sketchy. Even if you've had bad luck with online dating in the past, AdultFriendFinder is the place to be honest.

Bad for: People looking for a real relationship and the entire socially conscious community

If you're a cynic, conservative by any means, get sketched out easily, or aren't a fan of dick pics, you'll probably hate it. Similarly, if you appreciate a well-crafted, aesthetically pleasing website that feels safe, no matter how badly you want to have sex, one glance at the landing page likely signals that it's not for you.

AdultFriendFinder is not the place to be if you're trying to make friends unless "with benefits" is tacked onto the end. Every inch of the site screams: "This website is used to have sex," and you should really listen to that.

As illustrated by the flood of artsy activism guides on Instagram in recent years, it's clear what content appeals to young people on the internet: Something aesthetically pleasing, shareable, and digestible. The "shareable" part doesn't totally apply to online dating, but apps like Hinge and OkCupid closely follow this design trend by limiting the number of words (and ads) in each tab, steering clear of endless scrolling, and ensuring that important info isn't cluttered with flashing clickbait.

AFF could do so much more to make people take it seriously

We're not knocking a quick hookup or no-strings-attached relations. This isn't about morals. Genitals are quite literally in your face from the moment you make an account, and that's just not cute. There are chiller ways to go about insinuating that this is a hookup website without feeling like you're trapped in a sex dungeon with strangers.

I could not get past the fact that the entire site looks like it's about to invite five viruses to your computer. We're talking terrible graphics that look like they were made on Microsoft Paint and pictures of women who look like they're from Pornhub in 2007. (That's when AdultFriendFinder was officially sold and rebranded from its original parent company.) Reddit user Snoo53279 summed it up in a comment from July 2020: "The people on AFF are definitely real, but there is a huge smattering of bots that also get in the way, so it can be a bit of a PITA to use." If they're not bots, they could be men posing as a couple to seem less threatening.

The parade of women on the landing page is questionable for two reasons. This shouldn't even need to be clarified, but not everyone is looking for a woman. At the least, the advertising isn't inclusive — but this crosses into fetishization territory. The cherry on top is that the women in the photos (unsurprisingly) probably aren't even members of the site, according to a disclaimer at the bottom of the landing page.

AdultFriendFinder's overall outdated vibe goes past an aesthetic annoyance — it's downright problematic at times. The lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community is nearly unforgivable, and we'd be scared to see some of the related rhetoric that AFF users feel comfortable spewing. Without even a dash of social awareness, it's hard to see how anyone who's not an out-of-touch straight cis man would feel comfortable on this site.

Attempting to navigate the shoddy design might be enough to smother your horniness. Three main issues can make the site borderline unusable: It looks shady as hell, an alarming portion of the user base is made up of bots and spam accounts, and the user interface itself is outdated and rife with bugs.

AdultFriendFinder alternatives

Given AdultFriendFinder's... challenges... you're probably wondering where else you can look for casual connections or kink exploration online. While AFF might feel slightly more "legit" than sites with names that scream spam (you know the ones), there are definitely much better places to spend your time and money.

Here are a few alternatives that offer a significantly better experience:

• Pure: Think of Pure as a more modern, less eyeball-assaulting option for no-strings-attached hookups. It has a sleek, "hella-millennial" design (way better than AFF's retro mess) and features like self-destructing messages and profiles that disappear after an hour, giving it a casual, in-the-moment feel. It's basically a sexier, more private Snapchat for hookups.

• Feeld: If you're a single or couple looking for group sex, polyamory, or exploring LGBTQ+ friendly dynamics, Feeld is a much better bet than navigating AFF's often problematic space. It's designed for open-minded individuals and couples and is generally praised for being more inclusive (though it had some bugs after a recent update, which seem to be getting addressed). It skips the unicorn hunting and rampant fetishization found elsewhere.

• FetLife: If the "My Kinks" section on AFF piqued your interest but the endless bots scared you off, FetLife is exactly where you need to be. It's kind of like Myspace (RIP) for the BDSM, fetish, and kink community. You can find local kink events, join hyper-specific groups, and connect with real people who share your exact desires in a much safer, community-policed environment.

• Sniffies: If you're a gay, bi, trans, or queer man looking for a hyper-direct hookup, skip AFF entirely and head to Sniffies. This map-based cruising platform lets you see exactly who's looking for action in your immediate area. You don't even need to register for an account to browse the map, and it displays users' intentions and preferred sex positions right on their avatars.

• Mainstream Apps (like Hinge or OkCupid): While not strictly hookup-focused, even mainstream apps offer a more palatable and less spammy user experience. Their design is cleaner, there's less ad overload, and they prioritize clear information over flashing explicit content, which some users might find a relief compared to AFF's chaos.

Ultimately, you have options that are more modern, more inclusive, and simply less likely to make you feel like you need a virus scan after logging on.

The final verdict: Is AdultFriendFinder worth it?

AdultFriendFinder is a low-pressure way to find a friends-with-benefits situation without insulting anyone. Everyone is pretty much there for the same reason, and though it'll feel pretty unorthodox if you've only ever used Tinder to scope this type of thing out, AFF's blunt advertising at least means you won't have to explain that you're not looking for a relationship. It's niche-friendly and has a ton of interactive outlets to indulge your primal urges.

But that freedom comes with a price — the price is feeling like one of those people who fall for the ads that pop up before a free Pornhub video. It's not that a site dedicated to sex and sexting is inherently scammy — it's that AdultFriendFinder drowns you with explicit photos on profiles that might not even be real people while asking you to pay for a subscription with every click.

Unfortunately, no matter how in the mood you are, some people aren't cut out for the nothing-left-to-the-imagination approach with grammar mistakes all over the place. It wants to be sex-positive so badly, but the language the site has used in reference to the trans community is the furthest thing from that.

The site's functionality and safety aren't where they need to be in 2026. If security measures were tightened, graphics and photos were cleaned up to feel more relevant, and decision-makers behind the scenes were given a lesson in inclusivity and pronouns/identities, AdultFriendFinder could be a handy tool to find attachment-free hookups and connect with a community that's down for anything.

This isn't a dating or hookup site we would personally use, but if you're feeling brave, you can register for AdultFriendFinder here. Just don't try this at work.

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People on social media are already honking about the new gay dating app Goose, due to a Wired investigation that claims it might be using AI-generated men to advertise the app.

Goose, founded by actor and model Derek Chadwick, markets itself as an "anti-algorithm" app. It's membership only, and there are no matches, but users can "wave" to each other.

Before Goose launched, gay men already had plenty of apps to choose from. There's Grindr, which is ubiquitous and easily the most well-known, but over the past few years, users have complained about paywalled features and a buggy user interface. Additionally, there are the apps Sniffies — which dating app conglomerate Match Group just invested $100 million in — SCRUFF, Jack'd, and the new-for-mobile Squirt (to name a few).

And one is no longer: During Pride Month, Match sunset its "intentional" gay dating app Archer.

In this crowded market, people on social media are describing random men DMing them and adding them to their Close Friends stories, only to promote Goose — and these men might be AI-generated.

Wired found more than two dozen Instagram accounts created in May or June 2026 that posted only a few times, suggesting they might be inauthentic. Wired also ran images from the accounts through AI detectors, and there was a high likelihood that AI was used to create these profiles. As Mashable previously reported, these AI checkers aren't foolproof, but combined with other factors, Wired — and gay men the accounts are DMing — have reported that these men may be fake, created solely for the purpose of promoting Goose.

Reached for comment, Goose provided this statement: Goose is disrupting the gay app space by creating a place where real people can make real friends, dates, and community – our team hand-picked every person who received an invite to our app, and we are proud of the community we are building. We work 24/7 to keep our app safe and free of the fake profiles that have soured other platforms. Clearly, our competitors are taking notice.

The Federal Trade Commission prohibits false advertising, Wired noted, and requires disclosure on social media ads.

UPDATE: Jul. 2, 2026, 5:56 p.m. EDT This article was updated to include a statement from Goose.

The explicit tube site Pornhub is now blocked in 25 U.S. states.

This is due to age-verification laws. These laws vary state by state, but typically require visitors of a site with over a third of explicit content to submit a government ID or other form of age authentication. Louisiana was the first state to enact such a bill a couple of years ago, and now others have followed suit. In June, the Supreme Court deemed Texas's age-verification law constitutional, setting a precedent for such bills that come before and after.

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According to one preliminary study, age verification won't work to keep minors off porn sites. This is because of software like VPNs that allow someone to appear to be in a different location, and because of non-compliant websites. (The Florida attorney general is suing foreign-based porn sites for not instituting age verification.) Yet, these laws keep getting passed — and are encroaching on non-explicit websites as well, experts told Mashable.

While Pornhub is not blocked in Louisiana, it is blocked in these states:

• Alabama

• Arizona

• Arkansas

• Florida

• Georgia

• Idah

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Mississippi

• Missouri

• Montana

• Nebraska

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Oklahoma

• South Carolina

• South Dakota

• Tennessee

• Texas

• Utah

• Virginia

• West Virginia

• Wyoming

Pornhub isn't blocked in Ohio despite the state's age-verification law, due to a clause stating that establishing age verification methods doesn't apply to a provider of an interactive computer service (Aylo considers itself one).

In Louisiana, where users must submit ID to view Pornhub, the site has seen traffic decline by around 80 percent, Aylo (Pornhub's parent company) told Mashable.

"These people did not stop looking for porn. They just migrated to darker corners of the internet that don't ask users to verify age, that don't follow the law, that don't take user safety seriously, and that often don't even moderate content. In practice, the laws have just made the internet more dangerous for adults and children," Aylo stated when asked for comment by Mashable back in January.

In a statement to Mashable, Aylo continued:

First, to be clear, Aylo has publicly supported age verification of users for years, but we believe that any law to this effect must preserve user safety and privacy, and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults.

Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous. Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws.

Industry experts say that, in addition to not working for their intended purpose, age verification laws also raise concerns about privacy protection and safety since websites now have to host (even more of) people's personal information. It will be harder to be anonymous online, which experts warn is dangerous to free speech. Adult industry experts Mashable spoke to in an explainer on age-verification laws advocated for device-level filters, as did Aylo in its statement.

Some in the adult industry worry about what Trump's second presidential term will bring due to the conservative policy outline Project 2025 and its measures to ban porn. One of Project 2025's authors, Russell Vought, was caught on a secret recording stating that age-verification laws are the "back door" to a broader porn ban.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Iowa with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

The world of porn continues to be rocked by new laws that require visitors to upload ID before accessing sites. After a number of states introduced these restrictions, Pornhub hit back by banning visitors from these locations. It's an ongoing battle that shows no signs of slowing down.

Age-verification laws for adult content have now been passed in Iowa. Pornhub has not yet been banned in Iowa, but access is still restricted. Fortunately, users can bypass these restrictions in just a few simple steps.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Iowa

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

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ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

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Daters are a bit fickle with their feelings on AI, with some saying companion AI is a dealbreaker but still using it to conjure up messages to a potential date. But a new survey from the dating app Hily suggests that it's sexy to be a Luddite.

Sixty percent of Gen Z and 54 percent of millennials would find someone extremely attractive if they admitted to never using AI to make personal decisions, according to a Hily survey of 3,500 American Gen Z and millennial daters.

Meanwhile, 64 percent of Gen Z and 56 percent of millennial daters wouldn't date someone who does. Even more (75 percent of Gen Z and 68 percent of millennials) would be immediately turned off if a date used AI to decide whether they should go on a second date.

Among Gen Zers who wouldn't date someone who regularly used AI to make decisions, the top three dealbreakers are using AI to analyze a relationship conflict (75 percent), processing emotions like a therapist (69 percent), and seeking career advice (56 percent).

Asking AI about private matters is also a red flag, this survey suggests. Sixty-two percent of Gen Z and 53 percent of millennial daters in the U.S. wouldn't date someone who asks AI whether something in their sex life is healthy. The numbers jump up slightly (66 percent of Gen Z and 54 percent of millennials) when it comes to being uncomfortable if a date discusses their sex life with AI.

If you look at the full survey responses, you'll see that respondents were made to respond on a gradient of "completely agree" to "completely disagree" on sentences like, "I wouldn't feel comfortable if someone I was dating discussed our sex life with AI."

So it's not as if all the respondents came to these conclusions totally on their own, but the results are still telling. As people, including singles, continue to adopt AI, there's a growing contingent opposed to its use — so much so that it's a red flag.

Of the four single women Mashable spoke to about dating in 2026, three had one thing in common: They're not on dating apps.

Or, at least, they're not active on them.

"I have Hinge," Kayleigh, a 23-year-old dancer living in Brooklyn, told me. "Do I use it, though? No." Kayleigh, like some other daters, opted to go by their first name only for privacy reasons.

"I went on one Hinge date, and I was like, 'You're the most boring person I think I've ever met,'" she said. "Haven't been on one since."

None of the four daters I spoke to is thrilled about dating apps, including the one who is active on them. Daters, especially those looking for a long-term partner, are frustrated with the dating apps. That's nothing new, said dating coach Erika Ettin. But it seems the more technology meddles in our love lives, the more disconnected people feel. 

"There's never been more apps than we have today. There's never been more choices than today. We're so connected, but so disconnected," Mehak, host of the Love-ly podcast, told me. Love-ly is a podcast about dating, relationships, identity, and culture through the lens of immigrant identity.

Despite the obvious burnout, though, there is hope for dating — including on apps.

Want our dating and relationships stories and more in your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today.

The great opt-out of dating

In recent years, relationship and online dating expert Dr. Jess Carbino has seen more people "solomaxxing" or "self-partnering" — aka, staying single.

"This is consistent with larger trends related to loneliness, as well as relational cutoffs altogether," said Carbino, a PhD in sociology, who used to work as a sociologist for Tinder and Bumble. Americans have been reporting increased loneliness since before the COVID lockdowns, and the isolation and change in daily life afterward didn't help. Estrangement from family has also risen in recent years.

Carbino attributes opting out of dating to skepticism and cynicism. Men and women are wary of each other, she says. There's also a trend towards moralization, or the classification of certain behaviors as right or wrong. 

But why are young daters skeptical and cynical? Carbino believes that Gen Z hasn't dated before, doesn't know how to do it, and isn't dating as a result of their anxieties, preoccupations with technology, and the precarious financial position they find themselves in.

The socioeconomic status of young people (and older people) definitely hinders dating. Last month, WIRED declared that people can't afford to date, and the New York Times recently reported that rising costs are stopping people from having children, too.

Young adults are bowing out of marriage and partnership at a younger age "because they don't feel like they have the capacity to do that," Carbino explained. "They're not perceiving themselves or others as being viable options, and I think that's really consistent with demographic data we see in terms of the increased age at first marriage and childbearing."

Between 1980 and 2023, the median age of an American woman when she first marries has increased by 29 percent from 22.0 to 28.4, according to Bowling Green State University.

And then there are the cultural reasons behind going solo. Having a boyfriend has been deemed "embarrassing"; heterosexual women are pessimistic about their options, and they're not afraid to say so on social media. And that doesn't even touch growing political polarization between young men and women.

And daters continue to be frustrated by dating apps — and now AI is added into the mix. For several years now, the most popular dating apps (Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble) have been adding more AI features, such as Tinder's AI matchmaker, Chemistry.

"Nobody is for it," Ettin said of AI. "With it being so hard to make a connection in general these days, the last thing people want is more AI intervention to make it less personal, to make it less human."

Then there are the daters using chatbots to come up with messages for them (if not dating a bot itself). If someone is using AI to swipe and chat for them, "it doesn't bode well for a good partnership if someone's not putting in the work up front," she said.

26-year-old dater Moena, a PR professional, said AI in dating "kind of kills authenticity." As a Bumble user, she's curious about what the app plans on doing with AI in the coming months as it removes the swipe feature. But plenty of users have expressed their discontent with the move to AI online.

Even without AI, though, the disdain towards dating apps has been growing steadily. Looking at financial performance, Hinge has consistently increased direct revenue and paying users, but the same can't be said for Tinder and Bumble. The latter is considering even apparently considering a sale amid declining downloads. 

Overwhelm and underwhelm

For Mehak, who's not on apps right now, dating is simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming.

It's "overwhelming because you know the apps never stop, you're constantly swiping, you're having the same conversation, you're going on first dates that do go somewhere," she explained, "but then they don't go somewhere, but it's also underwhelming, right?"

After awhile, dating all starts to feel the same. She enjoys dating — she loves people and is curious about them — but she's burnt out by the process.

Mehak, who's in her early 30s, said the difference between dating now and ten years ago is the amount of choice. She's also struggling with ambivalence: She wants to find her person, but she can't rush the process. 

"I've spent a lot of time trying to answer six-month questions on date two," she said. She asks herself questions like, Do I see a future with them? Is this my person? "As I'm saying this, I just laugh at myself, because I'm like, how would I possibly know?"

And while she sometimes goes out with friends to meet new people, she doesn't enjoy speed dating events, as they feel manufactured.

Kate Sime, who's in her early 50s, said dating apps have removed the human element of dating, and they foster an environment where everyone's disposable. Before she met her ex-husband at 27, she met her boyfriends through friends, at work, or by locking eyes with someone across a bar. But dating doesn't seem to work like that anymore. 

Sime also said a lot of singles events in London consist of throwing people in a room and giving them alcohol, so she wants to do something different. 

She's launching a business this autumn, Kasalyst, for heterosexual singles 35 and older in London. Kasalyst will host events with activities, be it wine tasting or a dinner party, and pair it with talks to help people through different elements of relationships, such as emotions or finances. She also plans on vetting people to weed out catfishes. 

Just looking for hookups

"Even at our age, people just want to hook up," Sime said. She and her friends have been on Hinge and Bumble, and when they share stories, they realize they've seen the same men on and off those apps over the past three years. 

"They're not actually seriously looking for relationships," she said. What she and her friends discovered is that the men brave enough to hit on them in bars tend to be married, and they're open about the fact that they're having affairs and have no intention of leaving their partners. And when they do leave — or get left — they download the apps right away.

"Women do the work, we do the therapy, we hang out with our girlfriends, we take time out, we heal, we go it alone, we grieve, we do things the right way, whereas men don't bother with that, and they just jump straight into the next relationship," she explained.

What's missing from these conversations? Tinder.

Moena said she's not currently on Tinder (she's on Bumble, Hinge, and Raya instead), due to its hookup reputation — which is exactly what its current CEO, Spencer Rascoff, wants to move away from. The other three aren't on Tinder, either. Tinder does have the largest market share among popular U.S. dating apps, though, according to Business of Apps. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower also found that Tinder's mobile user base is on average 2.5 times the size of Bumble's.

Is there hope for daters?

Despite some young people solomaxxing for now, Carbino believes it's temporary. They're not resigned to being single forever. She'd like people to be more optimistic, "because there are many people out there who are looking and who are eager to meet someone."

And Mehak told Mashable she is optimistic — but she's noticed she gets fulfillment and confidence from her life, not from men's attention. She tries to make sure she pours into other aspects of her life so "dating takes up a very normal amount of space in my brain."

Kayleigh, the dancer, said she often meets people through the dance projects she does. She then knows she has shared interests, and finds it easier to start being friends with someone and seeing where it takes her.

And despite the ire toward dating apps, Ettin believed people would complain if they went away. Meeting someone isn't easy, she said — it takes a lot of time, energy, and sometimes money. A dater's attitude makes a difference.

"The apps aren't keeping people single," she said. "It's how people use them."

Some of Ettin's dating app tips include:

• Don't exchange phone numbers until you plan a date, so you don't fall into the pen pal trap.

• Treat your initial conversation like a funnel: Start broad and go more narrow. No "how's your day going?" That's boring.

• Meeting up sooner rather than later, in case they're a catfish or just a dud.

Carbino also encourages daters not to just drop someone due to imperfections, as "dump him" social media culture might suggest. Never tolerate abusive behavior, but there's a wide gap between a pet peeve or an ick and something truly harmful. 

"Many people who have been in romantic partnerships, whether they're heterosexual or not, know that people act in ways that are unattractive at times," she said. "Sometimes your partners are going to do things that you don't like and that are not pleasing to you, but that doesn't mean that they're a bad person."

"Honestly, the imperfections are what's really nice, because that's where you know the growth and introspection happens," she continued.

And if you really don't want to deal with another person's faults — or your own, let's be real — then maybe you should take a break from dating. You can always come back when you're ready. When asked if she had anything else to say about dating in 2026, Kayleigh said, "It's OK to be single."

The AI revolution we're all living through has shaken up the labor market, supercharged the stock market, and flooded the internet with memes, but you may not have noticed that it's quietly rewriting the rules of online dating. 

Large language models (LLMs) have put the power of sophisticated chatbots into the hands of ordinary people, including ordinary scammers, leading to a massive surge in fake profiles and bots taking over dating sites. Now, online dating isn't just about being witty or taking a great selfie; it's also about spotting AI-generated writing or photographs to avoid being scammed every other match. 

These same AI tools have made it much easier and more affordable for dating apps and sites to enforce their moderation policies, and some of the apps have even harnessed AI to improve quality of life for their users, either by refining the matchmaking or by acting like a digital wingman, suggesting which of your photos to showcase or picking out new profiles for you based on your past matchmaking preferences. That being said, AI has also led to more sophisticated trust and safety features from dating apps, like how Bumble uses AI to weed out spammers and scammers. These apps are also using AI in user-facing features, including acting like a "digital wingman" and helping you improve your profile.

Suspicious of AI, or just want a break from our digital overlords? Here are three hookup apps that haven't yet succumbed to the AI revolution.

3 hookup apps without AI features

Feeld

Billed as a "dating app for the curious" and the place "where curiosity meets connection," Feeld is easily the most open-minded app in the hookup sphere, a place where you can find anything you're looking for and even things you didn't know to look for. From the beginning, Feeld rejected the algorithm-based swiping frenzy that became the standard on so many other apps, preferring to treat its digital space like an online house party where you might talk to anyone who catches your fancy. 

As of this writing, Feeld has not yet embraced AI, and if its CEO is to be believed, they don't have any plans to, either. 

Pure

Pure, the "open-minded dating app," is definitely built around short-term fun, with an emphasis on anonymity and prominent displays of "turn-ons" and kinks, but it also bucked the carousel-style matchmaking trend made popular by Tinder.

There are two main ways to connect with strangers: you'll either be shown one profile at a time, forcing you to properly assess each person for compatibility, or you can opt for the "Devil's Bones" gamble, which puts you into an anonymous voice or text chat with a total stranger.

If you're sick of the indirect approach of most dating apps and want to avoid AI's influence in the algorithms, Pure is a great, straightforward alternative.

AdultFriendFinder

If you're really anti-AI, you're probably safest sticking with AdultFriendFinder, not because it has any ethical or philosophical objections to artificial intelligence, but because its site architecture has hardly changed in the 25+ years since its founding. 

Even better, AFF doesn't have an algorithm-based matchmaking system. Instead, it allows you to search for people based on criteria like their location, gender, age, or favorite kinks, or else it creates online communities and discussion boards where you can meet like-minded people to start conversations organically.

If you don't like the idea of artificial intelligence impacting your future hookup options, the above three apps and sites are a great way to resist the tide.

AdultFriendFinder is one of the wildest, most popular adult dating sites on the entire internet, and it has held that position for decades, but all of that attention comes with a price. The site is also notoriously plagued by bots, fake profiles, and scammers, and using it well requires both being aware of this problem and knowing how to navigate it. 

Luckily, if you've got even a minimum of internet savvy in you, plus maybe some experience being targeted for online scams before ("once bitten, twice shy" and all), you should have no trouble avoiding the bad actors and safely enjoying all of the adult fun AFF has to offer, even in the era of agentic AI.  

To help you protect yourself, here are the three most common AI chatbots you may encounter on AdultFriendFinder, including information about how to spot them and how to defuse them once you've identified them.

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder

 

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The promotional chatbot

By far the most common type of bot deployed on AFF is the promotional bot, and thankfully, these are also the most harmless, although that doesn't mean they can't also be annoying or a major waste of your time. 

Promotional bots are designed to direct traffic to a specific location, which might be a Linktree, OnlyFans account, or even just an Instagram page. Most of the time, they function more as advertisements rather than scams. In other words, they directly declare their intentions ("Visit this page to see my private content") rather than hide it, but occasionally they take a page out of the scamming chatbot method (see below) and engage you in superficial conversation before urging you to go off the site with a link. 

You're very unlikely to encounter promotional chatbots in one-on-one conversations through the AFF matchmaking system, since chatting here requires a paid account, but you'll run into them often in the more public areas, especially the live webcam shows. 

Your best approach here is to ignore them entirely. If you do happen to find a performer who interests you, the minimum you should do before clicking the link is verify the destination address, since there's always the chance you'll be directed to a malicious site. 

The scamming chatbot

Between its account verification system (known as ConfirmID) and the fact that all private, one-on-one chats on the site are confined to paying members, you're not likely to have a chatbot slide into your DMs, but that doesn't mean it's unheard of, either. 

For scammers, AI chatbots are an easy way to scale up their fraudulent schemes, since outsourcing the phishing expeditions to AI enables them to potentially reach hundreds or even thousands more people. Worse still, as we're in the midst of widespread AI adoption, these chatbots are getting better and better, which makes them harder to recognize. They absolutely can hold a conversation and even crack jokes, so unlike ten or even five years ago, when most chatbots failed the Turing test within minutes of speaking with them. The latest models can happily hold a back-and-forth conversation for some time.

The two major red flags here, however, are reliable indicators that you're talking to a scammer. First, they will, at some point, attempt to create a sense of urgency, either by telling you a story or appealing to your sympathy. Next, they will ask you to click a link or take the conversation to a third-party chat program. 

As soon as this happens, your best defense is to disengage. But if you're really uncertain, you can also ask the person to verify their identity, like with a phone or video call. If they're resistant, you can be assured they're actually a bot.

The fake streamer

Larger webcam sites have been taken over by fake streams, but even a smaller hosting platform like AFF isn't immune to the problem. The scam works in one of two ways: either the streamer uses pre-recorded videos, often of total strangers, to falsify their livestream, or else they use generative AI and a low-quality feed to pass off a fake stream as a real one.

In both cases, the real scam happens in the comment section, where the streamer or AI agent requests tips or subscriptions, or else tries to send the stream viewers to a third-party site for more content. 

The two major tells for these types of scams are, first, the speed at which the "streamer" is able to type in chat, and second, the obvious disconnect between the actions of the "streamer" on webcam and the typing supposedly going on as they reply in the comment section.

AdultFriendFinder has two major camming areas — the Member Webcams section and the Pro Models section — and of the two, the latter is far more infiltrated by bots. Member Webcams rarely draw more than a dozen viewers, while professional feeds often attract hundreds, making them a much more lucrative target for scammers. 

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The final day of Prime Day is officially here (yes, Amazon bumped the official sale up to June this year), and it's my pleasure, as well as journalistic duty, to give you the deets on where to find the best sex toy deals.

As I've noted in years past, buying sex toys on Amazon is a gamble. If you don't know what to look for, you could end up with something that does more harm than good (think porous jelly materials or chemical-laden vibrators). On top of that, Amazon isn't allowed to promote sex toys on Prime Day the way it does for TVs and air fryers, which means you have to dig to find the discounts.

Luckily, you have me to do the research for you. To be transparent, while the official sale is live, the best sex toy deals right now aren't actually on Amazon — they're hiding at competing sales from trusted retailers and brands like Lovehoney, LELO, Bellesa Boutique, and Hello Nancy.

Happy shopping!

Best Amazon Prime Day sex toy deal so far

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This year, the pickings on Amazon are slim, but Tracy's Dog is almost always marked down. It's one of my favorite sex toy brands for people who crave intense clitoral stimulation but aren't willing to pay more than $50. This is one of the only times I feel confident saying you'll get more bang for your buck.

Right now, you can get Tracy's Dog OG Lick (also known as the Juicy Clitoral Licking Vibrator) for $29.99 at Amazon. It doesn't have a "Prime Day deal" badge or even a "discount" listed, but $29.99 is a good deal. For context, it normally retails for $45.99 on the official Tracy's Dog website, so you're saving 35% by grabbing it on Amazon instead.

The OG Lick includes a remote and has seven licking modes and 10 vibration patterns. It's also waterproof and super easy to use hands-free (I actually love using mine while I'm giving my partner head; it's fun for everyone involved). Note: This is a "licking" vibrator; if you want suction, I recommend buying the OG Sucking Vibrator (which isn't available on Amazon for some reason).

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The Smile Makers Collection offers a no-frills way to reach an orgasm. It's straight to the point in its marketing, and the products are effective.

Right now, all vibe bundles are 30% off, but I highly recommend getting the Erogenous Ecstasy bundle. It's on sale for $97.35, down from $129.80 (save $32.45), and includes The Firefighter (which I recommended in my best sex toys roundup) and The French Lover. Both of these toys are for the girlies with pelvic pain who just want to have fun again. The clitoral stimulation is soft and yet powerful enough to get the job done over and over again. I have both of these toys, so I know!

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The Aura is unlike most sex toys I've tested. It's a four-in-one personal massager (yes, I own this too! But I just got it, so it's not in my roundup just yet). It features a heating function that ranges from 113 to 122ºF, a massage function that uses little rollers to mimic the feeling of fingers making a soft circular motion, four vibration modes, and six customizable suction levels. It covers almost all the bases for external stimulation (you'll need a separate dildo for penetration, though).

Aside from the patent-pending design (it was co-designed with the lead engineer behind the Dyson Airwrap!), Mila's branding is definitely giving rhode vibes. The company approaches sexual health and wellness as skincare — even its lube is sleek, and it applies as a mist, which I really love (most lubes are so messy!).

"Mila is building the first comprehensive cosmetics line for intimate skin — products designed not just to function, but to actively care for the skin down there the way we'd expect from a facial routine," Kim Aviv, the founder of Mila, told me in an email. "Intimate care, reframed as skincare."

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The dating app Bumble is considering a sale, according to a Reuters report Thursday. And fresh data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, shared with Mashable, may help explain why.

Bumble has experienced the largest decline in global downloads among top dating apps over the past year and a half, according to Sensor Tower.

What's going on at Bumble?

It's no secret that Bumble has been going through a tough time for the past few years. Its stock is down 96 percent from its IPO at the time of this writing, even with a boost given the news of a potential sale.

Bumble began with the distinction that women began the conversation (in heterosexual matches). But the company decided to switch it up in 2024, allowing men to message first with the "Opening Moves" feature.

The app has since removed Opening Moves in Mexico and Australia, signaling that it wasn't a hit among users.

During Bumble's Q4 2025 earnings call, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced that Bumble will test an AI-powered dating experience, even as the numbers showed the app's total revenue and paying users decreased year over year. The year-over-year dips in total revenue and paying users continued in Q1 2026.

Wolfe Herd also recently shared that Bumble is removing its swipe feature. While she wasn't forthcoming about what will replace it, her mention of the potential AI assistant and matchmaker seemed a strong indication to many Bumble users. Their reaction was less than positive.

How Bumble is exploring a sale

Sources close to the company told Reuters that Bumble is working with Morgan Stanley investment bankers on a potential sale process. It's not a done deal, however, and the app might stay independent.

Bumble didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. Morgan Stanley and asset manager Blackstone, which reportedly owns 22 percent of Bumble, also declined. Mashable has also reached out to Bumble for comment.

The buzz on Bumble's numbers

Sensor Tower's senior insights analyst, Kara Lee, reported that in 2025 and the first half of 2026, global Bumble downloads fell by 23 percent and 15 percent year-over-year, respectively. Between Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble, Bumble has seen the greatest decline in global total downloads, Sensor Tower says.

Tinder's downloads decreased in the same time period, Lee wrote, but by four percent and two percent year-over-year, respectively. Downloads of Hinge, meanwhile, increased by 14 percent and 25 percent during this time, respectively.

This is consistent with the financial reports. Tinder and Hinge are both owned by Match Group, and according to their Q1 2026 earnings, Hinge's direct revenue and paying users are up year over year. For Tinder, those metrics were down in previous quarters, but now it's making something of a comeback, as its direct revenue was up two percent year over year.

Hinge is also beating its two main rivals in monthly active users (MAU), according to Lee. They're up 23 percent year over year in 2025 and 25 percent year over year in the first half of 2026.

Bumble's user base, however, has experienced consistent declines over the last five quarters, Lee reported. While its monthly active users increased by 4 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2025, they dropped by 14 percent year over year a year later.

Tinder's monthly active users have fallen slightly, but it averages a mobile user base that's 2.5 times larger than Bumble's.

So while Bumble isn't the only dating app struggling, it might be faring the worst right now.

OnlyFans star Sophie Rain is often seen lounging in a bikini on Instagram, TikTok, and X for her combined 27 million followers, but on the day of her interview with Mashable, she was experiencing something much less sexy: busted water pipes.

"I've been dealing with no water all morning, and that's how my day has been going," she said. Rain, who has farm animals like cows and goats, had to give them water bottles earlier in the day because her hoses weren't working. Usually, Rain's morning routine includes checking on her animals and making sure predators haven't gotten to them. "That's my biggest fear, waking up one morning and seeing a coyote," she said.

But Rain's claim to fame has nothing to do with farmlife. She became well-known in 2024 as an OnlyFans star and creator of the content mansion, the Bop House. ("Bop" stands for "baddie on point," and is often used to refer to women who make sexy content online.)

Rain has since left Bop House but still sometimes creates social media content with other OnlyFans creators — including the controversial Piper Rockelle, the child YouTube star who started an OnlyFans account when she turned 18. 

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Rain is controversial, which isn't surprising in our increasingly non-anonymous, anti-porn internet. Age-verification laws, which are mandates in many U.S. states, the UK, and elsewhere, require proof of age like submitting one's government ID or a facial scan in order to access explicit content — or even content that's not explicit but the state deems restricted to adults, like certain Reddit threads. 

But Rain actually doesn't film porn and, in fact, she says she's never had sex. That's why GQ proclaimed her the "clean queen of the dirty internet" in early 2026. That could also contribute to her roaring success. The 20-something (while her profiles say she's 21, she told GQ she doesn't disclose her real age for privacy reasons) claims she's made $100 million on the platform — more on that below. And despite her lewd-seeming career, she's saving up to something more wholesome one day: homestead. 

The making of a $100 million OnlyFans star

In a 2024 interview with People, Rain said she grew up poor, and her family was on food stamps. She worked as a food server when she started her OnlyFans account in 2023, and while she said she was fired for her account, it quickly turned into a lucrative business. 

Rain started Bop House at the end of 2024, but left months later in July 2025. It hasn't stopped her success, though. The creator claims to have made over $100 million from the platform, though she had trouble providing a screenshot to Mashable when asked, and her team didn't respond to a screenshot request. She said her WiFi was acting up, though the video call with Mashable had clear service. In Nov. 2024, though, she posted a screenshot on X showing an OnlyFans income of over $43 million from one year on the platform.

$100 million or not, Rain is making bank on scantily clad and nude images of herself, if her lifestyle is any indication. She was most recently in Paris for its Fashion Week, making headlines for hanging out with looksmaxxer Clavicular. The latest TMZ headline: "More Than Friends-Maxxing ... V-Card in Danger?!?"

Rain told Mashable she'll never film herself having sex (when she eventually does have it). "I still have my boundaries, I don't do certain things on the site that I'm not comfortable with," she said.

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The virgin label coincides with Rain's Christian values; she's not the only OnlyFans creator to profit from that seeming contradiction: Anya Lacey, a MAGA-loving Christian conservative, also posts nudes on OnlyFans. Both Rain and Lacey are Floridians and have spoken out against Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, whose platform includes a "50 percent sin tax" on OnlyFans creators.

"Who are you to judge sin?" Rain said about the proposed tax in a CNN interview. "God is the only one who can judge sin." 

"I think that it's great," she said of OnlyFans to the news outlet. "It just has created so many opportunities for me, and I'm so thankful to even be here."

Rain reiterated the same sentiment to Mashable: "I'm literally just gonna keep going. I love doing what I do. I have fun. Really, it gives me a great opportunity, because I've made money online, so I can continue chasing and doing bigger things that I want to do."

And despite Project 2025 (the far-right blueprint for Donald Trump's second presidential term) outlining an outright porn ban and imprisoning its creators, Rain told Mashable she doesn't believe such a ban would ever pass. (Bans have been proposed in Michigan and elsewhere, but those bills haven't progressed to becoming laws, perhaps because it'd be a big First Amendment hurdle.)

"I believe that we have freedom of speech, freedom to do what we want, because we live in a free country," she told Mashable. "I don't think that we should be segregated essentially just because of what we do online."

"A lot of people think if you're on OnlyFans, you're immediately a porn star, and you're a slut, and all this," she said, pointing out that OnlyFans started as an "SFW" platform, meaning safe for work. The explicit side really took off after the majority of OnlyFans' parent company was sold to the founder of the porn site MyFreeCams, Leonid Radvinsky, who died earlier this year. That and the COVID lockdowns catapulted OnlyFans to being a household name, with the connotation being that it's pornographic.

Sophie Rain's advice for OnlyFans creators

But Rain reassures women that they don't have to make porn to make money on OnlyFans. "I met someone who just sells her recipes," she said. Earlier this year, Mashable interviewed a similar creator, Sophie Annaston, who makes six figures posting suggestive, non-nude content. 

"You have full autonomy over anything. You can do whatever you want," Rain said.

Her advice to budding OnlyFans creators? "Do what makes you happy. Do what makes you comfortable, putting the content out that you enjoy. You're not going to get tired of it," she said. 

While she's set to continue posting content to her millions of followers, Rain's also pursuing her goal of being a homesteader. As she told GQ, she owns 20 acres of farm land and dreams of raising cattle and becoming a local butcher. 

"I really just want to carry on doing what my grandpa did, and taking care of farm animals, because I grew up doing that…I love doing it," she told Mashable. 

For now, though, Rain continues to create content and take care of her farm animals. She hasn't ventured into homestead content yet, but on her burner TikTok account ("where I can just absolutely brain rot," she said), Rain's FYP is all farm animals.

Grindr's been peeving off its customers, and other dating apps are starting to take note. Since its "AI era" announcement and the introduction of an astronomically priced premium tier, Grindr's competitors have stepped up to the plate to give people what they want: hookups, now.

Squirt, a cruising site that's been around since 1999 BG (Before Grindr), launched its first iOS app (SQ Dating) in April, and now it's adding new features to encourage you to download the app and check out the site, including a revamped "Video Chat" experience and a "New Guys" grid.

According to a press release shared with Mashable, "Video Chat" has been rebuilt for a "smoother, faster, and more reliable 1:1 experience." It's easier to jump between the web and mobile app; you can also switch between your front and rear cameras and receive incoming call notifications (no matter what page you're on) across both platforms.

"Bringing back Video Chat gives members a more immediate way to flirt, tease, verify chemistry, and decide what happens next," Andrew Nolan, Head of Dating Businesses at Squirt's parent company, Pink Triangle Press, said in a statement. "Whether they're browsing on the website or using the app, we want the experience to feel direct, easy, and hot.”

To make it even easier to see who's brand-new to the app, the company launched a "New Guys" grid. This is essentially a grid of guys who've joined in the last 30 days or who've been online "recently" and explicitly flag that they want to meet up right now — which helps if you're tired of seeing the same local faces over and over again.

Squirt's new user layout interface. Credit: Squirt

Squirt also says it's planning to add an integrated "Map" feature later this summer (taking a page from Sniffies' book, I see) to give you another way to connect with nearby profiles. You'll find it under "Dating" on the app and "Cruising Listings" on desktop, where you can check into locations and browse nearby activity.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway, and international tourists are obsessed with mundane American things. It seems like they're also interested in another American export: Tinder.

Compared to the same time last year, the dating app has seen increases in Swipes, Likes, and matches across World Cup host cities. The U.S. is seeing over a 15 percent increase in users, around a 25 percent increase in Swipe activity, and nearly a 60 percent increase in matches compared to June 2025.

Mexico and Canada are feeling the love, too, with increases across the board.

The app saw an average 47 percent increase among international users in game host cities, according to internal data from June 11 to 16. This is across host cities and match days, and is after accounting for ordinary summer travel. Some of the strongest activity jumps include +80 percent in Monterrey around the Sweden vs. Tunisia game, +74 percent in Guadalajara around Korea Republic vs. Czechia, and +47 percent in Boston around Iraq vs. Norway.

Domestic users are apparently feeling like driving a goal, too, with a 22 percent increase.

Tinder is also seeing increases in Passport Mode use, which lets users swipe in other locations than where they're currently based. The New York/New Jersey area, Los Angeles, and Miami are the top host metros for Passport inflow, according to Tinder. The top origin countries — excluding host countries — include Great Britain, Brazil, Thailand, and Nigeria.

It's not surprising that sports invigorates the desire for a date (or a hookup). During the Olympics, Tinder users often try to virtually enter the Olympic Village with Passport Mode.

It's no secret that the world of dating apps and websites involves the collection of an enormous amount of data. How could it be otherwise? You're voluntarily telling these companies how old you are, where you live, what you're looking for, and maybe even how much money you earn or your level of education. 

All of this may just be "personal details" to you, or to the people you're trying to match with, but to the companies that own the sites and apps you're using, this is valuable information that can be used to serve you ads or even sold to third-party data collection companies. 

If you're privacy-minded, or if you just want to do your due diligence before you commit your time and maybe even your money to a company, it's worth knowing about each app or site's privacy policy and how it does or doesn't protect your information. 

Here's a quick overview of the data protection policies of some of the most common hookup apps:

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder

 

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AdultFriendFinder privacy policy

AdultFriendFinder is unusual in the constellation of hookup apps and websites for the simple reason that it allows and even encourages its members to post nude photographs and videos, so as you can imagine, their privacy policy should be both transparent and robust.

Thankfully, they are unequivocal about what they won't do with your private information: "We DO NOT sell, rent, or give any personally identifiable information about you to any third party without your permission." 

One thing they do note, however, is that if you opt to log in to AFF through a third-party authorization site like Facebook or Google, those companies will have access to your profile name, email address and profile photo, which is something to keep in mind, especially if you don't want other people knowing you're using this site.

Tinder privacy policy

Tinder has one of the more robust privacy policies we've come across, but the impression it gives the reader is that it was written by lawyers less to inform you, the user, of your privacy rights and more to indemnify Tinder for how it uses your data. 

To begin with, they operate under an "opt out" rather than an "opt in" paradigm, so the default Tinder account is set up to allow lots of data collection, including "access to specific types of device data such as phone contacts, pictures, advertising identifiers and location services," on top of all the data you're already voluntarily sharing with Tinder. 

And unlike AFF, which was so emphatic about their refusal to sell your data that they resorted to using caps lock, Tinder uses slippery legal language: "If we 'sell' or 'share' your data or use it for 'targeted advertising,' we will provide an opt out in the 'Your Privacy Choices' link in the footer of our website and in the Settings menu of the app." The sentence begins with a conditional and then puts quotation marks around two words (sell and share) that have a pretty commonly understood meaning — not a good sign! 

If you've been a long-time Tinder user and are suddenly concerned with what the app might know about you, we recommend you request a copy of your personal data, which the site allows you to download as a ZIP file, so you can see exactly what they've collected on you and decide for yourself if you want to keep using the app. 

Pure privacy policy

What about Pure, the privacy-first app that boasts about deleting your message history after 24 hours? Their privacy policy is lengthy and comprehensive, but it's also less precise than it could be. 

For example, when discussing what data Pure shares with third parties, it prominently names "service providers" as an entity that might receive your data, but they bury the lede in a lengthy list of who exactly qualifies as a service provider: "providers of telecommunications systems, email, database, hosting, customer-communication tools, outsourcing, payment, user verification, advertising, marketing, analytics, anti-spam service, security, fraud prevention, and trust and safety moderation."

Pure acknowledges that these third-party services "may also use your Personal Data for their own purposes," but then also states that, "We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your Personal Data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your Personal Data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions." Pure didn't respond to Mashable's request for comment about what this means.

And if you're a California resident, Pure uses an "opt out" rather than an "opt in" approach to data collection, so if you do plan on using the app, it's worth thoroughly exploring your account settings to ensure you're not sharing more data with the company than you would like.

I used to joke that auditioning for Love Island is a better alternative to dating, and now Tinder is taking it seriously. The app just announced that it's partnering with TikTok to launch a full-on reality dating show this summer called Double Date Island.

The concept is a little different from most dating shows. Instead of sending single people out to navigate an island or competition alone, Tinder is asking contestants to bring a best friend along for the ride. It's all part of Tinder's attempt to be relationship-focused while promoting its Double Date Mode. They're casting single duos from various countries (the U.S., UK, Brazil, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany), according to the press release, and flying them to Portugal for a summer of on-camera courting.

The show will follow real Tinder users as they go on double dates and participate in challenges and other activities, the app told Mashable. It's (unsurprisingly) inspired by the Double Date feature, and will be unscripted.

I'm not sure if Tinder is taking a page out of InStyle's book — The InTern mockumentary series went viral soon after its first episode, and now it's so popular that celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Sarah Sherman have appeared in it — but a dating show built just for TikTok sounds like something I'd binge while huddled under my covers.

If you want to try out for it, you have to move fast. According to a LinkedIn post shared by Tinder's Global Communications and Social Media Manager, Francisco Gonçalves, the casting window opened on June 22 and closes at midnight local time on June 28, this Sunday.

View this post on Instagram

If you're 18 or older, all you have to do is open up Tinder. A special casting card will randomly pop up right in your usual profile stack over the next few days, and if you want to apply, you literally just Swipe Right on it.

Applications will then be reviewed by the production team, Tinder told Mashable. Selected applicants may be invited to participate in further casting stages, such as interviews, additional social or video submissions, social media reviews, background checks, welfare assessments, and other standard production checks.

The show will culminate in an international finale featuring contributors from multiple countries, according to Tinder. Double Date Island will premiere exclusively on TikTok (not Tinder or another streamer) this summer — apparently, if you're 18 and older.

It might be a promo for the app, but hey, traveling to Portugal with your best friend "for the plot" sounds way better than normal swiping.

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Prime Day starts June 23 (yes, Amazon bumped the official sale up to June this year), and it's my pleasure, and journalistic duty, to give you the deets on where to find the best sex toy deals.

As I've noted in years past, buying sex toys on Amazon is a gamble. If you don't know what to look for, you could end up with something that does more harm than good (think porous jelly materials or chemical-laden vibrators). On top of that, Amazon isn't allowed to promote sex toys on Prime Day the way it does for TVs and air fryers, which means you have to dig to find the discounts.

Luckily, you have me to do the research for you. To be transparent, there aren't a ton of amazing sex toy deals live on Amazon yet, but I expect a lot more to drop once the official sale heats up. If you just can't wait, I've rounded up the best early discounts and my favorite sex toys from competing sales at retailers and brands like Lovehoney, Lelo, belessa, and Hello Nancy.

Happy shopping!

Best Amazon Prime Day sex toy deal so far

Tracy's Dog OG Lick

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Why we like it

A lot of the toys I usually hype up on Prime Day aren't on sale yet (I've listed those below), but Tracy's Dog is almost always marked down. It is one of my favorite sex toy brands for people who crave intense clitoral stimulation but aren't willing to pay more than $50. This is one of the only times I feel confident saying you'll get more bang for your buck.

Right now, you can get Tracy's Dog OG Lick for $29.99 at Amazon (it's basically just a newer version of the OG Sucking Vibrator, which I have and love). It's only 13% off on the Tracy's Dog website, so this is a good deal.

The OG Lick includes a remote and has seven licking modes and 10 vibration patterns. It's also waterproof and super easy to use hands-free (I actually love using mine while I'm giving my partner head; it's fun for everyone involved). Note: This is a "licking" vibrator; if you want suction, I recommend buying the OG Sucking Vibrator (which isn't available on Amazon for some reason).

More early Prime Day deals hiding on Amazon

• Satisfyer Pearl Diver — $24.95 $49.95 (save $25)

• Tracy's Dog Swirlii Vibrator — $39.99 $49.99 (save $10)

• Satisfyer Penguin — $49.95 $69.95 (save $20)

• Liberator BonBon Mount — $86.61 $130 (save $43.39)

• Liberator Black Label Wedge/Ramp Combo with Cuff Kit — $269.99 $299.99 (save $30)

• Liberator Jaz Duet Foam Positioning Pillow Set — $169 $195 (save $26)

• Trojan Bareskin Latex Thin Condoms — $19.97 $23.99 (save $4.02)

• Liberator Wanda Sex Toy Mount — $79.99 $84.99 (save $5)

• SKYN Elite Ultra Thin Lubricated Latex-Free Condoms — $7.22 $8.99 (save $1.77)

• Satisfyer Pro 2 — $39.95 $44.67 (save $1.77)

• LELO Soraya 2 Rabbit Vibrator — $39.95 $239 (save $70)

• Tracy's Dog Cordless Vibrating Hammer Wand — $39.99 $45.99 (save $6)

The toys I'm betting will go on sale this week

• PlusOne Bullet Vibrator — $14.99

• Unbound Gemini — $34

Beyond Amazon: All the other sex toy deals you can shop right now

• Adam & Eve: Get 50% off one item with code 50MORE

• Babeland: Get up to 50% off dildos and more through June 30

• bellesa: Get up to 60% off with code JUNE60

• biird: Get up to 40% off select toys

• b-Vibe: Get up to 60% off sitewide

• The Cowgirl: Get five FREE attachments with The Cowgirl The Unicorn

• FemmeFunn: Get 20% off sitewide from June 23rd to June 24th

• Foria: Get 25% off Intimacy Melts

• Good Vibes: Get 15% off a single item with code PRIDEVIBE

• Hello Nancy: Get up to 50% off select toys

• The Handy: Get up to 55% off The Handy with code HANDY55

• Je Joue: Get 20% off with code LOVE20

• LELO: Get up to 50% off, plus a free toy

• Le Wand: Get up to 65% off best sellers

• Lovers: BOGO 50% off

• Lovehoney: Get up to 70% off

• Magic Wand: Get up to $90 off select wands

• MysteryVibe: Get up to 50% off select toys

• PinkCherry: Get up to 80% off clearance, plus 40% off everything else with code PRIME

• Satisfyer: Get 30% off all travel-sized toys

• Smile Makers: Buy any two, save $30

Hookup apps are fun and all, but there are real privacy concerns, from the nuances of data collection to the plain fact that you'll be sharing your face far and wide on an app designed for short-term fun. You have a responsibility to take your privacy into your own hands, and that means knowing how the companies you're interacting with value discretion. 

If you have a shared bank account or if, for whatever reason, it's likely that other people might get a glimpse of your credit card statement, you may want to know how various hookup sites and apps will charge your card, and how those charges may appear to a third party. 

To help give you peace of mind, we dug up the billing practices of four of the most common hookup platforms, so you can better understand the risk you're taking if you decide to pay for a membership:

AdultFriendFinder bank statement

Because AdultFriendFinder is the only web-based dating platform on this list, it cannot disguise its payment processing through an app store, which means you are going to get a telltale billing statement, either directly in your bank account or on your credit card statement. Thankfully, however, AFF has opted for a relatively discreet option: the charges will come from FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF.

If even that garbled assemblage of letters is too revealing for your peace of mind, there are ways to bypass the billing statement entirely, if you're clever about it. 

Tinder billing statement

Unlike AdultFriendFinder, which operates exclusively as a website, Tinder operates exclusively as an app, which means all of its charges, whether for subscriptions or Super Likes and Boosts, are routed through your smartphone's app store, either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

There is an exception, though: if you purchase a subscription on the Tinder website, not the app, your bank or credit card statement will show a charge from either TINDER.COM or MATCH GROUP, depending on where you live.

It's also worth noting that Tinder subscriptions automatically renew, not just during your allotted subscription period but also after it, so you need to manually cancel your subscription when you want to stop using the app. Do not just delete the app, as this will keep your subscription running.

Pure billing statement

As an app, Pure also enjoys the benefits of being able to route its charges to you through an app store, so you won't have to worry about anything revealing appearing on your bank or credit card statement, but Pure also allows users to use their website to purchase a membership (at a discount, no less!), in which case you will get a billing statement. 

What exactly appears on your bill will vary by where you live, but it will usually be some variation of PURE, without the words "app" or "hookup" appearing.

And like many hookup apps, Pure automatically renews your subscription, so if you want to end your membership, you will have to manually cancel your subscription at least 24 hours before the renewal date.

Grindr billing statement

Like Pure and Tinder, Grindr enables discretion by running its billing through whichever app store you used to download and pay for the app, so you won't have to worry about an identifiable charge appearing on your bank or credit card statement each month. 

You should know, however, that Grindr's subscriptions are all set to automatically renew, so if you're intending to stop using the app, you need to manually cancel your subscription by navigating to your profile, selecting Payments (iOS) or Payments & Subscriptions (Android), and then choosing Cancel Subscription. , This will likely help to discourage the low-effort, ghosting culture that so many over-40 daters are running away from. 

If you're dating in your 40s, some online dating sites and apps are a better bet than others, especially if you want to date within your age range. While most dating apps like Tinder and Hinge tend to be more popular with the 30-and-under crowd, dating websites attract a slightly older demographic, one more interested in substantive connection than fleeting attraction. 

That's where eharmony comes in. The site has been around for over 25 years, and boasts somewhere between 38 and 45 million registered users (according to DatingAdvice), and unlike the fast-paced, dopamine-driven apps, eharmony encourages its users to take their time, emphasizing compatibility through a proprietary personality quiz that the site then uses to assign all of your potential matches with a "compatibility score" between 60 and 140, with a higher score indicating that you have more in common. 

Curious if the site is right for you? Here are its pros and cons for daters over 40:

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Credit: eharmony

eharmony

 

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eharmony benefits

Favorable user demographics

The major benefit of a site like eharmony for older daters is its age breakdown of users. Fully 40 percent of its active users are between the ages of 30 and 39, making it the largest on-site demographic, closely followed by the 40+ crowd at 35 percent of the total user base, while the under-30 crowd makes up just 25 percent of the site's users. 

But it gets even better. According to independent research by SwipeStats, the average age of an eharmony user is 34. Eharmony told Mashable that users are 51 percent women and 49 percent men.

Compatibility-focused matchmaking

On most dating sites these days, the "matchmaking" process is little more than a game of "hot or not," where users are given a small handful of photos and a few seconds of time to make a decision. That's not how eharmony operates. All of its users, including paid subscribers and free accounts, complete a comprehensive personality questionnaire known on the site as the Compatibility Quiz. 

Based on extensive psychological research and eharmony's own matchmaking experiences, this quiz aims to classify people around four basic questions: 

• What characterizes us? 

• What is our driving force? 

• How do we organize everyday life? 

• How do we communicate?

Once it has this information, it can more accurately guess who you will likely vibe with and who you might butt heads with, all based on these fundamental differences in character. 

It might not be a perfect system, of course, but it does offer a needed counterweight to the "picture first" approach of more superficial dating sites. If you're in your 40s and eager for connection, it's nice to see, at a glance, who is likely to appreciate your communication style or life goals.

A commitment to dating transparency

One glaring truth about most online dating sites is that they lack transparency. It keep its matchmaking algorithms hidden, for example, or they remain tight-lipped about its user demographics or success rates. Well, eharmony takes the opposite approach, and it's refreshing. 

Head to its Data and Research section, for example, and you'll see it regularly releases reports about both online dating in general, always sourced from top-notch independent researchers like Pew, or about its own users in particular. Recent reports include subjects like "masculinity's impact on dating dynamics" or the topics Gen Z and millennial daters are most likely to lie about in their dating profiles. 

These reports aren't just fun facts or curiosities you might be interested in; they're valuable insights into modern dating dynamics, and a helpful tool for those eager to improve their dating game. 

eharmony drawbacks

Paid membership required

One obvious drawback to eharmony is that, unlike Tinder or Hinge, for example, a paid membership is all but mandatory to actually use the website. With a free account, you can fill out your profile and take the eharmony personality quiz, but you can't view other daters' photos or send them substantive messages, so you're really required to pull out your credit card. 

Membership costs vary by location, but if you're in the United States, expect to pay between $20 and $65 per month, depending on your subscription tier and duration. On the plus side, eharmony also regularly runs promotional sales events, often up to 40 percent off its usual price, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a good deal. 

Inactive accounts

This could be construed as both a pro and a con, since it indicates a lot of eharmony users actually end up pairing off with someone, but the fact nonetheless remains that a lot of its registered accounts are inactive. 

While its own on-site statistics show close to 45 million registered accounts, there are only about 10 million active users at any given moment, and those tend to be concentrated in large urban areas. Worse still, because it locks its geo-search functions to paid members, you won't be able to know, in advance, if there are a lot of active eharmony users in your area, which definitely won't be an issue if you happen to live near a large metropolitan area, but could be a serious problem if you live somewhere a bit more rural. 

Best eharmony alternatives for daters over 40

Facebook Dating

If you don't like the idea of paying for a dating site but still want the benefits of a massive dating pool, consider giving Facebook Dating a try. It boasts more than 20 million daily active users, and has become particularly popular with older Millennials suffering from dating app burnout.

Because it's separate from your regular Facebook account, Facebook Dating offers a discreet way to survey your local single scene, and if you're active on Facebook, you can even opt to find people who share your interests or with whom you have Facebook Groups in common.

Hinge

If you can't bear to part with the app-based dating experience but still want a more mature, substantive option, Hinge is still a great choice. Its approach to matchmaking, through prompt responses, is similar to eharmony's personality-first ethos. Its newest feature, Signals, seeks to highlight users who have exhibited thoughtful dating behavior. , This will likely help to discourage the low-effort, ghosting culture that so many over-40 daters are running away from. 

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from anywhere in the world with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

Access to Pornhub is in turmoil. Early in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws. In response, Pornhub banned visitors from those states from accessing their website. The same situation then took place in France, and although Pornhub is complying with the UK's age verification law, users are now required to provide personal information to access the site.

The situation is constantly changing, but you can stay one step ahead with a quick and easy hack. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from anywhere in the world, we have the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free

VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access adult sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to your favorite site, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing online restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

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The fervor over Heated Rivalry may be over (until Season 2, at least), and so is the discourse about why women love it so much. But, for Pride Month, Pornhub might be reviving it, just a little.

It's no secret that some women think sex scenes between two men are hot, and now Pornhub shares in its Pride Insights 2026 blog that women make up almost exactly half (49.7 percent) of the viewership of gay porn on the site, compared to 50.3 percent of men.

The female proportion of gay porn viewership has grown in recent years, from 43 percent in 2024 to 47 percent in 2025, to nearly 50 percent now. Could it be because of "the cottage"? Maybe; Pornhub didn't offer up any explanation.

In 2024, Pornhub revealed that women account for 38 percent of worldwide viewership, proving that it's not just men who watch porn.

Now, Pornhub has also broken down gay porn viewership by age group, with people 65 and older only taking up nine percent of total viewers — but they're 26.3 percent more likely to engage with gay porn compared to other age groups.

18 to 24 year olds, meanwhile, make up the majority of gay porn viewership at 31 percent. Young adults are also the biggest fans of cartoon gay porn, as it's 267 percent more popular with them compared to other age groups.

Meanwhile, vintage porn and twink porn are 29 percent and 24 percent more popular with the 65 and older crowd, respectively.

Twink is universally popular on Pornhub, as it's the second most-searched gay term during Pride Month. The first? "Femboy" (a feminine man), which was also one of the most-searched terms on Pornhub's straight site in 2025.

Lesbian content is pretty popular on the tube site, too, so much so that last month, it launched a WLW-dedicated site called Pornhub Sapphic.

Some singles, especially young women, see dating an AI bot as a red flag, new findings suggest.

A new survey from Match Group, the dating app conglomerate that owns Tinder, Hinge, and other apps, found that 47 percent view AI in romantic contexts negatively. Two in five singles aged 18 to 39 say they'd refuse to date someone who uses an AI companion app — and that number jumps to 51 percent for women aged 18 to 24.

Twelve percent of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed reported using a companion AI app in the past three months. Of those, the biggest reason why was boredom and entertainment (45 percent), followed by 43 percent for roleplay and simulation. Some, 38 percent, did use it to build a "genuine connection," and 26 percent used it to process their emotions.

Match found that when singles are using AI, it's mostly for practical tasks. Nearly 75 percent of singles aged 18 to 39 use tools like ChatGPT regularly, and 69 percent rely on it mainly for productivity.

Only 20 percent of respondents (approximately 1,000 U.S. singles aged 18 to 39 were surveyed between April 13 and May 8, 2026), use AI for personal advice. That's only two percent less than the 22 percent of singles who go to a professional therapist for this. The majority, 60 percent, go to friends, and the same amount goes to family as well.

Despite the disdain for companion apps, though, 64 percent believe AI can help them date, such as keep a conversation going (27 percent), build a strong profile (27 percent), start a conversation (26 percent), or plan a date (24 percent).

The findings are similar to what Match Group property, Hinge, found in its Nov. 2025 report that Gen Z daters use AI tools to initiate and continue conversations.

It seems that when it comes to dating humans, singles — at least young adults — don't see an issue with using AI to chat and plan for them.

Major Match Group apps like Tinder and Hinge have added more and more AI features in the past few years, with others like Bumble doing the same as well. But Bumble recently faced online backlash after announcing it's killing the swipe and likely replacing it with a more AI-driven experience.

Based on my extensive hands-on testing and expert input, I’ve picked the best sexting apps to keep your flirtiest, dirtiest chats truly private — whether you're messaging a partner, a hookup, or a verified creator.

Because sometimes the anticipation of a hookup is even hotter than the main event. In my experience, sexting is the ultimate form of digital foreplay. It’s the glue that keeps long-distance relationships from falling apart, the spark that stops long-term couples from feeling like roommates, and — for all you singles out there — the safest way to test sexual chemistry before you ever meet up in person.

If it feels like everyone is sending spicy texts these days, you're not wrong. Some studies show that up to 88 percent of American adults have engaged in sexting at some point in their lives. For many, it's become an essential means of connection, and research shows that sharing intimate pictures can evoke, demonstrate, and reinforce trust.

But if you're going to share that side of yourself, you need to know it stays between you and the recipient

You've heard of safe sex. But what about safe sexting?

Remember: You can't (and shouldn't!) trust your most intimate moments to just any app. As fun as the buildup is, the sad truth is that no one ever knows for sure if their private photos will stay private once they hit send on standard messaging platforms. Sliding into the DMs on a standard social media app might feel like spontaneous fun, but in 2026, your digital footprint is forever. Plus, with Meta cracking down hard this April (wiping out Instagram accounts and posts just for hinting at sexual expression), it's obvious that mainstream platforms are becoming hostile territory for your spicy chats. If you're going to share that side of yourself, you need to know it stays between you and the recipient.

As one of Mashable's dating app experts, I've spent the last three years testing dozens of platforms to find the best and most discreet apps for the job. My highest priority is always user safety. I also spoke with security expert Gary Orenstein with Bitwarden, who stressed that for sharing intimate content, "privacy features cannot be optional — they’re essential." He recommends looking for apps with three key features: end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and screenshot detection.

For years, our number-one recommendation that hit all three of those marks was Confide. But with the app officially shutting down, Signal has become my new gold standard for secure messaging. While its "Screen Security" setting prevents screenshots on your own device, it doesn't prevent someone else from taking a screenshot of your chat on their device. However, its open-source encryption and foolproof disappearing messages still make it one of the safest options for sending nudes.

Whether you're looking for an encrypted vault to text your long-term partner, a sex-positive platform to explore new kinks, or a secure space to find someone entirely new, there's a platform out there that won't compromise your privacy. If you believe in safe sex, you should practice safe sexting, too. Here are the apps I trust to get the job done.

Recent updates to this guide:

• Confide: I’ve moved this back to the #1 spot. Its privacy tools (like screenshot-proofing) just give it the edge over everything else right now.

• Lovense Remote: I added this as the winner for "Group Sexting." It's also the best way for couples (and polyamorous folks) to sync Bluetooth toys for long-distance play.

• FetLife: Added as "Best for Kink." It’s less of a standard app and more of a social network, but it remains the go-to place for finding niche communities.

What about other sexting sites?

You've probably seen other "best of" lists recommending apps I've left off. That's intentional. My goal is to recommend platforms where you can make connections, not just burn cash.

Here's why a few popular names didn't make the cut:

• A note on "paid operator" sites: Many sites marketed for sexting (like InstaBang, Arousr, and SextLocal) don't primarily connect you with other real users. Instead, they often use "chat operators" to keep you talking and paying. While there's nothing wrong with a paid fantasy, I don't consider that mutual sexting. My list focuses on apps for real, user-to-user interaction (with the exception of SextPanther, which connects you with verified adult performers).

• Couple's apps: You also won't find apps like Between on this list. While it's a private messenger for couples, it lacks the specific features that make sexting fun. If you want to level up your digital intimacy, my picks (like We-Vibe and Lovense) are much more interactive.

OnlyFans isn't doing enough to protect creators from exploitation, according to an investigation from the BBC, which includes interviews from 60 UK OnlyFans creators, human rights experts, and lawyers.

The report focused on OnlyFans "agents," "managers," or "OFMs" (OnlyFans management) who allegedly take control of creators' accounts and earnings. It's also subject to a BBC Three documentary, OnlyFans: Inside the Machine.

OFMs claim to help creators become more successful and gain an audience and subscribers, but experts say they actually take advantage of creators.

OFM contracts shown to the BBC show that management takes up to 70 percent of creators' earnings, while the platform itself takes 20 percent. Several creators who spoke to the BBC said their managers lied about earnings in order to get more money themselves, with a couple claiming their managers changed the password to their OnlyFans account and bank account details, respectively.

Managers have also threatened creators with bodily harm, with one creator believing a physical attack was connected to her manager.

An OnlyFans spokesperson told the BBC that, "The allegation we 'turn a blind eye' [to these issues] is unfounded."

The spokesperson continued, "OnlyFans' relationship is with our creators and fans and we are not connected with, and do not endorse, any third parties including management agencies."

OnlyFans takes user safety "incredibly seriously," and invests in protection measures and meets its duties under the UK's Online Safety Act, the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, we cannot review or influence any contractual relationships creators choose to enter into outside the platform as we are not party to them.

"If anyone raises a concern about a Creator's account, we will immediately restrict the account, conduct an investigation and take action to ensure the Creator is in control of their OnlyFans account," an OnlyFans spokesperson told Mashable.
 
"Despite repeated requests, the BBC refused to share account details of any OnlyFans users or the agencies that they claimed formed the basis of their reporting," the spokesperson added.

UK's anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, told the BBC that the cases of exploitation that have been reported but not properly acted on "raises serious concerns about whether OnlyFans is meeting its legal duties to protect users." She is engaging with the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, which also stated that the BBC's findings were "deeply concerning."

Last year, a lawsuit against OnlyFans claimed that subscribers believed they were direct messaging with creators, but were actually scammed by management pretending to be them. The lawsuit was dismissed in Dec. 2025.

UPDATE: Jun. 16, 2026, 12:48 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with a statement from OnlyFans to Mashable.

New Pride Month, same boring jokes about bisexual women.

Every year, wannabe comedians online take Pride Month as an opportunity to poke fun at bisexual women, especially those who are dating men. 2026 is no different:

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And this started before June 1, to be clear.

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As a bi woman, I clench every time Pride approaches because I know these jokes are coming. They're not only tired at this point, but they also signal that stereotypes and stigmas about bisexual people haven't changed. (And I'm a bi woman dating a lesbian, so I'm not even the butt of this particular joke, and I'm still sick of it.)

Before I go further, I want to make something clear: Bi people are not the most oppressed faction of the LGBTQ community. Without a doubt, trans people are being oppressed by the U.S. and other governments, and they need our support. Trans people's existence is being threatened by legislation against gender affirming care, barriers to accurate IDs, freedom of speech, allowance in sports, bathrooms, and more. Not to mention all the transphobia that we see outside the government from everyday people. It's disgusting, and it needs to stop. 

Cis bisexual people are by no means experiencing this level of threat. I'm not trying to play the Oppression Olympics. But given these same jokes happen year over year, it's past time we talk about it.

It's also worth pointing out that there is a common thread between biphobia and transphobia, and it's the human tendency — not speaking for everyone, obviously — to want to put everyone in a neat little box. To see everything in black and white. We as a species (and on the internet, especially) have trouble with the gray area of life, with nuance, with holding two things to be true at once. This is exemplified by both gender essentialism, or the belief that men and women have certain intrinsic characteristics, and biphobia, or the disdain for people who are attracted to more than one gender (or refusal to believe that's true). 

And maybe that's why monosexual people (gay and straight people) can be hostile to us. At least, that's one reason. 

Misogyny also can't be ignored here. All the jokes I've seen so far this Pride are specifically about bi women and ignore bi men entirely. When it comes to biphobia, the attraction to women is always what's questioned, as bi women are assumed to be straight and bi men are assumed to be gay. 

Harmful stereotypes against bi people

Certain stereotypes are unique to bisexual people: We're greedy, we're hypersexual, we're cheaters, we're going to leave someone for the other gender, that we're faking for attention, and that bisexuality is a choice.

The sad reality is that these stereotypes don't just lead to mean social media posts; they have real-life implications. As I've written about for Mashable, bi people's mental health is impacted by this stigma, and bi people are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence. There are multiple factors that lead to this, from believing in the hypersexual myth, to wanting to "turn" women straight…

A famous example is Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. In 2022, after the infamous Depp v Heard trial concluded, Rebecca Bodenheimer wrote for the LGBTQ outlet Them.:

When psychologist Dawn Hughes took the stand during the defamation trial initiated by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, she testified to the court that Heard's bisexuality was a point of contention during the actors' tumultuous marriage. Hughes gave examples: Heard had "faced scrutiny" in her interactions with women and, on one occasion, Depp allegedly "manually penetrated" her in anger after he saw Heard have an exchange with another woman.

Bodenheimer went on to say that, "[Heard's] bisexuality was weaponized against her during her 2016 divorce from Depp, with media suggesting she was untrustworthy and had cheated on him due to her sexuality."

"On social media, supporters of Depp used hashtags like #AmberHeardIsAPsychopath, #AmberHeardIsALiar, and #AmberHeardIsASlut — all sentiments that mirror some of the many stereotypes and stigmas that bisexual people still face," Bodenheimer wrote.

We must recognize the harm that could stem from the same biphobia that leads to little jokes on the internet. I've never experienced what Heard has, but I've run into my share of biphobia.

In 2019, years before I met my fiancée, I attended a sapphic speed-dating event. I had a great time, but then at the end, before there was supposed to be an afterparty at another location, I was in line for the bathroom when I overheard someone say that she'd never date a bi woman. And I was so hurt by this that I just left. I didn't go to the second location. I didn't even go to the bathroom. I didn't say anything, either, so who knows if this woman found out that she upset me.

I understand that that woman might've had her own negative experiences with bi women that led her to say that. But like any group, bi people aren't a monolith. Instead of treating us as individuals, she wrote us off altogether. Or, perhaps worse, she didn't even base her preference on her past, and just judged bisexual women for dating/sleeping with men, or some other biphobic tick. 

If I had to give my 2019 self advice, I'd tell her to just go to the afterparty and not let that person get to me. (But in the end, it didn't matter; I met the love of my life a couple of years later.)

Bi folks, we are a little annoying

As a bi person myself, however, I can admit we can be a little annoying. We are the "but, actually…" of the queer community — but with good reason. 

As bisexual writer Zachary Zane has written about in his memoir, Boyslut, and in Men's Health, bisexual "visibility" can be difficult. In theory, you'd need to be holding hands (or making out with) two different-gendered people simultaneously. And if you're in a monogamous relationship, that's not happening.

What Zane advocates for is bisexual audibility, which is the practice of coming out as bisexual.

If you're assuming someone's gay or straight and they tell you you're wrong, you can perceive them as being obnoxious. It's indeed annoying to be wrong and to be told you're wrong. But for many bisexual people, saying so is the only way they can let it be known.

I don't think it's necessary to tell people they're wrong about you in every context. I also know there are times when we need to assert ourselves and our place in the LGBTQ community. We're here, queer, get used to it, etc.

Bisexual people may be the "but actually" of the queer community, but we're also the "yes, and," and I love that for us. We live in the gray area, the nuance. It's OK if you're not visibly bi all the time, and it's also OK if you're in a straight-passing relationship.

Maybe next year, we'll be writing the jokes.

The other night, I was swiping through Bumble, and I came across a profile that made me laugh: "Not hot enough to have no bio." But, here's my take: No one is too hot to make a total absence of effort look enticing. Even celebrities on Raya have bios (even if it's just one sentence).

If there's one thing guaranteed to make me swipe left immediately, it's when someone has patently put zero effort into their dating app profile. But, swiping on the apps, I see it all the time — a Hinge profile full of prompts, each completed with one lone punctuation mark: "." Or a solitary emoji. I see Bumble, Tinder, and Feeld profiles left blank — sometimes with only one photo as an accompaniment (talk about heavy lifting!).

I get that it takes a bit of time to put some thought into responding to the prompts or crafting a witty bio. But that's the only real way to show prospective matches a bit of personality. Photos can only take you so far.

I don't care how good-looking you are. How cool you look in your photos. How tall you are or how good your job is. No bio, no swipe right. Your profile is your chance to show who you truly are.

But it's not just about showing off your stellar personality and unparalleled wit. It's about demonstrating that you're willing to invest. "The profile itself is one of the earliest relationship skills that a person will demonstrate," says Janee Young, licensed therapist and clinical director of Wellness Detox of LA.

What no dating app bio says about you

The amount of effort you put into your profile is very telling, in my view. If you can't be bothered to answer simple prompts or to write even one sentence for a bio, what does that tell me about the kind of partner you would be? Seeing those incomplete prompts or the empty bio, I ask myself: If I were in a relationship with this person, would they remember to buy me a birthday card? Would they put effort into our relationship? Would they do kind and thoughtful gestures without being prompted? Would they meet my needs?

It's perfectly possible that, despite your unfinished profile, you'd actually make a great partner. In which case, you're doing yourself a disservice by not taking the 5-10 minutes, tops, to write a little bit about yourself. First impressions count. So, show us who you actually are, rather than letting us make assumptions based on what's not on your profile.

Paul Brunson, Tinder’s global relationship expert, says, "When you leave your bio blank, you're missing an opportunity to connect."

"It doesn't offer a sense of who you are, and makes it harder for people to start a conversation," he adds. The same rule applies to relying on one emoji in your bio. As Brunson says, it "forces the other person to make assumptions, and makes it feel like work."

"A simple, genuine line about yourself or what you're looking for goes much further. A little effort at this stage will go a long way to creating better connections," he adds.

Sixty-one percent of daters on Hinge say they want to look at someone's profile and gauge what a partnership with a potential match would look like, the app emailed Mashable. That means users are looking to learn details about lifestyle, interests, and hobbies.

Avoid negative comments in your bio

As well as empty bios, I've also seen people write negative (and sometimes ignorant) things in theirs. Comments like "no drama please," "looking for someone sane," or "no pronouns please" are straight-up red flags, in my view.

I've also seen bios bemoaning dating culture, or making fun of clichés in people's bios or messages.

"Please don't message me asking about my weekend," or "Does anyone even message on here?" Brunson says he understands why people do this, but "leading with negativity almost never gets you the results you want." He adds: "A profile should draw people in, not push them away."

"Think of your bio as the handshake before the conversation — you want it to be warm, inviting, and confident," he says. "You want someone to feel comfortable messaging you, not worried they'll say the wrong thing. So focus on setting expectations through clarity and positivity, not restrictions and bad vibes."

Why photos alone are not enough

What do therapists say about the habit of leaving your profile blank?

"Leaving your profile blank means that you are requiring the other user to take a leap, while you are unwilling to take said leap yourself," says Brian Lutz, licensed therapist and chief clinical officer at Blume Behavioral Health.

"The amount of effort you put into your initial introduction will provide the other person with information about your emotional availability, reflective of your seriousness about this process and respect for their time," he adds.

Young echoes this. "When individuals create blank profiles, they typically expect their photos alone will provide enough information about themselves to others viewing their profiles," she says.

"Blank profiles also require other individuals (the 'other' party) to perform unnecessary emotional labor," she adds. "When an individual cannot discern another person's personality, intent(s), lifestyle choices, etc., they are far more likely to assign those characteristics based upon their own perceptions, which can result in incompatibility and ultimately mismatches."

Give us something to talk about

Don't forget, we're also living in the age of dating app fatigue. We're dealing with constant unmatching, ghosting, and unanswered opening messages. Daters (myself included) are frustrated by the absence of actual conversation going on in their inboxes. So, why make it harder for someone to start a chat with you? Giving nothing away in your bio basically makes it impossible to come up with a decent icebreaker. Believe me, I've tried. To those frustrated with the constant "hey, how are you?" openers on the apps, ask yourself if your profile has any conversation starters. Please don't make me send another "nice moustache" message.

So, if you're reading this and thinking, "Oops, guilty as charged," I beseech you: just give your profile a sprinkle of personality, a light dusting of detail, a pinch of wit. Your matches will thank you for it. And your profile will have that certain je ne sais quoi that'll make prospective dates think: "Immediate swipe right."

A new gay dating app will soon enter the crowded landscape: Goose.

Its founder, Derek Chadwick, is a model, actor, and founder of Chaddy Cosmetics. He teased the app on his Instagram in May with a selfie video lamenting, "How come there's no cool gay dating apps in 2026?" Last week, he posted photos declaring that it's "Goose boys summer."

Goose proclaims to be an "anti-algorithm gay dating and lifestyle platform," according to information sent to Mashable. Its tagline is "for the boys," leaving no ambiguity about its target audience.

The app will be "intentionally social-first," offering something different than its hookup-focused competitors like Grindr and Sniffies. Goose also promises a "curated community" and will have an application-based membership, harking to "exclusive" dating apps like Raya.

"It's encouraging men to date how they actually live, sans swiping, born from the mind of someone who's been there, and wanted better," an email to Mashable states. Goose doesn't have matches; users can "wave" to each other, though, and if both people do it, they're connected. But you don't have to connect to match — users can match anyone, while waving signals interest.

Goose will have a live map that shows where people are, so users can discover who's around them. But they can also scroll to meet new people. Profiles will have photos, videos, and ongoing updates; you also won't have to say what you're looking for upfront. Chats can also disappear, as well, and screenshots will apparently be protected, though information sent to Mashable is vague.

Goose doesn't appear to be on the App Store yet, nor does it have a website, but an Instagram account has popped up and already has 12,000 followers at the time of publication.

The news of Goose's launch comes shortly after the announcement that Match Group's "intentional" gay dating app, Archer, will shut down on June 17.

Online dating as a gay man is a rite of passage. From the Craigslist m4m era to today's endless scroll, it's been a part of gay culture since the early days of the web. But for all the high rewards, even the best dating apps come with a unique set of challenges for LGBTQ men: ghosting, catfishing, straight guys who shouldn't be in your feed, and even some not-so-subtle fetishization. It's a lot to take in when you're just trying to find a cute guy.

Yet, despite the BS, the best gay dating apps are still one of the main ways to meet new guys. In fact, a 2026 report by SSRS found that 63 percent of LGBTQ adults have used a dating app (and 14 percent are currently using one), compared to just 34 percent of non-LGBTQ adults. It makes sense when you consider that Pew Research found that about one in four lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults met their partner online — a significantly higher rate than straight couples.

We love to complain about the apps, but the reality is, we still need them.

We have to talk about Grindr

Of course, we can't talk about gay dating without talking about Grindr. It's still the undisputed king of gay dating apps, even if the user experience has been suffering of late. The free version of Grindr is now stuffed full of ads, leaving many guys longing for an alternative. Plus, because of its well-deserved reputation as a hookup app, it's not always the right place to make a love connection.

"Grindr is a tried and true app that many queer men gravitate toward to find partners or for relationships that require lesser commitment, so it’s easy to point to it as the No. 1 app," Michelle Herzog, LMFT, AASECT-certified sex therapist, tells Mashable. "However, like Tinder, it’s gained a reputation as a hookup app — but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t men looking for long-term commitments, either."

The good news is that the gay dating app landscape is bigger than Grindr. Mainstream apps like Hinge and OkCupid have made huge strides in inclusivity, while niche apps like Scruff and Feeld cater to specific communities, kinks, and desires. We're also seeing a major resurgence in map-based dating websites like Sniffies and Squirt for those who want to skip the small talk entirely.

The key is figuring out which dating apps are worth your time. So, here's our in-depth guide to the best gay dating apps for men in summer 2026.

What happened to Archer?

For a long time, Archer has been our go-to recommendation as the best dating app for LGBTQ guys looking for serious relationships. But no longer. The Match Group is shutting down Archer on June 17, 2026. Mashable Associate Editor Anna Iovine reported on the mid-Pride Month shutdown and talked to the Match Group about the decision.

Recent changes to this dating app guide include:

• Archer: As of June 17, 2026, the Match Group is shutting down Archer. Previously, this was our favorite gay dating app for finding serious relationships, and it will be missed.

• Feeld: As of October 2025, we've added Feeld to this guide as our top pick for "Best for Kink and Threesomes."

• Hinge: As of October 2025, we've added Hinge as another alternative to Archer, as it's also great for finding serious relationships. We've also selected it as the best gay dating app for younger guys due to its popularity with Gen Z.

• Squirt: As of early 2026, we've added Squirt to this guide. In an era of aggressive paywalls, Squirt makes a strong case for itself with a highly functional free tier that offers unlimited direct messaging to members worldwide.

Which gay dating apps didn't make the cut?

You'll notice a few well-known apps are missing from our main list. Here's why they didn't make our "best of" guide.

• Taimi: While Taimi markets itself heavily as a queer community space, we've opted to leave it off the list. The feedback from real users is frankly brutal. Redditors say the free version is "completely unusable"; you need a premium subscription just to view a basic profile. Worse, users reported feeling unsafe, noting the app is filled with scammers, "obvious homophobes," and "more straight cis-men and creeps than even Tinder or Bumble." Skip it.

• Raya: We know, Raya is the "celebrity dating app," but we're not recommending it. Why? Because, as our own Chance Townsend discovered, its exclusivity is "a bit overhyped." After shelling out $25 per month, he found the vibe "so Tinder-esque," and the user pool wasn't A-list celebs but "consultants, aspiring actors, medical professionals, recruiters, and even students." The consensus: Raya is basically "an expensive Tinder with a better PR team." Save your money.

• Recon: Recon has a reputation as the app for the kink community, but we've opted to leave it off the list. User reviews on Reddit are brutal. One thread described the app as "really buggy" and "not much activity on there anymore." Users in that thread complained that the app is a "waste of time," full of flakes, "catfish," and "fake doms wanting you to be their slave or boy." Other users noted that "a lot of kink/fetish guys have moved on to Instagram, Twitter/X, [or] OnlyFans" or that mainstream apps like Scruff are now "more open and welcoming spaces" for the community.

• Planet Romeo (now Romeo): Planet Romeo (which took over the old Guys4Men, or g4m, site ) is another legacy app we didn't include. While it was once a go-to for finding meaningful relationships, particularly in India and parts of Europe, it's now mostly seen as an app from a bygone era. Reddit threads on the topic are full of nostalgia for the "age of Planet Romeo" and the "slow communication" of the early 2000s.

Archer, the gay dating app launched by Match Group during Pride Month 2023, is shutting down just three years later.

Michael Kaye, the app's director of brand marketing and communications, announced the end of Archer in May, soon after the parent company announced a $100 million investment in Sniffies, a gay hookup app.

"We're incredibly proud of what we built with ARCHER and grateful to the community, partners, and supporters who helped make it possible," Kaye told Mashable in an emailed statement. "While ARCHER will be winding down, we're thankful for the impact it had and the connections it fostered over the years."

Archer sought to make gay dating more intentional, focusing more on building relationships than finding flings. In 2024, TechCrunch reported that Archer had been downloaded over 685,000 times within a year of its debut. But Grindr, arguably the most well-known gay hookup app, was downloaded 10 million times in the year preceding TechCrunch's reporting. As Mashable states in our gay dating app roundup, Grindr is still king.

In recent years, however, users have complained that Grindr is paywalling its best features and that its interface is buggy. Competitors have popped up, including Archer, and also Sniffies, Scruff, and Jack'd. The cruising site Squirt, which pre-dated Grindr, just launched an app this April.

Now, it appears that at least in the gay dating space, Match Group will focus on Sniffies.

"We look forward to partnering with Sniffies to continue fostering meaningful queer connections and building for the future of the community," Kaye stated.

Archer will officially shut down on June 17.

As governments and tech companies shape the future of online privacy, sex workers around the world are organizing to push back against threats to our freedom of speech and data ownership.

"We know from experience that sex workers are the beta testers for taking away people's digital rights," says Ana Ornelas, digital policy officer at the European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance (ESWA). ESWA represents more than 100 member organizations in 30 countries in Western, Eastern, and Central Europe and Central Asia.

Take FOSTA/SESTA, twin laws in the U.S. passed in 2018 to ostensibly stop online sex trafficking, but in actuality, made it harder for sex workers and others who work in adult industries to exist online. Big Tech platforms cracked down on sexual content, resulting in bans and shadowbans that persist today. Multiple studies have found that this makes adult workers less safe.

Today, age-verification laws (that require users to give their identity over to tech companies before accessing adult content) have led to sex workers losing income, all while initial studies suggest that they don't actually work to keep minors off porn sites.

Sex workers, unionized and not, continue to fight against bad tech policy. Ornelas, for instance, recently met with an official working on new EU regulations about artificial intelligence that are "simpler" and "innovation-friendly." Ornelas brought up how the proposal leaves room for tech-facilitated gender-based violence. 

"I'm very worried about the exceptions," says Ornelas, referencing the allowances the package makes for generating non-consensual deepfake sexual content for artistic reasons or when subjects are unidentifiable. "Images can be scraped from someone's Instagram bikini pictures. I think that we should be focusing a lot more on transparency around the big tech companies and what's in their databases. You don't need to be completely nude for this technology to be dangerous."

Five thousand miles away from ESWA's campaign, workers at Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada, are fighting a battle on another digital frontier. In Dec., the brothel workers received a contract from management, which included turning over ownership of their likeness and intellectual property to their workplace. In response, the workers reached out to the Communication Workers of America for support and began the process to form a union.

"The language was big enough that the Ranch could argue that they own anything that we've ever created," says Adalind Gray, one of the seven workers at Sheri's Ranch who were fired since they began their union campaign. The newly founded United Brothel Workers (UBW) has filed unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of Gray and the other workers. 

"I have big dreams with my band. I worked at the Ranch in order to fund the studio costs," says Gray. "That is the reason why I do what I do. I think there would also be potential for them to argue they own my online sex work as well, the content I make for OnlyFans."

The use of workers' digital likeness for profit or AI training sets a dangerous precedent for workers in any industry. "Anybody that has cultivated an online following, or has a podcast, substack, any independent work that they care about at all, should be worried that their employer wants to own a piece of all of anything that they do in perpetuity," says Scott Goodstein, a spokesperson for the UBW. "These types of contracts need to be stopped immediately."

"I worked at Sheri's so that I can chase my dreams, but that shouldn't mean they own those dreams too," says Gray.
"No employer is entitled to a slice of my entire community that I spent years building solely because I work there."

The fight against age verification

In the UK, Australia, and the United States, sex workers are leading the fight against age-verification legislation, too. According to the Age Verification Providers Association, nearly 30 countries have introduced age-verification legislation, with at least four more countries on track to introduce legislation in the next one to two years.

"Regulations in one country impact the web for everyone," says Mish Pony, the CEO of Scarlet Alliance, the national peak body representing sex workers across Australia. "When tech companies are creating their terms and conditions, they are developing those based on the regulatory environment that they are based in. So legislation in the U.S. and EU have disproportionate power globally." 

"Our government once issued a fine to X, which doesn't have a physical presence in Australia. How can we actually force them to pay that fine?" Pony asks.

Tech companies are incentivized to play it safe relating to powerful countries' regulations, fueling censorship of not only adult content, but health and education content related to sexuality as well. 

"We've developed a community response every time somebody has a profile taken down," says Kitt Turner, the external communications officer for the UK Sex Workers' Union (SWU). "Everybody rallies around to try and like file reports and try and push to have them reinstated. Sometimes that's effective, sometimes it's not. But we kind of share any knowledge that we can pick up in terms of what makes it more likely for someone to have their profile."

"We've spoken with [Australia's] eSafety commissioner, and we've done a postcard campaign with health professionals who are concerned about the impact of these regulations on people's access to information online," says Pony. "We're just trying to make sure that people are aware of these harmful consequences."

In the United States, Sasha Bee, an organizer for the Sex Worker Action Alliance and Erotic Professionals & Allies United, currently leads campaigns in multiple states to educate and push back against age-verification legislation. Age verification laws are now in effect in over half the states in the United States. "We're fighting against what is fundamentally a free speech violation," says Bee.

Why we must listen to sex workers

Dating back to the earliest days of the internet, sex workers are credited with driving technological adoption and innovation, with contributions including the first online credit card verification systems.

"Adult content creators created the internet," Bee confirms, and research supports this claim. "If you like the fact that you have fast bandwidth, can stream Netflix and Hulu on the same WiFi, thank a sex worker. The demand for their work created the internet that we see today," says Bee.

In the age of Big Tech like X and Meta, however, it's difficult to contest what they do, Turner says.

But that hasn't stopped sex workers from campaigning and collaborating to change the tech landscape. SWU works closely with Decrim Now UK, a coalition fighting for the decriminalization of sex work in the UK. For around the last two years, Decrim Now has been trying to organize a sex worker strike against AdultWork, a platform where they can advertise their work, due to increased costs and reduced profit, says organizer Audrey Caradonna. Decrim Now has also participated in sex work strikes during International Women's Day since 2018.

In Dec., Scarlett Alliance published a study on the Impacts of Online Regulation. One of their findings was the negative impact that Australia's Online Safety Act had on youth and marginalized people by restricting access to critical sexual and reproductive health education and drug harm reduction information. Decrim Now UK, ESWA, and industry research firm SWR Data are also currently engaged in collecting similar data to observe the impacts of new tech policies on sex workers. Using their data on sex workers' lived experiences, these organizations are able to inform policymakers how their legislative decisions could impact everybody else on the internet.

"So much of what we're seeing happen to activists and marginalized people in countries like the United States and Germany are taken straight out of the playbook of how sex workers have been treated for the past years," says Ornelas. "We've seen that come true with digital rights activists here in Germany who were put on a no-fly list to the U.S. It's exactly how sex workers have been treated — they've been denied entry in the U.S. based on the fact that they are sex workers or performers. Border control has the data, and suddenly they find themselves taken into a private room to explain themselves."

With their digital privacy on the line, sex workers have strategies on how to mitigate these risks and leverage the community to protect each other, Ornelas says. Amongst other resources, ESWA offers recommendations for social media platform accountability and will soon publish the results of a survey on sex work and deepfake technologies. Mashable also has a breakdown of top digital security tips from sex workers.

Civilians, or non-sex workers, should learn from the community how to protect themselves online, Ornelas says. "Because the way things are headed, it's gonna come in handy."

Given that Live Nation is a monopoly (according to a federal jury, anyway), getting a concert ticket for a decent price has been difficult in recent years. And artists are starting to get creative. Take Madonna, who last night streamed a pop-up performance on the ubiquitous gay hookup app, Grindr.

Madonna announced the surprise show on the app, and a half hour later took over Times Square. She debuted some tracks from her upcoming album, Confessions II, and performed some songs from the OG Confessions on a Dance Floor. Despite the short notice, Times Square filled up with fans. A Grindr bus was also there, naturally.

"The LGBTQ+ community has been with me from the beginning. We've inspired, challenged and stood by each other during both dark and joyful times," Madonna stated in a press release shared with Mashable. "Partnering with Grindr feels like a celebration of that connection – safety in numbers."

Credit: Cobrasnake

It's not the only collaboration the singer has done with Grindr. Last week, an interview with Madonna and several others — including Bob the Drag Queen and playwright Jeremy O. Harris — went live on Grindr's YouTube channel. During the discussion, Madonna discussed what it means to be a "mother" (in the slang sense of the word), and reiterated that the queer community has been her ride-or-die since the beginning of her career.

The concert will also be uploaded to Grindr's YouTube channel the week of June 8. Happy Pride!

Curious about eharmony but not yet ready to dish out your credit card details? You're not alone, and the good news is that the dating site is reasonably generous in the scope it gives to non-paying members. 

In fact, there's almost no aspect of the user interface that is totally restricted to paid accounts, so if you want to get a sense of how the site operates and the emphasis it places on matchmaking assessments, testing the waters with a free account is a great idea. 

Here's everything you can and can't do with a free eharmony account:

Opens in a new window

Credit: eharmony

eharmony

 

Learn More

What you can do with a free account

Create and fill out a profile

With a free account, you can create a profile, upload photos, fill out important facts about yourself, from whether or not you have children to what you like to do in your free time, and even take eharmony's proprietary personality quiz, which the site uses to compare you with other members and assign your potential match a "compatibility score."

Apply (some) search criteria

In the Discover section of the site, eharmony will present you with the profiles of various singles that fit your match criteria, helping you narrow down your search for a significant other. For free members, however, there are only a limited number of filters that you can apply. 

These include height range, age range, and whether or not someone is a smoker or has/wants children. If you upgrade to a premium account, however, you'll unlock many more filter options, including ethnicity, religion, income range, and education level.

And most frustratingly of all, while free account members can select which regions of their country they want to view profiles from, they cannot filter these profiles by distance, whereas paying members can elect to be shown only people within a certain distance of their location. 

Read profile bios

With a free account, you don't get full access to people's profiles, but you can generally get a very thorough understanding of who they are as a person, since key details like their hobbies, marital status, gender, location, height and body type, and even dating preferences are all visible. 

Verify your account

To get your eharmony account verified, follow these steps:

• Click on the SMS Verification button on your profile

• Enter your mobile phone number and click "Start the SMS verification"

• You will receive a verification code via text

• Enter the verification code in your eharmony prompt screen

If you follow the above steps, you'll earn a verification symbol on your profile, which is like a little vote of confidence to help potential matches trust in the authenticity of your account. 

Get matches

Free accounts are every bit as visible in the Discovery section as paid accounts, and they're allowed to like and dislike others, so don't be surprised when you start getting notifications that other people you've liked have returned your interest. 

There is a catch, though … there's still a lot you can't do with a free account.

What you can't do with a free account

View profile photos

If you're into blind dating, this might not be an issue, but the average online dater still wants to see what their match or potential match looks like, and eharmony blurs the profile photos for non-paying accounts, not enough to totally hide the photo — you can usually make out face shape and even hair color, for example — but enough to heighten the mystery. 

Initiate chats

As a non-paying member, you can send a message whenever you like an account, which is a great way to improve your odds of a match, and you can send matches an Icebreaker, eharmony's interactive photo-pairing game to help start a conversation, but you won't actually be able to send back-and-forth messages without giving up your credit card details.  

Worse, still, if you are sent a message by someone who happened to like your profile, you won't be able to read it without upgrading your account, which can be quite tortuous when the person you've been eyeing finally shows up in your inbox.

This is why eharmony's free accounts are really a "trap," because even though there's a fair amount of stuff you can do on the site for free, benefitting from your efforts really requires an upgrade. 

Dating app Bumble is apparently launching a paid group-date feature soon, Business Insider reported.

The feature, called Plans, will launch in New York and require users to pay a flat fee to RSVP to an IRL "Plan" — a small IRL gathering. Bumble users can also invite a plus-one, who will also have to pay the fee, according to Business Insider.

After users attend, they'll be asked if they liked any other participants, and then they can match from there.

Business Insider also noted a new Instagram account, @plansbybumble, which is currently private.

The news comes weeks after Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced that Bumble is killing the swipe feature and promising a new experience. In recent earnings calls, Wolfe Herd has discussed a new AI-powered Bumble akin to an assistant and matchmaker — which led to backlash from users online.

While the app is becoming more AI-forward, the company is also investing more in IRL events. It's hosting several meetups in New York City this summer, for example. Plans also isn't the app's first foray into helping users make the leap from screen to scene. In 2017, the app launched an IRL hub called The Hive, and it hosted other singles events in 2022.

Bumble's revenue and paying users are down year over year, according to its latest earnings report, so it's no surprise it's trying multiple tactics to try to win users back.

Recently, Tinder launched a similar Double Date Mode that lets users invite friends to group dates. (Though that doesn't cost extra.) It's also adding more AI features, including its own AI matchmaker, Chemistry. Tinder has also had some financial losses recently, but its latest earnings report indicated that the decline may be slowing.

Mashable has reached out to Bumble for comment.

It's Pride Month, and although LGBTQ daters are queer all year, the spotlight is on them this June. As such, Hinge just published its annual D.A.T.E. (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) Report to lay out what dating is currently like for today's queer singles.

The title of this year's report is "Clarity Builds Chemistry," and it discusses the uncertainty young LGBTQ daters feel. (Not surprising, considering the amount of uncertainty in the world at large right now, that it'd distill into individuals' personal lives.)

In its Jan. 2026 survey of over 31,000 global respondents, Hinge found that more LGBTQ daters feel a lot or great uncertainty about the world than heterosexual daters (76 to 52 percent, respectively), but they can also find uncertainty helpful. Seventy-four percent of LGBTQ daters say uncertainty helps them understand what they're looking for in relationships. Uncertainty contributes to these daters identifying dealbreakers, clarifying their preferences, and identifying what feels right vs. wrong.

Community also helps LGBTQ daters. Hinge found that queer daters are asking, "Would I bring this person around my friends?" rather than, "What are we?" This might be because of the importance of chosen family for young LGBTQ people.

As such, queer daters are 33 percent more likely than straight daters to say it matters that their friends like the person they're dating (this rises to 37 percent for trans daters). They're also 20 percent more likely to want to check whether a potential partner fits with their friend circle. In a world of uncertainty, having a solid support system is crucial.

Hinge found that consistency also puts LGBTQ daters at ease in their uncertain world: 86 percent said consistent communication from someone they're starting to date makes them feel less anxious. Seventy-eight percent said making clear plans also makes them feel less anxious (compared to 56 percent of heterosexual daters).

PDA in an early relationship helps over half (65 percent) of LGBTQ daters feel more secure, but they're 50 percent more likely than straight daters to hesitate to show affection on the first date because they feel unsafe in their surroundings. Hinge's love and connection expert, Moe Ari Brown, wrote that, "You don't have to share the same comfort level to have a great date: staying present and responsive turns a potential point of tension into a moment of real connection."

"Asking one another what kinds of affection feel good in public — and which feel better in private — keeps PDA grounded in reassurance," Brown continued.

And forget the timelines. More LGBTQ daters, especially bisexual daters (76 percent and 83 percent), focus on slowly building a connection with someone rather than moving on a certain timeline than straight daters (64 percent). Overall, LGBTQ daters are also more likely to say that settling down isn't a step, but a mindset.

The findings are in contrast to Hinge's Nov. 2025 D.A.T.E. report, which was all about communication and AI. Less than a year later, daters — especially LGBTQ ones — are more focused on clarity, whether that's in public displays of affection, or private affirmations.

If you thought living at home was negatively affecting your sex life, you’re not wrong.

LELO, the luxe sex toy brand, just released its 2026 “Economics of Orgasm” report, and the data confirms our collective reality check: There’s an undeniable correlation between a lack of residential independence, intimacy barriers, and the psychological strain of feeling like you've failed at adulting. (My heart goes out to all the eldest daughters out there.)

But according to this very same survey, which included 7,000 people across seven countries, having an orgasm could help. (You know what I always say: An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away and your skin looking ahhmazing.) In fact, LELO has gone as far as to say that having more orgasms could lead to a 10 percent increase in productivity, which could translate to a $11.72 trillion increase in global GDP — imagine that!

Here are the highlights of the study and my two cents.

Your parents' house is cockblocking your good time

LELO's report breaks down how the current economic climate is essentially acting as a global cockblock. The company calls it "erotic inequity."

What's the one thing most Millennials view as peak success? Owning a home. According to LELO's survey, 44 percent of respondents said they're still living at home to save enough money to buy their first house. The other 31 percent said that sky-high rents and housing costs were keeping them from moving forward and out.

Millennials and Gen Z are constantly made fun of as the generations who “ruined everything,” and yet we’re the ones who have to deal with a dystopian housing crisis. The U.S. median sale price for a house in Q1 of 2026 was over $400,000, compared to $137,000 in Q1 1996, 30 years ago.

The job market isn't helping either; according to Deloitte's 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, nearly 20 percent of young workers report that their companies are making fewer entry-level hires and replacing actual roles with internships or apprenticeships. Between a shrinking job market and stagnant wages, it's no wonder 47 percent of both Gen Zs and Millennials report living paycheck to paycheck, according to Deloitte. (That number is technically down from 52 percent last year, but it still leaves over half of Gen Zs and 40 percent of Millennials unable to afford a house.)

Rent, among other things, is astronomical. According to the Federal Reserve (which LELO cites in its report), young adults who aren't living at home spend an estimated $13,000 more per year on housing, food, and transportation — an annual premium that's out of reach for many people right now. It's impossible to save up that kind of cash when everyday inflation is constantly bleeding your bank account dry (Have you seen gas prices?! The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $4.32; that's a 37.5 percent increase over the $3.14 average from 2025).

Independent living has become so financially untenable that some adults are forced to move back in with their folks, and it’s affecting their sex lives — because of course it is. Data collected by LELO shows that 18 to 23 percent of young adults ages 25 to 34 live with their parents, and over half of 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. are still living at home.

Unsurprisingly, staying in your childhood home impacts your mental health, too

Four out of five people LELO surveyed said that they felt a "sense of failure," while over half reported feeling constantly stressed and/or "stuck." Of course, these numbers fluctuate by age group: 82 percent of 30-40-year-olds felt like a failure compared to 78 percent of 18-29-year-olds.

A little over half (57 percent) of respondents said that living at home has directly affected their sex life, including how often they do it (38 percent) and the actual quality of the act itself (30 percent). You can't really have animal sex in a twin bed that's butted up to your parents' bedroom wall, can you? I mean, you could, but like, I wouldn't recommend it.

When LELO asked study participants why their love lives were suffering, 40 percent blamed it on a total lack of privacy. As I just mentioned, they were worried that a family member might hear them "gasping with pleasure." For some, the thought of getting caught may be a turn-on, but I can't imagine the excitement would hold up night after night.

There's way more info in the full report, but we'll use these quick stats as proof enough for now that we all need to be getting laid more.

Orgasms are literally an economic necessity

When you orgasm, your brain gets flooded with chemicals like dopamine (the "feel-good" hormone) and endorphins (the body's natural painkillers/mood elevators), followed by a rush of oxytocin (the "love hormone") and prolactin, according to the report. It’s a chemical cocktail that lowers your stress levels. Eight in 10 people in the survey said they "felt relaxed and less stressed" after the big O, with two in 10 saying those feelings lasted for up to 24 hours, and one in 20 saying the benefits lasted for up to two days (that must have been some orgasm!).

And guess what happens when you aren't completely stressed out? A ZipHealth study cited in the report found that people who have sex before work in the morning report the highest levels of productivity (71 percent), task completion (70 percent), and focus (58 percent). Almost one in three people even said a fulfilling sex life had a positive impact on their income or career progression.

This leaves us in a pretty twisted catch-22 loop: You need to perform well at work to finally make enough money to move out of your parents' house, but according to the data, an active sex life from living independently may lead to that income boost you need. It doesn't help that salaries are stuck in place while everyday bills keep climbing, leaving even people with full-time jobs struggling to catch a break. Orgasming before work might help your performance on paper, but if you're living at home under your parents' roof, a morning quickie probably isn't happening.

The system might be rigged, but hey — at least the next time you're trying to figure out the quietest logistics for some basic self-care, you can tell yourself it’s technically career development.

Major dating apps are leaning heavily into AI — just like all of the tech industry — but one app is promoting "human intelligence" instead.

Hily is "relaunching" HI, or human intelligence, in its app — a tongue-in-cheek response to apps like Tinder and Bumble reinventing their offerings with AI features. Recently, Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced that Bumble is killing the swipe and making way for something different. While Wolfe Herd was vague about the details, Bumble is set to launch a new AI-powered experience, and the backlash was swift from daters. As Mashable reported in May, some believe Bumble has "lost the plot."

Hily's "HI" appears to be inspired by the online outrage about this, and it's also taken from Hily's own findings. In its Aug. 2025 T.R.U.T.H. Report, 69 percent of Gen Z and 74 percent of millennial American daters (based on a survey of 1,559 U.S. daters) think that AI involvement in online dating makes it less authentic.

Over half of young American daters, regardless of gender (54 percent women and 63 percent men) stated they'd be less attracted to a dating app match who they suspect used AI to create their profile, too. Despite this, though, Hily found that the top reason women and Gen Z daters use AI in online dating is to create a bio (51 percent and 50 percent, respectively). Fifty-two percent of men and 47 percent of millennials, meanwhile, have used it to provide suggestions for conversations.

So while they seem anti-AI, some daters are still using it when online dating. Still, Hily is sticking to "HI," for now.

"We'll use technology where it helps, but we're not rushing to replace the human part of human connection just because AI is trending," Hily's chief product officer, Liubomyr Pivtorak, stated in a press release.

Hily's dating coach, Julie Nguyen, stated, "If we begin to outsource connection to AI and optimize for love, we start to lose the intuitive ability to choose for ourselves — and lose what that process teaches us about connection, which is beautifully human."

Weeks after dating app users began spotting a new heartbeat feature on Hinge, the app is officially launching the feature: Signals.

Signals is a purple heart that appears on some users' profiles, showcasing that they're actively engaging with potential dates on the app. As Mashable reported in May, in order for a Signals badge (the heart) to appear, a user needs to satisfy both baseline requirements and three of five behaviors that signify "Thoughtful Participation."

The baseline requirements are:

• Completing one's profile (having both photos and prompt responses)

• Having an account in good standing, meaning you follow Hinge's Community Guidelines

• Having an account that's over a week old

• Completed selfie verification

And users must exhibit three out of five of these behaviors:

• Sending comments when Liking someone

• Sending messages

• Looking through someone's profile before Liking (not just Liking the first photo)

• Reviewing one's Likes and either matching or skipping (not leaving others in limbo)

• Confirming dates

Hinge uses technology to help identify and surface these patterns, the app told Mashable. The app can detect your moves, but that's not exactly novel. Hinge has long had pop-ups like "We Met," which appears day after exchanging numbers to ask if you met IRL.

Users can't buy a Signals badge. Instead, it reflects a user's activity over the past 30 days and refreshes daily based on recent activity.

Credit: Hinge

In the nearly 15 years since the launch of Tinder and the modern dating app landscape, singles have been loud about their frustrations using them, including bad behaviors like ghosting and pen palling (aka, messaging but never meeting up). And while dating app love stories aren't necessarily uncommon, it's likely that those who have found someone special have also liked someone who wasted their time. Ergo, Hinge is trying to signal — literally — who may want to prove the app's "designed to be deleted" tagline.

"People are tired of games," Hinge's lead relationship scientist, Logan Ury, said in a press release shared with Mashable. "Tired of waiting six hours to text back, decoding mixed signals, and pretending not to care. Our research shows daters are ready for something more honest, where effort is celebrated. Signals makes that thoughtfulness visible — so it's easier to find the people who are already showing up that way on Hinge."

Recent feature additions on Hinge have also encouraged better behavior, like Date Ideas, which helps you plan a date so you're not stuck messaging endlessly.

During a test of Signals, Hinge saw an increase in selfie verifications, the number of daters sending likes with comments, and conversations that started after matching, the app shared with Mashable. So, at least for now, it seems like Signals makes users act on their best behavior.

Hinge is introducing Signals through a phased rollout as it gathers feedback and learns how daters use it. The feature is now available globally, except for the UK and EU.

Everybody gets the thirst for a hookup once in a while, and you certainly don't need to worry about justifyng that thirst to us — or anybody else for that matter. The heart (and body) wants what it wants.

What you do need to worry about though is your online privacy — particularly if you're using dating sites and apps that are geared towards sex and NSFW content.

If you want to protect your privacy or at least keep a low profile while you swipe through sexy singles in your area, there are a few different things you can do. Here's some general guidance that works across all apps and sites, plus some more targeted advice depending on the service you're using.

General tips for browsing hookup apps discreetly

The following tips work well across all hookup sites. Think of them as general guidelines for limiting your exposure:

• Sign up using an alternative email address. Not only does this spare you in the event of a data breach (and trust us when we say they can be more common than you would think), it also means that if somebody does catch a glance at your inbox they won't be able to see what sites you frequent.

• Anonymize your photos as far as possible. You don't have to blur your face, but neither should you be taking photos of yourself that reveal where you live, where you work, or where you hang out. Additionally, ensure you leave out any identifying marks, such as unique tattoos, from any of your profile photos.  

• Don't link your social media in your profile. Too many people share their Instagram pages or TikTok handles in their profiles, but doing so dramatically increases your exposure, since every image and story you post there could inadvertently contain identifying information about you, such as who your friends are or where you're from. 

• Take advantage of gift cards or prepaid credit cards. If you purchase a premium membership to a hookup app or site, you'll leave a paper trail that links to your bank account or credit card. To maintain your anonymity, you can use a prepaid card or purchase a gift card instead of using your main credit or debit card when you register your membership. 

App-specific tips to retain your anonymity

Feeld

For the privacy-conscious dater, Feeld’s Incognito mode is a game-changer: You can scout the Discover feed without leaving a digital footprint, remaining invisible to anyone you haven't explicitly "liked." The app also supports private photo vaults that only unlock for confirmed connections.

Tinder

Tinder offers a few unique features that can help you lower your profile, even as you swipe away. First, consider turning off Discovery mode when you're trying to keep a low profile. This will make it impossible for new people to find your profile in search. Meanwhile, you can still chat to people you're already matched with.

If you really want to take things up a notch and you already have a Tinder Plus, Gold or Platinum membership, you can use Passport Mode to browse singles in a nearby city, or a place you're travelling to for work or on a vacation. This is a great way to prevent your local friends and family from accidentally stumbling across your profile. 

You can also block phone numbers if you really don't want certain individuals to find you — your boss, neighbor, or sibling, for instance.

Grindr

The first line of defence on Grindr is a relatively new feature called Profile Hide that works on one user at a time. Say, for example, you come across a co-worker on the app, and don't want them to know you're also using it. Simply click on their profile and find the Hide icon. If you tap this, your profile will become invisible to them and their profile will become invisible to you, like magic.

If you want to take things up a notch, you'll need a Grindr Unlimited membership, which unlocks a really useful privacy feature called Incignito mode, which essentially allows you to use the service in total secrecy, without anyone knowing you're there until you initiate an interaction. 

AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder is like the Wild West of hookup sites, a place where seemingly anything goes, but that carefree attitude can also be a privacy nightmare. We strongly recommend you limit the amount of identifiable information you put on your profile. That includes being very selective about which photos you choose to share.

One good way to strike a balance between total anonymity and a modicum of privacy is to take advantage of AFF's many photo features, specifically their photo permissions options. You can make your main profile photo something reasonably discrete, such as a full-length picture of you wearing a hat or a photo shot from a distance or even a photo with your face blurred out, but then you can create a photo album of more identifiable, personal photos that you choose to share only with friends. 

That way, you can be super selective about whom you share your photos with.

We all get the urge to find a fun fling at one time or another, but not everyone wants to dish out money to make it happen. If you're strapped for cash or you just want to keep that credit card firmly in your wallet, know that there are a lot of great free hookup apps and sites that offer results without you having to pay a premium for membership. 

That said, not all free dating services work in the same way, and they don't always offer the same level of freedom. They're still businesses, after all, and still looking to turn a profit. They will entice you will free fun while hiding some of their very best features behind a subscription — which they hope will tempt you to go further and sign up for that paid membership. 

To help you navigate the world of hookup apps and sites as a non-paying user, here's a handy guide on the top dating services — and all the best features you can get for free.

Tinder

Tinder's mega-popularity probably has a lot to do with how well it has balanced its free and premium features. As a non-paying user, you can create an account, fill your profile with up to nine photos and videos, and then swipe to match and chat with singles in your area.

In other words, you can use Tinder's basic features without opening your wallet. But restricting yourself to a free account is exactly that — restricting. This includes an ad-laden UI and a limited number of swipes over 12 hours. OK, so it doesn't sound too bad on paper — until you spend an hour left-swiping and finally find the profile of your dreams, a person seemingly created to pique your interest, only to realise that you've run out of likes.

To get the most out of a free Tinder account, we recommend splitting up your swiping time into morning and evening sessions, to minimize the impact of their 12-hour right-swipe restriction. If you score a decent match by using this strategy, you're all set and probably won't need to upgrade your account. But if you're dissatisfied with how many matches you find, it could well be time to explore Tinder's Gold and Platinum tiers, as these unlock some matchmaking cheat codes, including one monthly profile boost to increase your visibility, plus the ability to see who has liked your profile and message accounts you haven't already matched with. 

AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder is one of the most restrictive dating services for free members. Not only will you not be able to speak to another person one-on-one with a free account, you won't even be able to view other users' profiles without stumping up some cash for monthly paid membership. 

Don't be put off, though. If you're looking for fast thrills online, a free AFF account still has its upside. For one thing, AdultFriendFinder is less a dating service than an entire sexy ecosystem, complete with live webcam shows, chat boards, adult-themed picture contests, and a whole lot of erotic storytelling. You can access and even take part for free, so whether you want to passively observe the live webcam feeds or test your writing skills out in the streamy fiction section, you have good options.

On the other hand, if you want to use AFF to actually find a potential partner in your local area, you really need to upgrade to their paid subscription, which not only unlocks expanded search features and the ability to communicate one-on-one with other members, but also upgrades the quality of the photos and videos you see, which is worth the expenditure alone.

Grindr

Like Tinder, Grindr is very generous to non-paying users. With a free account, you can create a profile, search out and chat with other nearby people, and even create a private photo album and send a single photo. In one sense, Grindr is even more generous to its free users than Tinder: It allows you to match with one person outside of your immediate location per day, which gives you a little taste of the app's reach and capabilities.  

Best of all, for those desperately eager to connect, Grindr allows free users two Right Now sessions per week, which functions as a kind of temporary (one hour, max) status update to nearby users also in Right Now mode. Don't forget, Grindr is all about the fast hookup. 

It's not all upside, though. Like Tinder, Grindr subsidizes its free user features by serving up relentless ads, which definitely impacts the user experience, while also limiting their profile's reach to "local" Grindr users, which basically means accounts within your immediate vicinity. If you're in LA or Manhattan that's not necessarily a problem, but if you're using the app in a small town or remote area — which likely means a smaller queer population — it can mean fewer hookups. 

If that's a problem for you, you can opt for either the Grindr XTRA or Grindr Unlimited subscriptions to unlock quality-of-life features. These include the ability to send more expiring photos, a larger grid to explore, and even the ability to see who has viewed and liked your profile. 

Pure

In many ways, Pure is the most intriguing hookup app out there. It's a true innovator of design and interface, which makes it no surprise that it's the most popular app for Gen Z singles. Unfortunately, it's extremely restrictive in the scope it gives to free users. Unless you're a woman, that is.

On Pure, male and non-binary users have to pay to unlock the app's most useful features, while women get unrestricted access to the app for free. Before you cry foul, though, remember that most dating apps skew heavily male (Tinder users may be 75 percent male, for example), so by enticing women with a free membership, Pure can keep a relatively even gender split among its users. That's a good thing, right?

As a free user, you'll be able to create a profile and fill out all the necessary information, as well as a list of your kinks. But you can't respond or chat one-on-one with other users, which so you're essentially locked out of the app's most fun and interactive features. 

Unlike with Tinder, Grindr or AFF, Pure really does require a paid subscription to be at all useful — if you're not a woman, that is.

Being a woman on the internet has never been easy, but trying to find a genuine connection on a dating app in 2026? That can feel like a part-time job you actually pay to do. Between the emboldened creeps, the "swipe fatigue," and surprisingly convincing AI profiles, it's enough to make you wonder if applying for Love Island is the more sane alternative. (Spoiler alert: it's not.)

The reality is, dating right now comes with a unique set of challenges. There's the constant barrage of low-effort "hey" messages, the unsolicited dick pics, the men who are definitely married, and the underlying safety concerns men just don't have to think about. It’s enough to make you want to swear off dating entirely and just get another cat (no judgment here).

But despite the challenges, dating apps do work. Connections happen every day, and a 2025 survey from SSRS found that nearly 39 percent of all U.S. adults have used dating apps. However, among current users, only 38 percent are women. Yes, that means the odds are a little stacked against you, but don't despair. The key isn't giving up and hoping for an old-fashioned meet-cute; it's finding the best dating apps for women that prioritize your safety, respect your boundaries, and help you filter out the nonsense.

Fortunately for you (and my sanity), navigating this mess is literally my job. As Mashable's resident dating expert for the last three years, I've put dozens of dating apps and websites to the test. From classics like eharmony to sex-positive newcomers like Pure, I tried them all. I did the swiping, verifying, and blocking to figure out what actually works. So whether you want a serious relationship, a casual hookup, or just an app that puts you in control, I've found the options genuinely worth your time.

The dating apps I'd skip (and why)

You'll probably notice a few popular apps are missing from my list. That’s intentional. Part of my job is to filter out the platforms that aren't worth your time, money, or sanity — especially when safety is a top concern for women. An app doesn't get my recommendation just because it's well-known; it has to be effective, trustworthy, and populated by real human beings. Here are a few I think women should skip.

• Plenty of Fish (POF): I know this one shows up on a lot of lists, but in my opinion, it's a low-tech dating app ghost town. POF launched way back in 2003, and the experience and interface feel dated. After testing it out, I (along with tons of Redditors) can confirm that it's filled with bots and scammers. I think your time is better spent elsewhere.

• "Hookup" sites (like BeNaughty, Fling, Kasual): You've probably seen ads for sites promising quick, no-strings-attached fun. Based on my research and countless user reviews, I'd advise women to steer clear. These platforms are notorious for being overrun with bots and having questionable billing practices. More importantly, the lack of verification and moderation often creates a sketchy environment where harassment and fake profiles are rampant.

As a legacy name in the world of online dating, AdultFriendFinder has a huge community of singles and non-monogamous users looking for steamy fun, but that doesn’t mean using the site is always straightforward. On the contrary, the site has been around for so long that the web interface sometimes feels dated and counterintuitive, with key features or functions buried beneath multiple menus and sub-menus. 

Making the most of AFF takes some trial and error, or at least an experienced hand to guide you through. That's why we've outlined four essential tips below to improve your AFF experience and help you to connect with more people for more kink-based fun. That said, it also helps to keep an open mind about it all. If you enter AFF with a narrow idea of exactly what you want, you'll likely be disappointed. But if you start your search with genuine curiosity and just go along for the ride (no pun intended), you can discover new things about yourself — and intimate pleasure — in the process.

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Here are four essential steps for getting the most out of your AdultFriendFinder experience:

Fill out your full AFF profile 

Sure, this is an obvious step with any and every online dating service, but it’s even more important on AFF because the site doesn’t entirely rely on a carousel-style presentation of dating profiles like other apps. Everything from your age to your gender to your sexuality to your list of personal kinks can help make you more discoverable to other AFF members, so the less you fill out, the harder it is for the site to make your profile discoverable. 

This is true even if your personal kink list is short or leans towards the conventional, or if it’s exhaustive and leans towards the obscure and exotic; trust us when we say there are people out there who are looking for the very same quirks and kinks and sexuality specifics, so it's worth taking your time to be precise here. It can pay serious dividends in the long run.

Also, don’t sleep on videos. Unlike many dating sites that allow only photos, AFF allows its members to upload short videos to their profile. This is a fantastic way of not only showing others that you’re a real person but also highlighting your personality in a different way. You can also speak on some aspect of your personality that isn’t covered by the generic profile options. Just be wary of putting nude content upfront in your profile.

Verify your AFF account as soon as possible

AdultFriendFinder throws up very few barriers to account creation. That makes it very easy for anyone to make an account, but it also means there is a huge amount of spam and bot accounts lingering on the site. To combat this, they’ve also created a profile verification system using the Confirm ID service. 

It requires you to share government ID for cast iron verification, but the benefits to your profile will give you major peace of mind. It means photo authentication, age confirmation, and location verification, all of which help others trust that your profile is authentic. When the process is complete, you'll receive a blue checkmark underneath your profile photo, just to the right of your username, which helps people identify your profile at a glance and boosts your visibility in search results, as preference is given to verified users during searches.

Be selective with your search criteria

If you use the site’s search function, you’ll find that you can be extremely specific and selective. And if you know exactly who and what you want, by all means, narrow your search, but if you’re on AFF to be surprised, it’s also worth being less selective from time to time.

For example, if you know you want an in-person date for next week, it obviously makes sense to narrow your location search to people who live near you. But what if you don’t know exactly what you want, or if you’re open to a sultry chat with a stranger half a world away? In that case, distance is irrelevant and you should consider turning that filter off.

On the other hand, there are quite a few filters that are turned off by default that we actually recommend you turn on. For example, the default profile filter shows you all people who have bothered to upload photos, but while that’s a good start, it’s not enough to help you wade through the huge number of users. We strongly recommend narrowing it down to Verified/Confirmed users, since those people all proved their identity the same way you did (see above). That way you can trust that your search results and potential connections are 100 percent legit.

Another recommended filter is the Last Visit, which by default is set to "All." But lots of people create an account and then rarely check it, or will go inactive for weeks or months at a time for whatever reason, so it’s a good idea to specify accounts that have been active in the last month. Otherwise you risk messaging accounts that you'll likely never hear back from. 

Explore the live-chat communities

AdultFriendFinder isn’t a traditional dating website, so you shouldn’t use it like one. The search-and-swipe dating app method is tried and true, but it’s also a bit played out, and one of AFF’s biggest strengths is its larger community offerings. There's more to it than swiping left or right.

There are lots of forums to explore, all based around common interests (though you should know that some of these interests — or kinks — are not so common), or you can venture into a user’s live stream and interact with them and others there. AFF even has a dedicated Stories section, where users can share their memories or try their hand at writing erotica. That's all well and good for anyone with a knack for the written word but if you're more visual, you can set up a webcam stream and invite others to tune in. 

For all of the above, AFF tracks not only which stories/streams/group chats are new but also those that are trending, which makes it very easy to jump into a popular discussion or keep up with the latest site news.

Upgrade your AFF membership tier

As with other dating sites and apps, you only get the most out of AFF when you sign up for a paid membership. It is entirely possible to use AFF and interact without handing over your credit card information, but the site’s best features and functions are paywalled. And it has to be said that the advantages — visibility, communication options, and site functionality are — all just too good to ignore.

Gold and VIP members receive special icons on their profiles, and these profiles are given priority in every search, based on any criteria, and because there are thousands of potential profile options for almost every search criteria that isn’t location-based, it’s very difficult to stand out from the crowd on AFF as a free user.

Additionally, if you fork out for the upgraded VIP membership, you’ll unlock an entire section dedicated exclusively to VIPs. It's the dating site equivalent of entering the velvet-roped area of a night club; you'll find the most glamorous people hiding there. VIP members even get additional points to spend on digital gifts or lavish on live streamers who catch your eye. This is another great way of standing out from the crowd. 

The learning curve on AdultFriendFinder is steeper than most other dating sites, and much steeper than most dating apps, but if you follow the above tips and you're willing to experiment, you’ll encounter more than a few fun and sexy surprises along the way. 

The major standout feature of AdultFriendFinder isn't their millions of users or their free-wheeling stance on nudity, nor is it their massive, searchable database of kinks. What truly sets them apart, in fact, is their Live Action tab, where AFF users can communicate in real-time across webcams and chat rooms.

In this area of the site, accessible to both paying and non-paying members, users can communicate in real-time via both text and video, and things definitely get wild. Here are the four main sections of the Live Action tab, and what you need to know about them:

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Member Webcams

The first of four sub-tabs, Member Webcams is the place AFF users go to let loose on camera, for an audience. The camera feeds appear in a grid format, organized in order of viewer count, and as with the on-site dating profiles, you'll be able to see, at a glance, who has a verified account or who is a paying member. Other details visible immediately include the model's age, gender and location.

If you can't find what you're looking for right away, you can start to apply filters: Men, Women, Couples, Trans, as well as Nude or Non-Nude. You can even use the Sort By button to arrange the models in order of their proximity to you.

Best of all? This entire section of the website is accessible to free accounts, although if you want to actually interact with the models, either via public-facing comments or by sending gifts or emoji reactions, you will need to upgrade your account.

And pro tip: if you come across a particularly attractive model or manage to have a good conversation with someone, click the Star icon in the upper right-hand corner of the webcam feed to Favorite them, which will make it easier to find their feed when they next come online. 

Pro Models

The Pro Models section resembles a bigger-budget version of the Member Webcams area, except instead of camming for the love of the experience or to make new connections, the Pro models are explicitly there to make a bug. 

Free users are able to view these cams, but if you want to chat, tip or engage a model in a private, one-on-one cam session, you'll need to pull out your credit card. 

To our mind, this is the least interesting part of the AFF Live Action experience, and the most transactional. Their Pro Models section doesn't offer anything that competing adult webcam sites don't, and most of the competition offers more models and a better interface.

Chat Rooms

If you're not necessarily looking for visual stimulation but happy to use your words to titillate, check out the Chat Rooms area. Here, you can enter into chat rooms based around specific interests and topics, or look to join a regional chat room based in your country or state. 

While words, stories, and shared experiences form the basis of this section, people often do also share photos. Best of all, there are very few restrictions on non-paying members in these areas, so you can build a following or interact with other people without having to create a paid subscription. 

Activity Feed

The Activity Feed is the fastest way to catch up on what's trending on the site, usually populated by new images and videos uploaded by members. The default view is Global, showing you the hottest content from members across the world, but you can also sort by Near You to find more local posts, or even restrict the list to your Friends & Hotlist, helping you keep up with what your mutual friends or followers are doing on the site. 

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

If you’ve never dabbled in sexting, now's the time to give it a bash (ahem).

Trust us when we say that sexting is much more than just dirty words. Sexting can open up a whole new world and sexy possibilities. Think of it as text-based foreplay — a way of building anticipation ahead of the main event. You'll be raring to go once after a good sexting session.

But let's be completely clear: We're not talking about just sliding into someone's DMs uninvited with sexy talk via a regular dating app. Though you can definitely do that on AdultFriendFinder, which is kinda the point of that particular website. There are other apps for sexting, too. Yes, the idea of first-time sexting is daunting — all the etiquette and navigation of the appropriate apps. But please chill: We’re here to help by recommending the very best apps for sexting — apps which have been purpose-built for online flirtations and foreplay.

Mashable dating experts have tested scores of platforms over the years, so you can rest assured that we know what we're talking about here. You could say it's a sexty specialist subject. Using both experience and expert research, our app choices are based on various factors — features such as end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and screenshot detection, which are all essential for safe sexting (if you believe in safe sex — as you almost certainly do — the same applies here). And please don't forget that when it comes to sexting, you must always consider privacy, safety, and consent.

With that all said and understood, here’s a selection of the very best sexting apps available right now.

Every major online dating service has been targeted by malicious hackers looking to access private information, but few attacks have been as severe, as pervasive, or as publicly damaging as the data breach attack on AdultFriendFinder in October 2016.

The attack exposed the records of more than 360 million users, and not just from AdultFriendFinder itself but sister sites across the popular FriendFinder network. To this day, it is still one of the largest database breaches ever recorded, leaking the email addresses, usernames, passwords, sexual orientations, and even spoken languages of millions of people across more than two decades of AFF history.

Worse still, it exposed some downright shoddy security practices, which included using SHA-1 cryptographic hashing, already more than a decade out of date by the time of the breach, and storing account passwords in plain text. It was an embarassing moment for the company.

Thankfully, FriendFinder Networks took this breach very seriously indeed, and dramatically stepped up its security practices and protcols. Here are three major changes they made to help protect future users:

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AFF overhauled their database security

Think of a website's database as a kind of bank vault. It's where all the most valuable stuff is stashed. And thieves would love to get their hands on it all. In 2016, prior to the attack, AdultFriendFinder had the equivalent of a single-lock safe: it looked secure and intimidating, but malicious actors had long ago figured out how to crack the code and get their hands on the loot. 

Now, AFF uses the latest in encryption technology to bolster security, including a technique called "salted hashing" that involves combining each password with a unique, random string of characters (known as the salt) and then passing them through a one-way hash function. It's a sophisticated way of ensuring that even accounts using identical passwords across different sites (looking at you, people who use "password" for your password) aren't all vulnerable during a breach.

AFF hired outside security experts

The ugly truth is that companies can't go it alone in the battle for cybersecurity. In-house security teams, as smart and hardworking as they may be, just don't stand a chance against an army of hackers and malicious actors. These scammers work 24/7 to access your valuable data and are always evolving and finding new ways through. 

The 2016 data breach humbled AFF enough to recognize this fact, and they've been contracting outside cybersecurity help ever since, including help fro Google subsidiary Mandiant. These cybersecurity firms don't just examine the potential vulnerabilities in your coding — they also look at corporate structure and employee practices to evaluate potential vulnerabilities. 

Forced password resets

Not all cybersecurity vulnerabilities are the fault (or exclusive fault) of the website. Sometimes, users' laziness can be a major vulnerability — in other words, using the same passwords year after year and assuming that's OK. Beefing up AFF's security has involved forced password resets, so you can't just use the same password all the time.

This is now basically standard operating procedure across the internet: Once every six months or once a year, you'll be asked to choose a new password. AFF has formalized this approach to help secure against password vulnerabilities that it can't control, such as leaks on other dating sites. (Be honest: How many of you use the same password across multiple sites? It doesn't take much for a hacker to apply a leaked password from one site to a whole bunch of other sites). This also protects against hardware malware such as keyloggers. 

Later this year, exactly one decade will have elapsed since AdultFriendFinder's last security breach. Say what you will about their past mistakes — a full decade of cybersecurity success is an achievement, and modern users of the site should be grateful that AFF has stepped up their game in such a big way.

If you ever wished you could make a buck while getting off, Joi AI (an AI companion platform) is here to make that dream a reality. Apparently, the startup is actively looking for 10 "masturbation consultants" to test its latest feature: Daily Guided Masturbation.

The "consultants" would be responsible for documenting how regular masturbation affects their stress, sleep quality, mood, and confidence levels for four weeks. To apply, you have to be 18 or older and based in the US or the UK. Oh, and the pay is $2,000 (so far, it sounds pretty good, right?).

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Let's call it R&D

In an article published by Decrypt, Joi AI head of brand and communication Julie Levin says the new feature uses mood-matched AI voice sessions to guide users through the experience.

"The role involves testing and giving feedback on the mood-matched AI voice-guided sessions, and providing feedback on the overall user experience," says Levin. Basically, you complete the guided sessions and submit written questionnaires directly to the team.

The application process is pretty simple

The application is a simple Google Form (apparently it was a Typeform, but applicants reportedly "broke the link." It asks for your name, age, location, email, phone number, gender identity, and whether you can commit to a full four weeks. Other questions include when you'd most likely be doing the work (e.g., morning, evening, or at varying times) and whether you've done anything like this before.

The final three questions ask why you'd like to be a consultant, what you hope to learn about yourself, and whether or not you'd be open to being interviewed or quoted if your story is "interesting." They also give you an option to add additional info, which is nice.

"I've been training for this my whole life."

The original job posting said candidates should be "articulate, observant, and impossible to blush” and be able to describe sensations “better than a sommelier describes a wine.” (I mean, it's a solid job posting.)

"The role is real, and we've had great responses since the posting went live," Levin told Decrypt.

According to a recent X post, Joi has received over 103,284 applications so far. The application closes May 31, so if you want to join the thousands of others, you'd better hurry! The company's also been posting its favorite cover letter openings, which included phrases like "this is my calling" and "I've been training for this my whole life."

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Vendors, invitations, bridesmaids' looks, napkin colors — there's a lot that goes into preparing your wedding day. Many opt to hire someone to corral the chaos, and if they can't afford that, then ChatGPT is their wedding planner.

But a pricey planner and an LLM aren't your only two options. The internet is rife with apps ready to help, and just as many people ready to share what works and what doesn't. Here are seven apps and sites designed for planning the perfect matrimony. 

Zola

Far and away, the most-mentioned website on r/wedding and various other subreddits is Zola. Users praise its dashboard, where you can track your budget, guest list, RSVPs, and more. You can also create your registry on Zola, use it for your invitations and wedding website, and find vendors, making it a one-stop shop for wedding planning.

Zola is free to use, and the app told Mashable that couples can plan their entire wedding on the app for free. Registry, vendor search, wedding website, budget tracker, and guest list manager are some free services. There are some add-ons couples can choose to buy, like animated monograms or wedding dates, to their wedding site homepage for $9.99.

Download the Zola app on iOS or use it on your browser. (Mashable spotted a fake Zola app on Google Play, which Zola stated wasn't legitimate.)

Joy

I asked my Instagram followers what wedding planning app they used, and Joy came up the most. Like Zola, Joy is another one-stop shop: Use it to create your invitations and wedding website, add to your registry, track RSVPs, and more. There's also a blog full of wedding tips and expert advice.

Joy is available as a browser version and as an app on Apple's App Store and Google Play. According to the site's FAQ, Joy's wedding websites, planning tools, and registry are free. There are hundreds of free designs for save-the-date cards and invitations, too. Upgrades that'll cost extra include custom domains for your wedding website, premium paper designs, and text messaging.

Hitched

For the UK brides among us, Redditors across the Atlantic recommended Hitched. Like the others, Hitched has planning tools, a venue and supplier search, and tools to create a registry and wedding websites. Hitched even has wedding forums in case you want to chat with other betrothed couples who know what you're going through. You can also find inspiration for the big day, and even find dresses for you and your wedding party — including accessories.

Hitched is available on desktop, and on the App Store and Google Play.

Seatplan.io

If you're looking for a more specialized guest list tool, consider seatplan.io. You can import your guest list and rearrange seating however you want, so you can visualize what the room will look like on your wedding day. In addition to importing your list, you can export the seating chart and even generate a QR code to make it easy for your guests. One review on the site states, "200 guests. 8 dietary requirements. 4 wheelchair users. 1 complicated family tree. SeatPlan.io handled all of it."

Seatplan.io is free to use if you just want to design the seating chart and import your guest list, but if you want to save your work and export it, it'll cost you $8. If you want more features like collaborating with others and generating the QR code, it'll cost $14.

Wedding professionals also use seatplan.io, so you know it's legit.

The Knot

The Knot is the classic wedding planning hub, and according to Reddit, it still holds up. Use The Knot for a checklist, budget adviser, vendor search, wedding website and invitation setup, registry setup, guest list and RSVP tracking, and advice. You can also look at wedding dresses and attire for everyone, from grooms to the mother of the bride. 

The Knot is usable on the browser, but you can also find the app on the App Store and Google Play.

Google Sheets

A surprising number of people, including someone who responded to me on Instagram, opt for an old-school spreadsheet. Many free spreadsheet templates exist out there that can help with budgeting and other organizational needs you'll likely have when planning your wedding. If you want a more bare-bones approach or want to maintain more control of how your budget (or whatever other sheet) looks, Google Sheets (or even Microsoft Excel) may be a good option. 

The organizational tool Notion receives an honorable mention here, too, as Redditors who didn't use another app likely went with Google Sheets or Notion. 

Reddit

When all else fails, you can do what I do whenever I need advice: Google whatever I need help with and add "reddit" at the end. There are thousands of people on r/wedding, r/weddingplanning, r/weddingsunder10k, and more nuptial-related forums. If you have a question about your big day, there's a good chance someone has asked and received answers on Reddit. 

Hooking up is hard enough as it is. And that's before you've thrown in the minefield of online dating and all its nuances into the mix.

It adds all kinds of complications around app etiquette, how to know when you're vibing, and how to move offline. Not to mention concerns over protecting your digital privacy. And yet, people repeatedly sabotage their own chances of success with common online dating mistakes — which can prevent you from finding that all-important match.

If you're a loyal AdultFriendFinder user and want to use the site safely and effectively, here are three things we recommend you should keep off your profile.

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Public-facing NSFW content

AdultFriendFinder is very permissive when it comes to NSFW content — you could even say it's kinda the whole point of AFF — and many of its members take advantage of this freedom by posting explicit material upfront. That said, we advise against it, especially if you also plan on sharing pictures or videos of your face.

Always use non-nude content for your profile photos. Because once you post naked content online, you lose all control over it – where it ends up and what it gets used for. That doesn't mean you can't share nudes, but there are more private ways to bare all.

It's not just a matter of your own safety but also the impression you give. While some people will be turned on by upfront nudity, others may be put off. So, if you want to maximize your chances at making a connection, you're better off leaving something to the imagination. You finding other subtler ways to be sexually suggestive.

Unnecessary personal information

Oversharing is another major security concern that people can overlook. No, your potential hookups don't need to know what you do for a living, at least not from from just scanning your profile, and they certainly don't need to know specifics about your employer, your address, or your marital situation. 

Think very hard about what you choose to share and how certain information can lead back to you or even compromise you in the wrong hands. It's not that every person you meet on AFF will be a bad actor — chances are, most of your interactions will be totally genuine — but this is the internet we're talking about here and there are bad actors all over it, just waiting to strike.

Online safety 101: Share the bare minimum, and if you do choose to open up to a specific person, make sure you've vetted them and that they are who they say they are. There are common sense rules that you can follow.

Sexual boasting

Hookup sites in general, and AdultFriendFinder in particular, can be littered with profiles bragging about their sexual prowess, often in very crude terms (mostly men in our experience).

We understand the impulse to boast, especially when you're trying to connect with another human being on a sexual level, and in an environment centered on sex, but bragging is just a turn-off. Take note, fellas, and save your sexual boasting for one-on-one convos after a rapport has been established and you have a sense of the other person's turn-ons. 

There isn’t actually an official Adult Friend Finder app — AFF likes to keep things decidedly old school — but a lot of the site’s users still access its content via their mobile device. Many of them do so using the site’s mobile version, through either Safari or Google Chrome, but committed AFF users have created a workaround to mimic the experience of using an app.

Here’s everything you need to know.

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Why doesn’t Adult Friend Finder have an app?

Both Apple and Google strictly police the kinds of content they allow on their respective app stores, and because Adult Friend Finder allows on-site nudity — in profiles, chat forums, and live broadcasts — they're barred from creating an official app for the two most-used mobile platforms.

Unfortunately, these rules apply even if you don’t have nudity on your profile or have turned on all the filters that restrict the display of adult content when using AFF, so there isn’t even a watered-down version of the app available and likely never will be. It's non negotiable, unfortunately.

What’s the best alternative?

If you really want to mimic the experience of using an app on your phone, you can simply create a home screen shortcut to the Adult Friend Finder site. And if you have cookies enabled, you can also stay logged in each time, which saves you having to re-enter your login credentials.

To create a homescreen shortcut on your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to AdultFriendFinder.com in your Safari mobile browser (no third-party browser will work)

2. Tap the ellipsis icon in the bottom right corner of your Safari app, and then tap the Share icon at the top of the pop-up menu

3. Scroll towards the bottom of the option list and select "Add to Home Screen"

4. You will be prompted to assign a name to the icon before you can hit "Add"

For Android users, the steps are slightly different:

1. Navigate to AdultFriendFinder.com in your Chrome mobile browser (no third-party browser will work)

2. Tap the menu icon in the upper right corner of your Chrome app, and then tap "Add to Home Screen"

3. You will be prompted to assign a name to the icon before you can hit "Add"

How secure is this home screen icon approach?

This method of accessing Adult Friend Finder is functionally no different than opening Chrome or Safari first, so it's no less safe than using the actual site, but there are a few things to consider:

• If you share your phone or tablet with someone else, they will be able to see the AFF icon and possibly even access your account just by clicking on the app

• If you prefer to keep your Adult Friend Finder use hidden, consider hiding the icon within a sub-folder or within a password-protected folder

• To ensure your login credentials aren't saved, create the icon itself using your mobile browser's incognito or private browsing function

If you’ve even so much as glanced in the direction of the online dating world, you're surely aware of AdultFriendFinder. It's one of the founding fathers of online hookups. Created all the way back in 1996, it had become one of the 100 most popular sites in the U.S. by the late 2000s. But despite its obvious popularity, it’s never managed to break into mainstream consciousness like Tinder or Hinge.

There’s a very good reason for that.

AFF, as it’s known among members, is explicitly an “adult” dating site (and we do mean explicit). It's a badge that AFF wears proudly, but one that also has hindered its mainstream reach. Users aren't likely to talk about their AFF activity in the same way they talk about their Tinder hit rate.

But what if you’re curious about how it works, whether it works, or who it works for? What if you’ve always wondered whether you’re missing out on the best-kept online dating secret and want to join the party? Or maybe you’re worried it’s more hype and chatbots than organic, spicy fun. Don't fret about FOMO — we've done the work for you.

Here's a breakdown of the AdultFriendFinder experience and what you can realistically expect to get from it if you decide to dip your toe into these naughty waters.

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AdultFriendFinder isn’t a traditional dating site

If you sign up for AdultFriendFinder expecting a traditional online dating experience, you’ll be disappointed. It’s not that AFF members aren’t interested in serious dating; it’s more that sex and sexuality are placed front and center, with everything else emerging from there.

You'll see that for the first moment to logon. Unlike mainstream dating sites, which ban nudity from profile photos, AFF allows it — encourages it, even — so that regular dating-app selfies sit side-by-side with full-on full-frontal nudity and live webcam feeds. There is a content filter, accessible in your profile settings, but it defaults to "off," so if you would rather not see any nudity, or only see it when you deliberately choose to click on a NSFW picture, you should navigate to this setting ASAP.

For some people who aren't looking for a bare-all experience, this might be off-putting, but to those who are looking for exactly that, it’s refreshing. (And if you're not on AFF to see a little nudity, what are we even doing?) Unlike traditional dating apps, where early conversations often revolve around figuring out what the other person actually wants, AFF members tend to be refreshingly upfront and transparent (wink wink) about their intentions. Kinks and sexual preferences are the whole point.

How to meet people on AdultFriendFinder

Every online dating site lives or dies by its algorithm, with new platforms constantly rolling out novel ways to connect singles. AdultFriendFinder, however, takes a maximalist approach to interacting with strangers.

You can search for members the conventional way, using specific criteria like gender, sexual orientation, age, location, and more, but you can also jump into themed chat rooms or follow members’ live streams. Through the “Who’s Hot” tab, which highlights popular members as well as trending photo and video uploads, you can easily discover someone you might otherwise never have come across.

One thing you’ll notice quickly, however, is the presence of obviously fake profiles. When I searched for singles near me, I encountered a surprising number of stunningly beautiful women in a small rural town near my city — all with airbrushed photos and vague, AI-sounding profile descriptions.

AFF makes it extremely easy to sign up and create a profile, requiring little more than a username, password, and basic personal information. The upside is that it lowers the barrier to entry; the downside is that scammers can exploit that same simplicity. You'll be fine as long as you're aware of scams and stay vigilant on AFF and use good old common sense.

To help counter this, AdultFriendFinder offers a blue checkmark verification system and even incentivizes users to complete it by boosting their visibility as a reward. Verification requires a government-issued ID, which AFF uses to confirm your age, photo authenticity, location, and gender. It's an optional step, but one worth completing since it helps you signal to others that you are who you say you are.

If avoiding scammers and catfishers is a priority, looking for that blue checkmark before engaging is a smart move.

What kind of success rate can you expect from AdultFriendFinder?

So far, so good, but there is a catch. While you can browse and explore AFF for free, meaningful one-on-one interaction requires a paid Gold membership, available in one-month ($39.95/month), three-month ($26.95/month), or one-year ($19.95/month) packages, all of which renew automatically.

Understandably, most people hesitate to pay for a dating site from the off. And because AFF places its best features behind a paywall, it requires a leap-of-faith to enter those credit card details. But in our experience, a premium AFF membership largely justifies its price.

With an AFF Gold membership, you unlock all kinds of features including unrestricted messaging, high-resolution member videos and webcam streams, expanded profile galleries, and advanced filters that make narrowing down potential matches far easier. You'll quickly see the benefits of AFF's paid tier.

Does paying guarantee attention from everyone you message? Of course not. The usual dating-app dynamics still apply — heterosexual men, for instance, should expect to work harder for responses than heterosexual women. Being attractive, fit, or witty helps. Being all three helps even more, though we're not all so lucky when it comes to attracting the opposite sex.

What will work in your favor regardless is the sheer breadth of the AFF community. Members span a wide range of ages, body types, orientations, and interests, all of which makes it easier to find someone — particularly if you’re looking for something casual and fun as opposed to a long-term commitment.

Based on my personal experience of using AFF, as well as the limited statistics AFF has released, the platform skews male (roughly 60:40 in my area) and slightly older. That male/female ratio mirrors most dating sites, which tend to edge towards more men. The older skew can actually be an advantage if, like me, you prefer connecting with people closer to your own age.

Here's one final piece of advice: Don’t ignore AFF’s broader community features. If you rely solely on search results and direct messages, you’ll face roughly the same odds as any other dating app. But if you explore the themed chat rooms — which can span everything from erotic fiction to body modification (whatever floats your boat) — you’re more likely to find a connection you’re actually looking for.

If you're on a budget and things look bleak in the relationship department, don't panic. You don't need to shell out hundreds to find a genuine connection. As the weather warms up and the spring dating pool thaws out, there are plenty of free dating apps that let you chat, match, and meet a partner without shelling out cash upfront.

Dating itself will cost you time and money, so why should dating apps eat at your wallet, too? Especially when some platforms are rolling out premium subscriptions that cost as much as a car payment (yes, we're looking at you, Grindr). You don't have to resort to dating an AI to save money. Most popular apps are free to use — no credit card required.

What dating apps are completely free?

Mainstream dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid, and Hinge all have robust free membership tiers that compete with paid subscriptions. Some free, more niche dating apps, like Archer and Lex, are also worth checking out. It just depends on what you're looking for and how much work you're willing to put in to get it.

Critics will tell you that the big-name dating apps (like Bumble, or Match Group giants such as Tinder and Hinge) are all the same, forming a single, amorphous dating platform. However, these apps still have distinct differences. For instance, Bumble just announced it's officially killing its iconic swipe feature to change how users match. That said, dating app companies are moving more features behind paywalls, frustrating daters on a budget.

Below, find our top picks for the best free dating apps. Use them to find your forever partner, a casual encounter, or something in between — all without paying a dime.

Note: All the free dating sites listed below offer a free membership option that allows you to talk and match with people at no cost. Though most offer paid premium memberships, these aren't apps like Match or eharmony, where you need to pay to match or chat with other users. And if you're being pressured to send money to someone on a dating app, you might be involved in a romance scam.

Women-loving-women now have their own dedicated site on Pornhub.

Today, the ubiquitous tube site is launching Pornhub Sapphic, a space dedicated to lesbian and nonbinary content and creators. Pornhub Gay has been around for awhile, so it's about time sapphics (which include lesbians, bisexual women, and typically any non-man who loves non-men) have a site of their own.

The move makes sense, considering that many women watch lesbian content on Pornhub. In 2022, lesbian was by far women's favorite category on the site, and women watched scissoring content 155 percent more than men. Last year, "lesbian" was the most-viewed video category overall. Searches for scissoring, lesbian MILF, and strap-on content soared.

Pornhub Sapphic will be "built for the female gaze," according to a press release shared with Mashable, and designed for WLW audiences. The site will apparently be free of male-targeted ads like penis enlargement promos.

"Pornhub Sapphic was created in direct response to feedback from lesbian, queer, and straight women who told us they wanted an experience that felt made for them," Pornhub's vice president of brand and community, Alex Kekesi, stated in the press release.

"By working with creators and users, we've built a space where women-loving-women content is featured and celebrated," Kekesi continued. "For viewers, it's about providing women with a dedicated place to explore and enjoy adult entertainment with their experiences and desires in mind."

The launch of Pornhub Sapphic also features prominent sapphic creators like The JellyFilledGirls.

"We know firsthand how much demand there is for authentic women-loving-women content," The JellyFilledGirls also stated in the press release. "We're thrilled to welcome Pornhub Sapphic and be part of bringing it to the sapphic community."

Pornhub has made headlines recently for more political reasons, usually related to age-verification laws. These laws require viewers to submit their government ID, facial scan, or other method to prove they're of age. Last month, Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, sued Utah and delayed the enforcement of a new law banning VPNs for porn sites. Pornhub also reinstated itself in the UK after a self-imposed block, due to the introduction of device-level age filters on some Apple devices.

It's so easy to fall in love with online dating. It makes it simple to meet prospective partners with the simple swipe of a finger, and has opened up many sex lives to new possibilities. But let's look on the negative side, too. It's also introduced new ways for bad actors to target and hurt us. As the web's premier adult dating site, AdultFriendFinder is unfortunately rife with various scams and scammers, and while it's easy to have a good time on the site, it's also easy to get into trouble if you're not super vigilant about your AFF activity.

Because AFF contains nudity and encourages its members to get frisky — hey, that's kinda the point of the whole site — it's an especially enticing target for malicious users. The worrying thing is that these attacks are on the up, with so-called "romance scams" now outranking all other types of scams in terms of total reported financial losses, according to figures reported by the Federal Trade Commission.

The first step towards staying safe is to first be aware of your vulnerabilities. Here's a rundown of the five most common AdultFriendFinder scams and how to avoid them.

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Phishing scams

If you've used the internet before, you've been the target of a phishing scam. That's just a fact. Think of those emails from Google asking you to click a link to reset your password, or the sob stories you get from an unknown email address claiming to be a relative — the ones who just need a little money to out of a fix. These are all examples of phishing attacks, where a bad faith actor pretends to be someone they're not to gain your trust and steal sensitive information for you — or rinse your bank account.

On AdultFriendFinder, bad actors will happily pose as interested singles, casually flirting with you until the moment they decide to ask for money or personal information, or try to get you to visit an off-site link.

Here are the five biggest red flags to help you identify a phishing attack:

• Someone rushes to get you to another off-site destination, which could be a website or a different chat platform like WhatsApp or Telegram.

• They attempt to create a sense of urgency or emergency, often with a sad personal story.

• They randomly request specific personal information about you, whether that's your date of birth or your home address.

• Their profile and/or behavior is "too good to be true," with professional-quality photos and an instantly flirtatious conversation style to win you over.

• They dodge or deny requests to meet in person or verify each other's identities through a video call, and therefore you've never actually seen them.

Identity theft

Unfortunately, between generative AI and the ease with which people can access our personal data, identity theft is now easier than it's ever been. 

On AdultFriendFinder, identity theft scams can work one of two ways: Either the bad actors operate with patience to steal your identity, gradually building a workable profile of you based on your personal details — name, age, location and employment history, and more — as well as the photos and videos they harvest from your profile, or they steal another person's identity to execute a more sophisticated phishing scam on you. 

Your first and best defence against identity theft scams is to strictly limit the amount of personal information you share on your public profile. It's a good idea to give the minimum necessary identifiable details about yourself; so, for example, you can share your first name but should not share your last name or even your initials, and you can mention that you're a lawyer or a doctor but should not share the name of the law firm or hospital that employs you. They can cleverly narrow down the specifics.

Follow these rules closely even in one-on-one conversations. And never assume that the person you're talking to is who they say they are until you have verified that yourself, and strictly ration what information you give out about yourself. 

Bots and self-promoters

The bots and self-promoters are simultaneously the most common scam on AdultFriendFinder and the most harmless. Because it's easy to create profiles on the site, webcam models, some OnlyFans creators and other sex workers use the site to promote their pages, usually via chat bots. These scams aren't particularly sophisticated: The person uses their real photos in their profile but engages AI to actually talk to other users, usually to send them to an outside link like an Instagram, OnlyFans or Telegram channel related to their business, and while they're typically harmless, they're also a major waste of your time. Just in case you're tempted to check their links, remember to do your due diligence before clicking on the link, as it's easy to hide malicious links inside shortened URLs. 

These self-promoting accounts are also typically easy to spot. Their photos are typically very airbrushed and professionally shot and staged, and their conversation rarely goes far beyond "hello" before they start plugging their side hustle. You're better off just ignoring these profiles entirely, but if you do take a shot on speaking to one, definitely end the engagement once they start sharing off-site links with you. 

Pay-to-play scams

There are plenty of legitimate online businesses that would be happy to exchange your money for kinky chats, webcam shows, or custom photos and videos, but be wary of anyone offering those services on AdultFriendFinder.

Even if you're willing to buy sexual content or tip a webcam model, AFF was not designed to be a sex work platform, and all of the buyer protections that exist on sites like OnlyFans or Chaturbate are absent from AdultFriendFinder, which means if the model or sex worker wants to take your money and run, you'll have no recourse to protect yourself. 

Blackmail aka "sextortion"

The worst, most pernicious and potentially most damaging scams run on AdultFriendFinder relate to blackmail, or what is colloquially known as "sextortion." This is possible because the site encourages nudity and other forms of sexually explicit content. This also leaves users vulnerable to blackmail attempts. For instance, are you using the site without your spouse's knowledge or consent? And how would your employer or your customers react if your private photos and videos were leaked? 

Bad actors know full well the damage this kind of thing can do to your reputation, your marriage or professional life, and they will seek to use any possible leverage to use this to blackmail you. 

Does this mean you can't use AdultFriendFinder or shouldn't engage in some of the more risqué activities it offers? Of course not! But we do encourage you to use it responsibly and maintain a constant awareness of what you're sharing and with whom you're sharing it. And don't forget: If you do experience any sort of sextortion, you should know that it's a crime and should be reported to law enforcement.

Two's company, three's a crowd. And in this case, the third wheel in your relationship happens to be lurking in your back pocket. Yep, it's your phone.

We spend a great deal of time thinking about our relationship with our smartphones — our shame-inducing screen time, our inability to watch our favourite TV shows without second-screening, our over-reliance on AI to complete everyday tasks.

But, what about the role our phone plays in our relationships? Is your iPhone inadvertently creating friction in your once-harmonious union? Does your significant other secretly resent just how often you look at your phone when they're talking to you? Does your partner annoy you intensely when they lie in bed and scroll on their phone next to you?

It's no secret that we spend a lot of time on our phones. Research shows that couples spend over a quarter (27 percent) of their time together using their smartphones. Not only that: in the same study, researchers also found that when partners choose to interact with their phone instead of their significant other, it can decrease relationship satisfaction and wellbeing.

The impact of tech on our relationships is something we shouldn't ignore. 35 percent of people say that being on their phone makes them feel less willing to be intimate with a partner, according to research by sex toy brand Lovehoney. For millennials, that figure is even higher — 45 percent of whom feel this way.

I spoke to psychotherapists and couples counsellors to find out which of our phone habits could be damaging our relationships.

Reaching for your phone after sex

Reader: it happened to me. I was lying in bed with a man after getting intimate. We were both naked, our legs entwined. Usually, this is a time for deep chats, laughter, and softness. But, instead of enjoying this moment of tenderness, he reached for his phone and began scrolling. Any closeness that I'd felt in that moment immediately evaporated. The moment was gone.

My experience is not unique — 25 percent of people are reaching for their phone straight after sex, according to Lovehoney research.

Matthew Bernarda, licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) at Twelve South Recovery, advises against using your phone after intimacy. "This is the moment of greatest vulnerability between two partners. When one of them immediately reaches for the phone that moment does not end naturally," says Bernarda. "It is abruptly interrupted. The partner without the phone feels ignored and feels like that moment was less important than the notification that just arrived. Unfortunately, what I see in practice is that that feeling is remembered for a very long time."

Bernarda adds: "The most expensive thing you can give your partner costs nothing. It is your full presence. And ironically the thing that is stealing it fits in your pocket."

Phubbing

The term "phubbing" is a portmanteau of the words phone and snubbing and it refers to the act of ignoring your partner to scroll on your phone instead. Phubbing can show up in various forms: answering phone calls or scrolling on one's phone during a conversation, texting others while you're in the middle of quality time together, or checking social media. You might not even realise you're doing it, but it can leave your partner feeling unimportant, ignored, disconnected and even disrespected.

"Even the smallest distractions from communication can make another person feel ignored," says Bonnie Lambert, LMFT at Crestview Recovery.

Lambert says "partial attention" in relationships can cause problems even if it's unintentional. "It is possible to be physically in one place, but mentally somewhere else, which can slowly erode the emotional bond between people," she says.

Natasha Davalt, licensed associate marriage and family therapist at Peak Mental Health & Wellness, says "micro-disconnection" is a big problem in relationships. "It is not about a single event, but rather an ongoing one, where a person keeps checking the phone in the middle of a conversation, does not really listen, and responds slowly," says Davalt. "After a while, this will signal to the other person a competition for their attention, thus losing connection."

Checking your partner's phone without permission

Trust is foundational in relationships. Bernarda says reading your partner's messages without permission is the digital version of going through their pockets.

"It ruins trust in a relationship and it shows that the person going through the phone is looking for proof that everything is okay," he says. "But here is the thing. The act of going through the phone is proof itself that something is wrong. And that something has nothing to do with the phone."

Repeated monitoring of a person's online communication is a coercive control behaviour. If you feel unsafe and have been experiencing coercive control, call the National Domestic Violence Helpline (U.S.) 800.799.SAFE (7233). If you're based in the UK, call 0808 2000 247.

Parallel scrolling for hours on end

I happen to be a fan of spending time in companionable silence — that delicious shared quiet where neither person feels the need to talk because you're so comfortable with one another. And sometimes, that harmonious comfort can take the form of parallel scrolling, both of you dissociating as you have a bit of time on TikTok or Insta. In short bursts, it can be lovely.

But clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Glazer, co-founder of U.S. Therapy Rooms, advises against parallel scrolling for hours on end.

"The majority of couples I have worked with as a clinical psychologist did not start out with phone usage as an issue within their relationship; however, it is how many couples will allow themselves to use their phones that may ultimately be the downfall of their relationship," he says.

If parallel scrolling goes on for too long, it allows both individuals to "into separate digital world for hours."

"In psychological terms, parallel scrolling allows the partners to create the illusion of closeness while at the same time decreasing the emotional connection between them," he says. "Over time, many couples begin to stop sharing random thoughts, laughter, or brief periods of intimacy due to the lack of spontaneity created by digital distractions."

Using your phone to avoid conflict

It's not fun having difficult conversations. And for the conflict-avoidants in the room (hi!), our phones can become a crutch; a means to avoid getting into the nitty gritty of it all.

"The phone has also become a shield," says Kendall Maloof, who holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is clinical director at Eagle Creek Recovery. "When partners need to have an uncomfortable conversation, in most cases, one of them reaches for the phone."

Using your phone like this means you're physically present but emotionally unavailable. "What I find interesting as a therapist is that in most cases, the partner who does this is not even aware that they are doing it. It is simply a learned defense mechanism that activates every time the situation becomes uncomfortable," says Maloof.

What to do instead

Now that I've told you what NOT to do, with therapists' advice, it would only be fair to give you some alternatives. Here are a few small, achievable tweaks that can make all the difference in your relationship.

• If you and your partner enjoy parallel scrolling, consider giving yourself a finite window of time before stopping and doing something else.

• Lambert says "one of the healthiest things a couple could do is to find ways to set apart time each day without their phones." You could try not using phones at mealtimes, keeping phones out of the bedroom, or scheduling dedicated quality time sans phones. Davalt echoes this, recommending setting up phone-free periods, even if they're just short breaks.

• After sex, avoid reaching for the phone. Enjoy the closeness between you and your partner.

• If you notice that you've been on your phone a lot, don't beat yourself up. Instead: turn to your partner and ask them a question about your day.

• "When your partner talks to you, physically put your phone down, turn towards them and make eye contact," says Ruta Drungilaite, founder of A Twist of Date, which specialises in creative date night ideas.

• When your partner enters a room or returns home, acknowledge them or greet them instead of continuing to look at your screen, suggests Drungilaite.

• "Say good morning to your partner before you check your phone," Drungilaite adds.

JLo once sang "my love don't cost a thing" (banger). And she was right. Some of the most valuable things in a relationship are time and attention. Give them to your partner, not your phone.

One anxiety when you’re signing up for a dating site, especially one of the more spicy ones like AdultFriendFinder, is the digital paper trail. We get it, this kind of thing is personal and everyone deserves their privacy when it comes to online activity.

There are lots of reasons to feel cagey about the digital paper trail. Perhaps you’re married or in a relationship, or maybe you and your ex still haven’t separated your financial lives. It could be that you just don’t like the idea of your bank teller or financial advisor knowing about your online activities — whatever the reason, it’s your perogative.

It's perfectly natural to worry about what your dating app subscription will look like on your bank statement, especially if that subscription service contains the word “adult” — folks can be super judgy about this stuff.

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Thankfully, AdultFriendFinder has anticipated this particular issue. So, if you do decide to upgrade from a free membership to a paid one — whether you opt for their Gold or VIP subscription, which have their own sets of features and benefits — your monthly billing statement will only show up as FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF.

It's a relatively cryptic and innocuous name that won’t arouse undue suspicion or unfair judgment (not that you should have to worry about that anyway — what you get up on consenting dating sites is your business).

Do be aware that AdultFriendFinder subscriptions default to “auto renew,” so if you purchase a membership and want to cancel, you’ll have to actively disable the auto-renew function. Otherwise you risk having the mysterious FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF pop up on your statement month after month.

But what if even that isn’t good enough for you?

If you’re especially cautious — or especially paranoid — you can bypass the bank statements entirely by paying with a gift card or a cash, check, or money order (available only to users in the U.S.). You can even use an e-wallet option like AirTM. Residents of the UK can opt to pay by SMS.

If avoiding a digital paper trail is your top priority and privacy is paramount, you’re much better off using these payment options and not handing over your credit card details to begin with. Whatever you choose, AFF is safeguarding your anonymity.

Most guys have a love-hate relationship with dating apps. But between work and life, meeting someone organically can feel nearly impossible. That's the promise of online dating — an unlimited number of meet-cutes right to your phone, no serendipity required. Of course, the reality of online dating is often quite different. But don't get discouraged. The Mashable Dating & Relationships team has spent years testing the most popular dating apps for men, and we can tell you which apps are most likely to connect you with the right person for you.

Do dating apps still work in 2026?

We get it, though. Dating as a man in 2026 is tough. It's not just the pressure to make or the fear of rejection if you do — it's the endless swiping through fake profiles, scammers, AI-generated thirst traps, bots posing as potential matches, relentless Instagram models trying to lure you into their OnlyFans scam, and matches with impossibly high expectations (yes, the "6-6-6 rule" is a real thing, and apps are actively trying to monetize your height preferences).

But despite the challenges, dating apps do work. A 2025 SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus survey found that nearly 39 percent of all U.S. adults have used a dating app at some point, and men are actually more likely to be current users than women (57 percent vs. 38 percent). While the experience isn't always perfect, the odds are in your favor: 57 percent of men report positive experiences with online dating, compared to only 48 percent of women. The numbers are even higher for young people and the LGBTQ+ community.

The best dating apps for guys who know what they want

This guide is your cheat sheet for the best dating apps for men in 2026. We've done the research and found the apps that are actually worth your time. Whether you're looking for something casual or something serious, we have a dating app to recommend.

Pro tip: Don't be afraid to experiment. Try out a few different apps and see what works for you. And most importantly, don't get discouraged! Sometimes, the occasional bad date or disappointing flirtation is just the price you pay to meet the match of a lifetime.

One of the most common questions asked about AdultFriendFinder is understandable: Is AFF safe to use? Just one look at the dating site is enough to sound those alarm bells — the dated interface and design and the sheer volume of adult content. Prospective daters are right to question its legitimacy.

To better understand the risks of using AdultFriendFinder, we consulted Anna Larkina, Web Data and Privacy Analysis Expert at Kaspersky, one of the world's leading cybersecurity services, about the kinds of threats that users might face and how to mitigate the risks.

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Understanding the risks of online dating

First off, understand that there is a risk inherent to using any online service, and that even the most reputable websites have experienced major hacks or exploits. “Users should remember that any service can potentially encounter various cybersecurity issues,” Larkina told us, including “data leaks, attacks on third party contractors, or issues related to the human factor.” 

But the risks are undoubtedly higher for some websites than others. For example, with a typical merchant website, you’re only providing them with your credit card information, but on a dating site, you’re potentially providing your credit card details and crucial personal information, from your date of birth to your phone number, information that can prove very valuable to scammers.

While this is a risk you take with any dating service, AdultFriendFinder is perhaps more vulnerable than most dating sites because of the nature of its content and user base, so it’s important to understand the potential issues.

What risks are specific to AdultFriendFinder?

The “adult content” angle

While there is absolutely no obligation for AFF users to share nude photos of themselves, or get naked on a webcam feed, many, many people opt to do so, and while we have no objection from a moral perspective — let your freak flag fly high and proud — it’s important that you know you risk more than an awkward conversation with coworkers and family members who stumble across your account.

Unfortunately, bad actors can exploit and use your own personal information against you.

“Data from services with adult content or dating services can be especially sensitive for users, because it’s more personal,” warns Larkina. “If fraudsters somehow obtain such private data, they can use it for more ‘efficient’ blackmailing or targeted phishing.” Needless to say, you should be wary of how you use the site and what information you share, especially if you have a public-facing job.

AFF security breaches

While dating sites invest heavily in cybersecurity protections, online threats are constant and ever-evolving. Hackers who are eager to discover treasure troves of personal and financial information will often target online dating platforms — they can be easy pickings.

AdultFriendFinder has suffered two major security breaches, which is actually a pretty stellar record of security over its entire 30-year history. In 2016, hackers gained access to the personal information of four million AFF users before the breach was found and stopped. And a larger breach occurred in 2016, impacting some 300 million AFF accounts, including 15 million accounts that had been officially deleted by the user but whose data had not been properly expunged from the AFF servers.

Phishing scams

Another common hacking technique — and one particularly effective on dating websites — is phishing, which is when a bad actor assumes a false identity to gain your trust and deceive you into revealing compromising or sensitive information. It's easy to do on dating sites because, by their very nature, people sign up to specifically to search people out and make connections. Scammers can pose as attractive persons, telling users exactly what they want to hear and luring them into the scam.

To combat phishing, AFF offers the ability to verify identities with government-issued identification. This verification process is still an optional extra — it's not mandatory when setting up an account. We recommended doing it though, and setting a search filter to verified accounts only. It's a surefire way to protect yourself against bad actors.

Can your AFF account be found?

While the private information you give AFF (your real name and email address, for example) isn't public-facing, AFF’s dating profiles are public by default, so if you include a picture of your face (as many accounts do), you can be recognized by friends, co-workers, and family members. 

And as AFF has suffered two major hacks before, there’s always an outside chance of it happening again, which could result in your email address and information landing in a dodgy database.

How to protect your online identity when using AdultFriendFinder

Does this all mean you should never use AdultFriendFinder, or any dating site? Absolutely not. We're here to help you protect yourself and stay vigilant, not to discourage you from signing up. 

Larkina has shared an additional list of best practices to help you mitigate risks while having fun on AFF or any other dating site:

1. Don’t use a professional email address to sign up for a dating site. If you’re especially nervous, consider creating a new email address just for the purposes of signing up.

2. To protect your accounts, use strong and unique passwords, change them regularly, and if possible, enable two factor authentication

3. Be extremely cautious with what you share with strangers, especially when it comes to sensitive information or intimate photos. “Always assess reputational and other risks before posting or sending anything,” cautions Larkina.

4. When using AFF in particular, limit your interactions to users who have verified their identity

Summing up her advice, Larkina urges online dating service users to treat these “platforms as public spaces, not as private ones” as far as possible, and be ever mindful that “every piece of data you provide — email, phone number, username, etc. — becomes part of your digital footprint.” If you’re careful about what you share and who you share it with, you can safely enjoy AdultFriendFinder and any other dating site.

Too many AdultFriendFinder users restrict themselves to the more conventional aspects of this otherwise unconventional dating site. They create a profile, search through singles, and maybe browse a webcam or two. But the real meat of the site isn't actually in the one-on-one interactions; it's in the larger community, which exists in the forums, monthly contests, blogs and, perhaps most importantly, the Sex Stories section.

While you can obviously just browse these stories casually, the on-site culture actually encourages greater interaction than that, and many an AFF connection has been made by two adults bonding over their shared love of erotic fiction. 

Here's how you can use their literotica section to not only vet your next sexting partner but actually initiate the conversation. Full disclaimer: while you can absolutely enjoy aspects of the Sex Stories section without a paid membership, getting the most out of it and actually converting your literary admiration into a one-on-one chat will require a site subscription.

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Read the stories and find what resonates with you

AFF's Sex Stories section boasts more than a dozen distinct categories or genres, ranging from "first time" experiences to group sex scenes, fetish exploration and even stories with fantasy or sci-fi elements. The more creative writers even try their hand at erotic novels and poetry, and since a lot of effort has been put into these creations, the least you can do is read the stories in full and save those you like.

While even free users can save individual stories, only paid members can follow story writers, but if you discover that one particular author keeps catching your interest, following their work is a good way to indicate your interest. 

Leave a comment

What author doesn't appreciate positive feedback? If a story resonates with you, you can interact with it in one of two ways: by leaving a comment or by using the like button to indicate your approval. Because of the site's laidback culture, it's completely common for authors to respond to comments, so put some thought into what you say, shouting out specific aspects of the story or how it was written. Many a private sexting conversation began in the public comment section of an AFF story.

While free AFF users are able to both comment and like stories, paid members unlock even greater emoji reactions, including more salacious and flirty reactions, which helps you take your flirting game up a notch. 

Consider writing your own story

If you're having trouble getting storywriters to respond to you or if you just can't find a piece that really resonates with your needs, it might be time to take up the (digital) pen yourself. If you have a way with words, you can accrue a large following on the site, and even earn badges for your heightened on-site participation.

Best of all, by becoming the writer rather than the reader, you'll put yourself in the position of being able to select which comments (and therefore which commentators) catch your attention. 

Use the #tags feature

While every story written has to be placed into a specific category, each story can also contain multiple tags, and these are a lot more varied and a lot more specific than the story categories. Current "top tags" include #feet, #sub, #teasing and #watching, for example.

If you're looking for a particular type of sexting conversation, or if you have very specific turn-ons, the tag feature is the fastest way to find a like-minded person to explore with in a private conversation. 

If you've set up an account and explored what AdultFriendFinder has to offer, you’ll get regular prompts to upgrade your account to a “Premium Gold Plan.” But before you enter your credit card details, it’s good to know and understand the actual benefits of signing up to a paid membership. 

Hey, we get it if you don't want to spend anything. Tight budgets are what they are. And you can absolutely still have fun using AdultFriendFinder's free version, but the site does throw up some annoying barriers that limits the experience for free users. And an awful lot of content and quality-of-life stuff is waiting for you once you upgrade. 

You can test the waters with a one-month membership that will only set you back $25.16. Or you can commit to three months for the price of $20.95 per month. If the trial run goes well, it might be worth committing to a more long-term membership. You can get a one-year membership for a monthly fee of just $14.95. Note, however, that you need to manually cancel your Gold account after each membership period ends, as it does automatically renew your subscription by default. 

Intrigued but still need to know more before you make a commitment? Here are three perks exclusive to paid users that will help justify the monthly cost:

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Discover vastly expanded chatting options

If you’re relying on a free membership, actual chatting options are limited. You can search for individual members based on some limited criteria (Man/Woman/Trans or Couple/Group, for example), and you apply some very limited filters (Online or Near Me), but if you try to click through the profile photo and learn more about the person who has caught your eye, you’re instantly prompted to upgrade your account.

Free members are limited to interacting with others in forums and group chat spaces, which is fun but simultaneously restrictive, since there’s no guarantee the people you chat with actually live anywhere nearby. And while free members can receive regular direct messages from premium users, they will need to upgrade to actually respond and get a back-and-forth DM convo going. 

Gold members, on the other hand, can send and respond to private messages, enter webcam shows, and speak to the host for free. They can also add people to a Friends list to make recurring contact easier, and unlock access to the site’s built-in instant messenger for real-time conversations. 

Unlock AdultFriendFinder’s even naughtier side

One quick visit to the homepage — where nudity filters are turned off by default — and you'll see that AdultFriendFinder doesn’t shy away from sexual content. But free members are missing out on a lot more than they might realize. With a premium membership, for example, you gain access to better quality photos, videos, and streams, so those tiny thumbnails and grainy, low-res webcam feeds — you know, the ones that look like they’re being downloaded straight from the ‘90s — will suddenly come to life in stunning HD. 

But more than that, Gold members can also view and comment on nude photos and videos on profiles that the uploader has restricted to paying members. And while standard members are allowed to watch member webcams, they can only watch one at a time. Gold members, meanwhile, can open multiple streams at once. 

Finally, Gold members can access AdultFriendFinder’s Sex Academy, a massive resource for anyone who wants to learn more about sex and sexual health — not to mention discover new techniques and become more skilled in the bedroom. Topics range from the basics — such as how to correctly put on a condom — to more advanced skills, such as oral sex techniques. Everything's covered in a way that's easy to follow and — in the case of practical sex skills — easy to replicate IRL.

Refine your search for the perfect match

We know that free members can’t really interact with their searches anyway, but we still have to admit that it's frustrating to discover how limited the basic search function is, especially when you consider how much information that users voluntarily provide about themselves.

Of course, it's no surprise that paid members get a far better experience. Signing up for a membership unlocks a more refined search that includes not just basics like gender, sexual orientation, and an age and distance range (Straight, Bisexual, Bicurious, Gay, and Prefer Not To Say are all options), but also marital status, ethnicity, and body type (Average, Slim/Petite, Athletic, Ample, A Little Extra Padding, and BBW/BBM are the options here).

Paid members can get super specific in AFF's My Kinks section, which is exactly what it sounds. Fill this out to let people know exactly what you're into — there's no shaming or judgment here. This will help to attract like-minded people and give you the ability to search through other users who share the same kinks. The list is pretty exhaustive and extremely kink-friendly.

Paid members can also build up a friends list, helping to track their favorite people and chat partners. That makes it easy to slip back into a steamy conversations or keep up with a particular streamer’s schedule. 

If you’re after a naughtier online dating experience, something that prioritises kinky fun and taboo-busting chats that other sites keep hidden behind innuendo and self-censorship, AdultFriendFinder’s paid membership experience is very much worth exploring. 

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

It's 2026 and times are good for low-effort consumers. Yes, you can get pretty much anything you want by just tapping and swiping of your smartphone: Your shopping, your favourite takeaway, your high-ticket tech, even — our personal favourite — a hot date. And why shouldn't you? Online dating is nothing new. Apps and websites have dominated the dating world for the best part of 20 years. In fact, some sites go all the way back to the mid-1990s. But things are constantly evolving in the world of app-based dating.

According to our favourite sex-perts at Lovehoney — the progressive sex toy brand that sells everything from lingerie to lubricants and dildos — we're living in horny-but-wholesome times. Lovehoney has named 2026 "The Year of Pleasure."

That doesn’t mean quick-and-easy pleasure from one-night stands and flings. It may come as some surprise, but research says that one-night stands are on the out. Would-be daters are now cruising for "purposeful pleasure" and "meaningful connections." That means hookups with substance — flings that mean something. Yes, we're still hooking up, but we're getting more selective about who we hookup with and why. So, it's important to get the right dating app because each app offers something a little different. And you need the right tools to find the right date.

To help you get started, we’ve looked at the top apps and taken advice from sex and relationship experts.

What to know before you swipe

Before you start downloading apps, it’s good know just how to approach online dating. Our advice is to be 100 percent honest about who and what you’re up for. And maybe give a pass to the mainstream dating apps that are more about romance and happily ever afters (the likes of eharmony, in other words). The best hookup apps make chatting quick and easy (messaging, video calls, all that good stuff), and even the best free options will have features like profile verification to keep you safe.

Our main advice though is to stick to apps which are purpose-built for hookups, casual fun, and satisfying your kink (whatever that kink might be). It can be freeing, not to mention productive, to be open about specific desires. The ways in which we understand sex and relationships are changing all the time — just looking at fast-growing "heteroflexible" sexuality — and hookup apps allow you to explore curiosities with no judgement or social anxiety.

It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for, whether it's the chance to explore a new sexual frontier, a friends-with-benefits situation on the reg, or an old school one-night stand (the one-night stand might be going out of fashion, but it’s still hella fun as long as it’s safe and on your terms).

Whatever your desire, we’re here to help make it happen. This guide to the best hookups apps is based on Mashable’s own real-world testing, expert input, and general experience. We’ve broken down each of the best hookup apps available right now, with an option for every type of dater and every dating desire.

These are the best hookup apps for 2026.

When it comes to hookup sites and apps, reputation is everything. A company can buy all the advertising it wants, but if it doesn't deliver the goods, then word of mouth alone can spell the end for it. 

In the dating app world, lots of contenders have come and gone. Just a handful have stood the test of time, and those that have survived have done so because the word got out that they work. In other words, they deliver on the promise of a hookup and possibly a little more. 

If you're new to the world of online dating, or don't know which app to trust, here's a rundown of five hookup platforms that are extremely popular among their own users, along with a quick guide on what makes them so special:

Tinder

Tinder is obviously super popular. With some 75 million monthly users across 190 countries, Tinder is still the go-to app for swiping your way to a fun connection.

It's also well worth a premium subscription, since that unlocks unlimited likes, profile boosting, and the ability to swipe through singles across the world, which makes planning your future vacation or spring break fling that much easier.

And if you're one of the many people complaining that Tinder isn't working for you, do us all a favor: Spend some time and energy taking quality photos of yourself, in good lighting, rather than mirror selfies or grainy, low-res photos pulled from Facebook. That goes a long way to making Tinder "work" again. 

Grindr

The largest gay dating app in the world continues to improve, having recently achieved the milestone of 15 million active users. If you're in the LGBTQ community and looking for some short-term fun, Grindr should be your first foray into the world of app-based hookups.

Standout features for fun-seekers include a grid-based location system, which shows you exactly how far or close your potential hookup is, as well as the ability to drop a geo-tagged pin in the chat, sharing your location with your would-be fling. We're also a big fan of the Taps feature, which enables some suggestive, non-verbal flirting and makes breaking the ice easier than ever.

AdultFriendFinder

AFF has been around forever — 30 years to be precise — and there's power in longevity. It's arguably the horniest hookup site with mainstream appeal — all you have to do is spend a few minutes browsing the homepage, replete with naked photos and live webcam shows, to understand what we mean. 

Sure, it isn't perfect. You have to wade through a lot of inactive or fake profiles, for example, and some of the best features are locked behind a paywall, but if you spend some time exploring the site's free public areas, from the webcam shows to the discussion boards, you'll quickly see why it's endured for three decades.

As of 2026, it boasts about two million weekly active users, most of whom fall into the 30-38 age category, so if you're feeling a bit too old for Tinder but too young for SilverSingles — or you're just very horny right now — give AFF a try. 

Pure

If you haven't heard of Pure, you're not alone: The app is a darling of the younger crowd, having recently become the most-used app among Gen Z, and it's easily the most unconventional app on this list. 

Designed specifically for hookups, Pure features enhanced safety features, including both age and photo verification, as well as something they call Safety Signal, a feature that enables users to share the place and time of their meetup with a trusted third party, helping everyone involved feel more secure.  

When it comes to matchmaking, Pure users get three photos and a 350-word bio, as well as a dedicated Turn-Ons section, where you can list your kinks, including everything from types of communication to wax play. And if you really want to take a gamble on a fun time, you can test your luck with their Devil's Bones feature, which randomly connects you with another Pure user in a voice chat. 

Feeld

Feeld is beloved by its users for offering a safe space for queer, polyamorous, and kink-based dating and hookups. It's been around for over a decade, having been established in 2014, but it's undergone explosive growth in the last few years, as more people discover its charms every day. 

If you're looking for a nonjudgmental space to explore your kinks, and perhaps especially if you and a significant other are testing out ethical non-monogamy and want to find partners with similar interests, Feeld should be at the top of your list. Its Constellation feature, for example, links your profile with up to five other member profiles, allowing people to see your profile when they search for couples or groups.

And while Feeld does employ a carousel-style swiping system, the left and right swipes don't automatically like or dislike a profile. In fact, unless you actively hit the like or dislike button, the same profiles will continue to show up in your search, encouraging you to spend more than a few seconds evaluating prospective matches. It's a refreshing change from the usual mechanism that can lead to swipe fatigue.

There are few sites that bring together more horny adults than AdultFriendFinder. The site is so kinky, so permissive of nudity, and so kink-friendly that it refuses to create an app for the Apple App Store, because that would force it to tone down its wild side to conform with Apple's app regulations. 

But with a major data breach in its past and a growing culture of online scams and sexploitation plaguing the internet, it's worth asking: is it safe to share nudes on AdultFriendFinder? And how does it compare to alternative sexting platforms like Snapchat and Confide? 

We took an honest look at AdultFriendFinder's pros and cons as a platform for exchanging nudes. Here's what you need to know:

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Is AdultFriendFinder a safe site for exchanging nudes?

Verified memberships help

While it's true that anyone can create an account on AdultFriendFinder in mere minutes, there is an added layer of security that helps build trust between strangers: profile verification. AFF uses a service called ConfirmID, which grants those who pass the process a verification checkmark, helping alert others that they are who they say they are.

To proceed, you'll need to upload a piece of government-issued identification (think a driver's license, passport or healthcare card) and then undergo a face scan using your webcam to confirm that you are the person in the ID card.

Where are the disappearing messages?

From Snapchat to the late, great Confide, disappearing messages (messages that self-delete after a set amount of time, not only from the chat logs but from the servers) have become a privacy staple. Unfortunately, AFF doesn't offer them, even as an optional feature.

That isn't entirely a bad thing, since the entire site is structured around helping you make connections or meet like-minded people, even if only virtually, and it's nice to have a record of your conversations to come back to, especially if you happen to be talking to multiple people (and trust us, you will be talking to multiple people). 

Private photo albums

One way AdultFriendFinder provides enhanced privacy features is through a tiered security system. Your public-facing profile is mostly hidden from non-paying members, for example, so even a bad actor will still have to pay the site money to be able to read your list of kinks or click through your profile photos. But there's another privacy layer AFF leverages: private photo albums.

The default photo album every account begins with is the "Profile Photos" album, but once you've populated that, you can opt to create a new album entirely, this time with distinct privacy settings. Your options include Everyone (another public-facing album), Friends (visible only to people who are your mutual friends on the site), and Only Me (self-explanatory). 

If you want to restrict access to your more naughty photos to only people you know or trust, take advantage of the Friends privacy setting and be very selective about who you share your albums with. 

Screenshot protection is lacking

One definite con of using AdultFriendFinder to exchange nudes is that there is no way to control what the other person does with them once you've sent or uploaded one. The site has no screenshot protection or blocking software; in fact, it's trivially easy to save photos from profiles or private albums. 

On the one hand, this creates privacy concerns, but on the other hand, it also forces users to be more selective about what they show and under what conditions. There's lots of nudity in profile photos and albums, for example, but it's almost always anonymous, collar-bone down stuff, and when you do come across someone on the site showing off their nudes and their face, the odds are good they're a professional webcam model. 

The final verdict

First, we have to acknowledge an important truth about the nature of the internet: there is no such thing as 100% safety. You can take every precaution you like, use only the safest and most trusted sites, but the simple fact remains that if you send a nude photo of yourself, you are taking a risk. There are software workarounds for screenshot shields and even the toughest, most up-to-date cybersecurity has a vulnerability that will, eventually, be exposed.

In other words, the safest way to protect yourself is not to send nudes at all, and the next safest option is to omit your face or any identifiable marks (tattoos, birthmarks) from your photos. 

However, if you are committed to taking the risk, and especially if taking the risk is part of the fun, AdultFriendFinder offers a reasonably safe platform for you to exchange nudes with a stranger, especially if you commit yourself to following a few simple rules.

• Only interact with other verified accounts. AdultFriendFinder's ConfirmID system isn't 100% foolproof, but it adds an extra layer of security that will deter 99% of casual scammers.

• Never send nudes with your face in them. There's nothing wrong with focusing on a body part, or framing the shot in such a way that nobody can see or recognize your face, and doing so gives you plausible deniability in the event that your nudes are leaked. 

• Keep identifying information off your profile. Don't tell people where you went to school or when you graduated; don't mention your place of employment or your favorite local restaurant or bowling alley. AdultFriendFinder affords its users more anonymity than regular dating sites, so take advantage of that fact. 

In April, the influencer Brigette Pheloung, known as @acquiredstyle, shared many videos of her bachelorette trip sponsored by a previously unknown company: Swan Beauty, a $795 "AI mirror" (that also needs a $94 per year app). TikTok then did what TikTok does best: Exploded with discourse. Some people praised Pheloung and Swan Beauty for their partnership, while others, predictably, hated it. (Pheloung didn't respond to Mashable's request for comment.)

"I don't think anyone would say no to her bachelorette, whether hosting it or attending it," said Sarah Singleton, founder and lead content creator at Hype Gal Media, which specializes in wedding iPhone content creation. "You just got to do it in a really, really cool way that was sponsored."

It's just the latest in a series of high-profile influencer sponsorships in the wedding space. While getting free swag or paid services for weddings isn't new, it seems to be exploding in recent years, especially since COVID lockdowns. In fact, six in ten Americans would have a brand sponsor their wedding, so the naysayers may be in the minority. Mashable spoke to wedding professionals about these sponsorships and how the current state of the world means nothing is "sacred."

History of wedding sponsors

Despite the TikTok ire, brands have been gifting or paying for goods and services in exchange for attention for decades.

"Free or sponsored product or services is nothing new in the high-profile world," said Harmony Walton, founder of The Bridal Bar, a PR and marketing agency for luxury wedding professionals. Walton started The Bridal Bar in Los Angeles in 2004, and she's seen sponsored weddings before social media, even working with A-list clients who did it (though she declined to name who). 

A well-known, pre-social media example of this is TV personality Star Jones, who made headlines in 2004 for taking various freebies, such as bridesmaids' gowns and her (now ex-)husband's tuxedo, USA Today reported at the time. The same article also mentions early-2000s wedding sponsors, like fellow TV personality Tori Spelling, who received chocolates for her wedding party.

The concept has evolved, though, Walton said, as the influencer is the new celebrity. "So there are plenty of brands and companies that are motivated to gift products and services in exchange for attention, and the attention looks different now." Maybe it's a viral TikTok, whereas years ago it would be a mention in People magazine (print, of course). 

Throughout her career, Walton has seen wedding photographers, planners, dress designers, venues, and hotels climb in the industry because they booked a big influencer or high-profile client — whether they paid for it or not. The coverage is invaluable regardless.

Recently, brides who drummed up chatter on social media about sponsored nuptial elements were influencers Becca Bloom, who partnered with Lancôme, and Mikayla Nogueira, who said her 2023 wedding wasn't sponsored but did release a product with e.l.f. cosmetics (e.l.f. x Mikayla Marriage Material Lip Duo) before the big day.

A brand deal fit for a bride

Singleton, who has shot sponsored content for weddings, emphasizes that the best thing influencers can do is stay true to their personal brand. If a beverage brand you've never consumed before is all of a sudden everywhere at your reception, people will question whether you actually like it or if it's been gifted. Which is fine, Singleton said — but don't act like it's the best drink ever when you've been sipping on something else.

The best deals come when it's genuine and authentic to both the couple and the love story, she said.

The proper way to have sponsored wedding elements is to do this professionally, Walton said. The Bridal Bar gets solicited for free products and services from micro influencers who want discounts, but they aren't approaching it from a business perspective, more so as how to leverage their platform to reduce wedding costs.

An influencer who's used to these types of deals knows what contracts are appropriate, and to ask for what deliverables are needed — be it a certain number of posts, collaborative posts, or the like. 

And the more significant the cost for the brand, the more the return has to be. A beauty brand gifting products for bridal party welcome bags is entirely different from a brand offering all-expenses-paid travel. 

Like Singleton, Walton emphasizes that being authentic is the best course of action. "Just because someone's getting married, it doesn't mean that their audience is the right fit for [your brand]," she said. If it's an authentic and organic story being told, "you're more likely to see results and fruits from that labor, versus maybe a completely irrelevant brand or product that is distinctively different than the types of products and services that that audience is looking for."

Is nothing sacred? Not in this economy. 

A common refrain in TikTok videos criticizing influencers for cashing in on wedding sponsorships is: "Is nothing sacred?" One's wedding, in their view, is supposed to be a special day not infringed by Brands™.

But is anything sacred in 2026, when AI companies want to reanimate the dead, we're seeing the worst actions of humanity on our screens every second, and economic inequality is getting worse?

"In this economy, get your bag," Singleton said. "Do what you want to do." She added that in the digital era we're in, it's almost inevitable that we'll see influencers taking on sponsors for weddings.

Given the current climate, it's no wonder. The cost of living has increased in recent years. Weddings aren't any different — and they were already expensive compared to other events, so much so that the term "wedding industrial complex" is commonplace. 

And no matter what — through pandemics and recessions — people are going to get married one way or another, Singleton said. 

"Weddings since COVID have gotten exponentially more expensive than they were before," said Walton. What The Bridal Bar is seeing is that the middle class of weddings is disappearing. They're going to small, micro weddings or elopements, or the destination, multi-day affairs of the one percent.

"Weddings are expensive, so being able to work with brands that I would already be posting for was truly so helpful when it came down to staying within our budget," Jenna Liston, a content creator, told Mashable over email. 

Liston received pajamas for her bridal party, a cowboy hat for her wedding day, products like smiley-face socks for her bachelorette attendees, and dresses for her engagement photos.

Not only do weddings come with an exorbitant price tag, but social media has changed the game when it comes to weddings; people's expectations are higher now. When Walton first got into the business, people got married locally, had an intimate rehearsal dinner beforehand, and that was it.

"Now the bar is set so much higher. That's because of social media and Pinterest and Instagram and TikTok," she said. "The visual aspect of Keeping Up with the Joneses is because of Instagram."

Plus, the internet brought increased availability of information. We plan life events differently than we used to, thanks to the internet, but we also have different experiences. Now, it feels like everyone you know is going to Japan, but even a decade or two ago, that kind of travel required a travel agent and guides.

"This generation is more well-traveled and more life-experienced than a lot of previous generations. So they come to their wedding planning process with a different worldview and perspective," Walton explained. "If they've seen and done all of these incredible things, well, their wedding can't just be a cookie-cutter backyard wedding."

Someone's wedding might be the biggest day of their lives — but they've had some pretty big days, already. So this has to top it.

If you take a step back, an influencer working with a brand is a business transaction, and even on a personal day, influencers have built their careers on sharing their personal days as business transactions, Walton said. Now it's just on a grander scale. That being said, we need to remind couples that this is their wedding, after all. You don't want to look at the photos 10, 20 years from now and hate them because a brand's name is plastered all over them. 

Liston said sponsored wedding content is the smart way to go. "The only thing I'd say is be true to yourself," she said. "I wasn't accepting every offer from every company, but if it aligned with my page and what I was looking for, I was excited to partner with them."

If you have a following or platform and can work with companies on your big day, she said, why not?

There are all kinds of reasons to delete a dating profile. Perhaps you've found that special somebody and you want to prove you're committing by officially withdrawing from the world of online dating. Maybe you've decided you're happy as a singleton or you just need a break from the minefield of swipes, matches, and "heys." Well, whatever your motivation, AdultFriendFinder makes it super easy to delete your account and scrub your profile data permanently.

First, understand that deleting your account is different to cancelling your Gold membership. If you want to continue using AdultFriendFinder for free, or just want to stop your monthly payments, you can just cancel the subscription without deleting your entire account. Actual account deletion is a more permanent action. It's worth noting that you’ll lose all of your profile info, all of your chat history, and all of your settings. So, maybe consider whether you 100 percent want to wipe all that information before you proceed.

If you do want to go ahead, you can choose whether to delete your account via a web browser or on your phone. The steps are different but the result is the same. But one big heads up for phone users: merely deleting your AFF app is not enough to delete your account. Here's all the information you need.

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How to cancel your AdultFriendFinder Gold subscription

If you have a Gold subscription, make sure you cancel that membership before you undergo the steps necessary to delete your account:

How to delete your AdultFriendFinder account on the web

If you primarily use AdultFriendFinder on a web browser, these are the steps you’ll need to follow:

How to delete your AdultFriendFinder account on your phone

AFF doesn’t have an official app in either the Apple App or Google Play store, owing to their NSFW content, but lots of AFF users still use phone-based workarounds for AdultFriendFinder, often via a web-based shortcut on their home screens. 

Simply deleting your AFF app icon will not delete your account and the data and history pertaining to it. To delete your account via your phone, follow these steps:

Account deletion is final and irrevocable. So be sure that you’re prepared to lose all of your contacts, chat history, and profile information permanently before you click to confirm deletion. And if, for any reason, the above steps haven’t worked for you, you can always visit the AFF Help Center, where you'll find FAQs and visual guides for on-site activities, including account deletion.

You probably know this all ready, but pretty much every major dating and hookup site has been the victim of a major data breach at one time or another. In fact, some of them have even undergone multiple data breaches. We're talking full names, addresses, billing information, and in some cases extremely personal information about sexual preferences. It's not ideal but it happens.

To be fair to these sites, they become targets because they're super successful in the online dating world. Think about it: If you're a hacker, you're going to target the biggest websites with the most users, because you'll get the biggest reward for your scam. Consequently, the big name dating sites now spend millions of dollars on cybersecurity, hoping to hold back future attacks.

But there are also hookup sites that fly under the radar — sites not yet big enough to get on the scammers' radar. If you're looking to experience the internet's hookup culture without exposure to the most popular sites, here are three solid adult dating sites that haven't experienced a data breach:

Friends with Benefits

Think of Friends with Benefits like a website version of Tinder or a slightly toned down version of AdultFriendFinder. Setting up an account is easy and requires very minimal personal information, so it's a great starting spot for people wary of sharing their data, but be warned: It's also vulnerable to bots and fake profiles. You'll spend as much time weeding out AI-generated profiles as you will messaging potential partners. 

If you live in or near a large metropolitan area, Friends with Benefits can work for you, because that's where their users are most concentrated, and as of this writing, they have yet to have a data breach. 

Guilty Affairs

We don't condone cheating on your partner or spouse, but it's a simple fact that a huge draw of online hookup sites is how much easier they make stepping outside of your relationship. Unfortunately, that also makes them a desirable target for hackers, who get not only your personal information but some excellent blackmail material ("You wouldn't want your wife to know…") — just think of the damage done to Ashley Madison users after more than 60 gigabytes of data were leaked.

If you're looking to explore some extra-marital fun but want to keep a low profile, Guilty Affairs is a good place to start. The interface is incredibly simple and easy to use, and doesn't require a ton of sensitive personal information before you can create an account and explore your options — there's nothing like their Roulette wheel of local singles to build excitement, for example.

Best of all, they're very transparent about their dedication to cybersecurity, with 256-bit encryption as standard and PCI DSS certification across all of their payment methods, so if you do decide to purchase tokens (called "Coins" on the site) to boost your profile or browse incognito, you can be assured of high levels of payment protection. 

Senior Sizzle

Okay, granted, if you're still on the younger side, a hookup site with a tagline of "intimate encounters over 50" might not sound that enticing, but there are a whole lot of single seniors out there looking to get frisky, and the site is well designed to help them find their "sizzle." 

From a security standpoint, the site touts an in-house security team as well as "industry standard" efforts like firewalls and data encryption to help keep your personal information safe. And at time of writing, they've been successful, with zero data breaches, which is no small feat given the site was first launched more than 20 years ago. 

How to protect yourself from data breaches

While it's a good idea to audit your website choices before you sign up, ensuring they have a history of good cybersecurity practices, it's also important to realize that you have a major role to play in protecting your own data. Here are a few best practices to follow to ensure your online safety:

1. Limit your exposure. The less data you share with each dating website, and the less specific that data is, the better.

2. Sign up using a personal or alternative email. Never use your work email, and consider creating a backup email specifically for online dating signups. 

3. Don't divulge personal information to unverified people. The person you're talking to might be a cute, fun single, but they could also be a chat bot or scammer eager to learn everything they can about you for nefarious ends. Save the detailed conversations for in-person meet-ups.

Actor and filmmaker Joy Ofodu, host of the Dating Unsettled podcast and comedy creator, was seriously and strategically looking for a boyfriend who'd become her husband someday. A lot of her friends mentioned Bumble, so it was the first dating app she joined when she became single in 2021.

She was on a slew of other apps, too: Hinge, BLK, Raya, Tinder, The League — at different points over a year and a half. "It was so exciting and fascinating, almost the entire time," she told Mashable. "It really opened me up to a lot of wonderful Black men from different walks of life who made me feel seen and valued."

There were horror stories of disgusting interactions and bad treatment, too. But the process was so meaningful to her that she started Dating Unsettled to document and remember it. 

"Right before I met Ivan, I had almost given up on finding that more serious connection that aligned with all of my prayers and criteria for partnership," she said. 

But then she and Ivan, an estimation engineer and head soccer coach, met, and while they spoke as friends for the first few months, they're now preparing to get married.

They're just one of many couples who fell in love after swiping right Mashable interviewed four such couples about their experiences, and each of them has advice for today's singles — like not setting expectations and remaining open.

Believing in love (on the apps)

Joy does believe that, from what she can see from afar, dating apps have changed since she and Ivan got into a relationship. 

"I'm in conversation with single women who have been on the apps for years and are still looking for their partner," she said in an email to Mashable. "I think this widespread fatigue is contributing to the ghosting phenomenon that everyone's experiencing, so now the apps are trying to prompt people to do or say or voice note ANYTHING that will continue the conversation."

Joy’s advice for today’s dating app users? Don't let the horror stories determine your private dating experience, she said. "Your outcome is not dictated by others' experiences or surveys or statistics, or even by your worst experience."

Don't waste time educating or convincing skeptics or naysayers, Joy continued. Instead, "focus on spending time with daters and community members who actually believe that healthy love and partnership from the apps is possible."

Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Adobe Stock

"Surround yourself with romantics and artists and believers. Someone in this gigantic world is looking for the exact person that you are and will be. If you give up, they will not be able to find you."

Elizabeth, a 31-year-old social media manager has also seen how dating apps have changed since she met her husband, Joe, on Hinge in 2020. She compared what's going on on dating apps — like screenshotting weird messages — to how everyone's attention span has eroded in recent years.

"TikTok is so popular, and…you're watching every video on 2x speed," she said, "I feel like that kind of goes hand in hand with dating apps, too."

She advised daters to put their best foot forward and show as much of their personality as they can. 

When Joe re-signed up for Hinge, he didn't set expectations, which is his advice for others. 

"A lot of people, in general, are very idealistic about what they're looking for," he said. "I just feel like that's a surefire way to be disappointed."

Sexologist, sociologist, and relationship expert Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus suggests balancing hope, discernment, and emotional honestly. She also believes that if you do set expectations, do so based on your values and needs.

"When reading through profiles and looking at photos (and when you start DMing), consider what values the other person is conveying," she told Mashable over email. "But it's also valuable to directly share your values and needs and ask about theirs!"

Acknowledging harmful messages

Ashley, who met her husband Matt on OkCupid, remembers receiving "heinous messages" from other dating app users, another common complaint. Major dating apps have attempted to remedy this, such as Tinder's "Are You Sure?" feature, which detects potentially harmful messages before they're sent, and "Does This Bother You?", a prompt that lets users report inappropriate messages. 

"It's still so easy to feel in the moment like, 'OK, like, I really want to do this. I really want to meet people,' and go through profiles and swipe, and then close the app and kind of forget to open it again for several weeks," Ashley said. "It hasn't really changed in that aspect, and it feels like it's the same for other people."

When Portia, a Black sex educator and content creator, was on the apps, some people said horrible, racist things that made her really uncomfortable. She said she can't even imagine what that's like now, "because I feel like people are so used to hiding behind a screen, even more so than they were nine or 10 years ago."

Professor and Mozilla Foundation fellow Apryl Williams argued in her 2024 book, Not My Type, that dating apps are not neutral platforms and that they perpetuate sexual racism. 

In an interview with The Harvard Gazette at the time, Williams stated, "Dating apps allow sexual racism to flourish because they rely on the white heteronormative standards of attraction, desirability, and gender aesthetics to perform the sorting and matching algorithms that we are so comfortable with these days."

A 2025 article in the journal Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology came to a similar conclusion, finding that dating app algorithms "reinforce patterns of exclusion and discrimination by filtering and prioritizing certain profiles over others." 

Portia has also heard horror stories from women in her life who feel dehumanized and disposable. Some of her single friends are a little afraid to be clear and direct — to plainly state that they're dating just to date, or hookup, or looking for a long-term partner. And in some cases, those single women have given up because dating apps have made them feel that way. 

Because of her work, Portia sees how dating apps have devolved over time. "There is perhaps too much of a good thing, and too much access to too many people can lead to devaluing of connections," she said. "It can make it really hard to navigate."

Licensed psychologist and relationship expert, Dr. Nikki Coleman, told Mashable it's not surprising that racist encounters happen online. "If someone experiences racism on dating apps, first, they should know that it has everything to do with the senders’ bigotry and nothing to do with their worth," she said over email. 

Coleman advises taking action that gives a sense of safety and care. "That can include simply leaving the conversation, reporting the user’s profile as a violation of community standards, blocking the user, or even responding directly to let them know how the comment has impacted them." 

"Most importantly, those experiences should not discourage someone from finding the right person for them," Coleman continued. "My best advice: Keep swiping and let the next match be what you look forward to!"

Be willing to grow together

Matt, a 42-year-old mover who married Ashley in 2020, would strongly encourage daters to accept that the person you're looking for "might need some work."

"They might not be fully cooked and ready when you meet them," he said. "Maybe they just need a year or two of like, being in a relationship with you to get more to that level of what you're going to want to be with in the long term." 

It's good to be open to dating somebody that might not be the "final product" of what you're looking for, relationship experts say. Kinsey Institute executive director Justin Garcia said much of the same when he spoke with Mashable in Feb. about Gen Z and love. 

"[A] relationship is the container for making mistakes and finding yourself and having a trusted co-pilot to pick you up and to support each other," Garcia said at the time.

Ashley said she doesn't think people should necessarily put their all into trying to make it work with someone who's just not ready to be in a relationship, but in the transactional and quick nature of online dating, "maybe you are passing over people that you can have a connection with, just because it's so easy to do that."

Alternatively, you can explore spending time with someone who is a "big investment," Matt said.

Be clear about what you want

34-year-old sales representative Brian's advice is to be genuine, clear, and honest about who you are and what you're looking for. In a world of pickup artists and looksmaxxers, you may not find a real match if you're not being authentic.

Portia, Brian's partner, had a fun, fruitful, and exploratory dating life, and even though there were highs and lows, she believes she had a lot of highs "because, number one, I was always clear about what I wanted," whether it was a partner or not.

Gunsaullus mentioned something similar. "Instead of trying to attract and appeal to as many people as possible, switch to being clear enough, honest enough, and grounded enough to find someone who is actually a good fit for the real you," she said.

And if you are looking for a partner, you can't approach every scenario and interaction like it's life or death, Portia said. 

"I treated dating primarily as a mirror for myself and an opportunity for me to learn about me," she said, "to see how I respond to certain situations and certain types of people." 

For example, if she was on a date with someone she deemed "out of her league," or if she was on a date with someone who made her feel uncomfortable, she'd explore how that made her feel and how she reacted.

"Particularly if you're under 35 and you're not actively looking for a partner, dating is primarily an opportunity for you to learn about yourself and grow," she said. "And if you get to have great sex, if you get taken on awesome dates, if you have these beautiful connections, all of that is a bonus."

If you're on the single side of TikTok right now, you know how brutal the dating landscape is — so much so that people use war-like euphemisms for it. 

"Being in the trenches" is code for being uncoupled and swiping. Meanwhile, "catching the last chopper out of 'nam" means that, like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, you did find love on The Apps™. It's hard out here, if the date recap videos have anything to say about it.

And yet, like Mamdani and NYC's first lady Rama Duwaji, there are those who made it out of the apps both alive, coupled up, and with their faith in love still intact.

Nearly a third of couples who were married in 2025 met on an app, according to an informal study by wedding planning website The Knot. It’s a stark difference from 1995, when just two percent of couples married after meeting online, according to a Stanford University report. 

By 2035, more couples will meet online than in person, and by 2037, half the babies born will likely have parents who met online, according to reports. Those who’ve made the leap to marriage after meeting online say the key to finding their match is moving at your own pace, freeing yourself from stigmas, and bringing your authentic self to your profile.

Credit: Mashable

For those who found love in what so many believe is a (dare I say it) hopeless place, I'm curious: What's their secret? I myself was on dating apps for seven years, but ended up meeting my fiancée on then-Twitter of all places. I interviewed four couples who met on the apps to find out how they met amid ghosters, pen pals, and potential scammers we hear about on DatingTok, and eventually found their way down the aisle together. 

While their advice isn't limited to online dating, I did learn that every couple's story is unique, regardless of how they met.

Ashley and Matt

Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Adobe Stock

Movers Ashley and Matt, 37 and 42, met on OkCupid in 2011 and, "in true dating app fashion, we did not actually meet for another year," Ashley joked in an interview with Mashable. 

But before then, when they matched, Ashley thought Matt was attractive in his pictures and was drawn to his sense of humor. Matt, meanwhile, recalls being attracted to how she was dressed in one photo (but it was actually a costume for a friend's student film). He also liked that she was a native New Yorker and, at the time, writing every day. 

They messaged each other for a year, though, primarily on Google Chat. In 2012, Ashley spontaneously asked to meet up in Brooklyn, as she was going there for a show. 

"I was living in Manhattan at the time, and Matt was in Brooklyn," she explained. "So it was basically an ocean apart." 

While Ashley and Matt have been married since 2020, that first date didn't lead to fireworks. "I distinctly remember Matt 'raising the roof' at one point. I was, I don't know, 23, and something wasn't connecting." She figured that Matt was cute and fun, but they may not have been on the same page at that time.

While they didn't meet up in person again until much later, they kept messaging — on Google Chat, over email, sometimes even over the phone for hours. 

"It was never the right timing," said Matt (who didn’t quite remember the roof-raising). "Either we were in another relationship or it just wasn't right. But somehow the distance between us made our communication more intimate and honest, because we didn't have any mutual friends, we weren't in each other's lives."

Slow burn: From OKCupid to GChat 

Their chemistry built over time, usually over GChat and email, in sharp contrast to the "love at first sight" many dating app users seek. 

"We just had this chemistry and this unique relationship that developed in GChat," Matt said. While he was in his late 20s and early 30s, and in and out of different relationships, Ashley was always at the back of his mind.

As psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel noted in a blog about the myth of instant chemistry, "Attraction doesn't just happen — it grows in the space where curiosity and anticipation meet."

We tend to prefer people we’re more familiar with, according to decades-old behavioral science research. Singles looking for immediate sparks may be disappointed when they don’t find them, and may prematurely move on to try to find chemistry with someone else, instead of letting attraction grow over time. 

In 2018, Ashley and Matt started dating — for real, this time. Matt sent Ashley a Facebook message while she was in a relationship that she said was "past its expiration date." She decided she should catch up with Matt over the phone, and they ended up chatting for four hours. 

The two met for a drink shortly after that, moved in a year later, and married in 2020. Their original wedding was canceled due to COVID, but they wed in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, with a few friends officiating and witnessing. Their puppy, Suitcase, was there too, of course.

Ashley's thoughts for online daters? She said she doesn't think people should necessarily put their all into trying to make it work with someone who's just not ready to be in a relationship, but in the transactional and quick nature of online dating, "maybe you are passing over people that you can have a connection with, just because it's so easy to do that."

Some other advice, which she admits she needs to take herself, is, "if you really want to find a connection, whatever kind of connection that is, it takes a certain level of commitment and vulnerability." 

Elizabeth and Joe

Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Adobe Stock

Social media manager Elizabeth and digital product designer Joe, 31 and 34 respectively, lived blocks from each other in Brooklyn when they met in 2020 — but they never crossed paths in person, at least not that they remember. They met each other on Hinge. 

"I set my radius to one mile," Elizabeth said. "I was not trying to get on the train or go anywhere." 

Joe was actually the first person that Elizabeth met on Hinge after a friend recommended she try it. She had been on dating apps casually since moving to New York in 2018. She thought his profile was funny and he seemed like her type in terms of fashion and music taste. Joe, meanwhile, liked Elizabeth's photos and a prompt that said, "We'll get along if you never grew out of your emo phase."

On the first date, Elizabeth liked Joe's tattoos and that he kept up the conversation. Joe thought Elizabeth was good-looking and had a good vibe. 

"Then we met and just hung out every day after that," Elizabeth joked. 

During their interview with Mashable, Elizabeth and Joe reminisced on grabbing "to-go drinks" together, a New York City phenomenon unique to COVID times.

Never would have met without Hinge

She thinks her relationship developed faster than it would've because of the pandemic and because they lived so close to each other. In 2020, that was a familiar story for new couples, many of whom were attached quickly. 

Elizabeth said her roots in the Midwest – where she said people are more inclined to look for a long-term partner as they hit their mid-20s – also played a role in the pairing. Hinge had (and still does have) a reputation for fostering serious relationships, whereas Tinder is often associated with more casual connections.

Joe tried Tinder before, and a previous iteration of Hinge years before he met Elizabeth (back when Hinge tried to connect "friends of friends"), but he didn't love the experience. 

Elizabeth is from Indiana, while Joe is from Massachusetts, and they believe they wouldn't have met if not for dating apps. Six years later, they’re married and have relocated to Los Angeles together. 

When Joe joined Hinge (a second time after not loving his first stint), he didn't set expectations, which is his advice for others. 

"A lot of people, in general, are very idealistic about what they're looking for," he said. "I just feel like that's a surefire way to be, like, disappointed."

Portia and Brian

Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Adobe Stock

Sex educator and content creator Portia, 34, matched with sales representative Brian, 37, on Tinder within a week of her moving to New York City in 2017.

"I remember his bio was something like, 'coffee and music,' just those two words, probably," she said. "And I was like, 'Cool'…I like those things, too." 

They started talking, and he was one of the few people Portia met who didn't want to be a pen pal — aka a dating app match who is stuck in messaging mode, never wanting to meet IRL.

Not Brian, though. He said they should go to dinner. 

"I could tell from her bio that she was super sweet," he said.

He was living in a basement studio apartment at the time. It was summer, he was out and about, and he said they had a really good time at dinner. Portia was going back and forth to Michigan, where she's from, but when she got back to the city, they became inseparable. 

Now, nine years later, Portia and Brian are engaged.

Getting over the Tinder stigma

But back when she was on Tinder, Portia was having fun and not taking it too seriously. She was looking for connections and trying to get to know New York City through her dates. But there was a stigma attached to it.

"I remember telling my brother that Brian and I met on Tinder, and he was like, 'What?' And mind you, this is my older brother, and I think he had a different impression of what Tinder was and what it was for," she said, as her brother thought of it as a "hookup app."

It's true that Tinder has that reputation, so much so that its CEO, Spencer Rascoff, announced last year that he wants to move the app away from this notoriety. 

"I did feel some occasional need to clarify what I was doing and why, and what my intentions were, and so sometimes there was, like, a kind of stigma to it, more so than anything, that maybe colored the way that I felt about being on the apps." 

While some people use dating apps compulsively, constantly swiping, Portia didn't feel that way. She was having a good time.

For Brian, joining Tinder was like joining Instagram for the first time, back when people didn't try to "game" it or use it to gain followers or make a living; they were just posting photos of their lives. Whereas there are forums and content creators today who claim to be able to "game" Tinder, back then, it seemed like people just wanted to use it to meet people. He felt a certain kind of stigma, too, though: that everyone was "supposed" to meet their partner in-person.

"But I wasn't the type of person usually where, if I was at a bar, I was gonna go try to talk to strangers," he said. "It just wasn't my personality." Apps were a more comfortable way to connect, but in the back of his mind, he thought people might judge him, he added.

Clearly, however, it worked for both of them. Not only have they been together for nine years, but they're also getting married this month. Letting go of the stigma and judgments and enjoying the experience helped, Portia said. 

"Particularly if you're under 35 and you're not actively looking for a partner, dating is primarily an opportunity for you to learn about yourself and grow," she said. "And if you get to have great sex, if you get taken on awesome dates, if you have these beautiful connections, all of that is a bonus."

A ban on VPNs to access porn sites was supposed to go into effect in Utah weeks ago, but it's now on hold.

The statute, SB 73, expands on Utah's 2023 age-verification law (SB 287), which requires proof of age like a digital ID card, a third-party verification service, or a credit card, in order to view adult content or content the state deems "harmful to minors." Pornhub blocked itself from Utah when SB 287 went into effect.

SB 73 instructs that a porn site can't "facilitate or encourage the use of a virtual private network [VPN]." A VPN masks someone's real location. This law functionally requires porn sites to somehow block traffic from VPNs, which the digital civil liberties nonprofit, Electronic Frontier Foundation, called "a technical whack-a-mole that likely no company can win."

Now, the enactment of this law has been delayed due to a legal challenge by Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub. Aylo filed the complaint against the Utah Division of Consumer Protection and the state's Department of Commerce on April 22, stating, "There is no feasible way for a private company like Aylo to reliably verify whether any particular individual is using a virtual private network (VPN), proxy server, or other locationmasking technology — and therefore no way to determine whether a user who appears to be located outside Utah is, in fact, located inside Utah."

The complaint alleges that complying with SB 73 could expose Aylo to liability risks under other jurisdictions' laws, such as consumer privacy protections. Aylo says it would have to implement age verification for all users everywhere, regardless of where they are, because, as stated above, there's no way to determine where a user is actually located. Aylo claims that the law exceeds Utah's authority under the U.S. Constitution, as all states are supposed to have "equal sovereignty," and that it violates the Constitution's Commerce Clause, which limits a state's authority to regulate interstate commerce. Finally, Aylo claims Utah is violating the Foreign Commerce Clause, which gives the federal government sole authority to regulate commerce with other countries.

Enforcement of SB 73 is now delayed until Sept. 3, AVN reported, but only Aylo properties (which include Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube).

"It's illegal for Utah to get in the way of what people in other states do on the internet, and the only way that their law can be implemented would do exactly that," campaigns and communications director for digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, Lia Holland, said in a public statement. "Utah says they're doing it for the kids. But passing a law that gets you sued and wastes resources isn’t how you protect kids. It’s time for some grown-up logic here."

Holland calls on Utah officials to meet with tech justice organizations to pass legislation that's "grounded in reality and the constitution to protect us all from bad actors online by giving us the tools to defend our privacy, our freedom of speech, and all the rights that big tech companies that love age verification and VPN bans have been stripping away."

While lawmakers say age-verification laws are meant to protect children, preliminary studies suggest they don't achieve that aim and might instead infringe on adults' First Amendment rights.

Free speech advocates call for device-level filters instead. Aylo recently made Pornhub available in the UK again due to the implementation of such filters on Apple devices, after blocking it due to the UK's age-verification law, the Online Safety Act.

If you've grabbed drinks with any single friend lately or scrolled through TikTok, you know the general consensus: dating apps are exhausting. App fatigue is very real, and it makes finding a genuine connection online feel like a second full-time job. As someone who's been testing and reviewing dating apps for years, I get asked one question over and over: Which dating apps actually work?

My answer is always the same: The only real "hack" is choosing the right app for what you actually want. Someone on eharmony is looking for a ring, while users on hookup apps like Tinder are... well, you know what they're looking for. You can't bring casual energy to a serious platform and expect good results, and vice versa.

"Dating apps can feel overwhelming because there are so many of them, but the truth is the platform matters a lot less than the mindset you bring to it," Davide De Pierro, author of The Letters I Never Sent, tells Mashable. "You can download all of them if you want, but eventually you still have to show up as yourself, which is the scary part, but also the freeing part. Because once you do that, you don’t have to keep track of which version of yourself you’re pretending to be. If you’re honest about who you are and what you want, the right connection can happen anywhere."

So, before you delete your profiles and swear off romance forever, take a breath. Despite the burnout, dating apps are still one of the most reliable ways to meet a partner. A 2025 SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus found that 65 percent of people aged 18 to 29 have used a dating app, and a 2023 Pew Research Center report found that one in five young people met their significant other on one.

You just need the right tool. That's why I've put in the hours, the swipes, and the subscription fees to find the best dating app for every kind of single person. To help you find your match, these are all of the top dating apps worth downloading in 2026.

If you need even more personalized advice, check out our guides to the best dating apps for men, women, and the LGBTQ community.

The dating apps I'd skip (and why)

You'll probably notice a few popular apps are missing from my list. That’s intentional. Part of my job is to filter out the platforms that aren't worth your time, money, or sanity. An app doesn't get my recommendation just because it's well-known — it has to be effective and safe.

Here are a few popular dating apps I'd skip:

• Plenty of Fish (POF): I know this one shows up on a lot of lists, but in my opinion, it's a dating app ghost town. POF launched as a dating site back in 2003, and it shows. In my experience (and based on widespread user feedback), the platform is filled with bots and scams, and the odds of finding a quality connection are stacked against you. Unless you enjoy sifting through fake profiles, I think your time is better spent elsewhere.

• Raya: Raya is basically the Soho House of dating apps. It's exclusive, expensive, and not for the average person. You have to fill out an application to use it, and the vetting process can take anywhere from a few days to a few years. While it might be great for networking or bagging an influencer, it's just not a practical recommendation for most people who are simply looking for a date. (See also: The League.)

• Niche "hookup" sites (like BeNaughty, Fling, etc.): There's a chance you've seen ads for sites like these, which promise quick, no-strings-attached fun. Based on my research and countless user reviews, I'd advise you to steer clear. These platforms are notorious for being overrun with bots and having questionable billing practices, with users reporting unexpected and hard-to-cancel subscription charges.

It's been exactly three years since Confide, one of the most popular apps for naughty chats, officially shut down. We're still grieving the loss of this cross-platform gem. Confide’s disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption were beloved by celebrities, politicians, and ordinary people looking for a way to let loose without the headache of security concerns or a digital paper trail.  

If you're looking to fill a Confide-sized hole in your life, there are other great sexting platforms worth exploring, chief among them AdultFriendFinder. It doesn't have all of the same cybersecurity features of Confide — in fact, it doesn't even have an official phone app — but that hasn't stopped this site from accumulating millions of active users worldwide, making it a favorite stop for people looking to flirt with their fingers.   

Here's how AdultFriendFinder stacks up against Confide, in both positive and negative ways, and why you should consider giving it a try the next time you want to explore the internet's wild side:

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

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Finding a partner

The major difference between Confide and AFF, from a sexting perspective, comes down to how you find a partner. With Confide, you have to do the heavy lifting first. The platform isn't meant to help you meet strangers, only connect with people you already know in some capacity. With AFF, on the other hand, there's an in-built community of millions of people across the globe, all of them on the site to enjoy some adult fun.

If you're looking to meet someone for the first time, or just connect for a quick naughty chat, AdultFriendFinder offers both a search function, allowing you to browse through local singles or even search by specific kinks, and a wide array of groups and discussion forums based around naughty topics as varied as bondage, foot fetishes and erotic story writing. 

Security

For privacy-minded people, Confide was a fantastic app, boasting end-to-end encryption across all communication formats (including photo and video), ScreenShield technology to guard against screenshots, and self-destructing messaging. All of these security features made it a highly attractive app for sexting, since the combination of cybersecurity, anonymity, and the promise of no digital record keeping allowed people a measure of security rarely found on other sites and apps.

Unfortunately, this is one area where AFF falls short. They've already had one major data breach in 2016, in which more than 400 million accounts were compromised, and though they've made real efforts to improve their security protocols since then, they still don't claim to have end-to-end messaging encryption. They do, however, offer ConfirmID to verify accounts, a process that requires both a government-issued ID card and a facial scan, so if you want to err on the side of caution, you can restrict your communications to verified accounts. 

Group messaging

Another huge benefit to Confide was the ability to find or create group chats, which helped people who shared a common kink or fantasy to establish their own digital spaces. AdultFriendFinder doesn't have a private messaging group chat, but it does offer kink-based, public-facing discussion groups and messaging boards, which offer a great place to meet like-minded people.

There's also nothing stopping you from using those groups to meet individuals. In fact, AFF actively encourages those interactions. So if you do find someone in a discussion forum that you happen to hit it off with, you can use that interaction to break the ice in a one-on-one private chat. 

Live broadcasts

One place Confide decidedly fell short was in broadcasting. You could use the app to send photos, videos and even voice notes, but you couldn't actually initiate a video call. While AFF doesn't yet offer one-on-one video conferencing, it does host webcam shows on its servers, so you can either start your own show and hope to attract someone that way or join the chat room of another person's show to shoot your shot. 

If you happen to join a popular live show and want to find a way to stand out from the crowd, AFF allows you to earn or purchase "points," which you can then use to tip the broadcaster, making your message pop in the cam chat. You can also initiate a private message with any person in the broadcast by navigating to the Viewers tab, scrolling down to the member you want to talk to and then clicking on the Private Chat icon to the right of their name.

Staying anonymous

If privacy is your primary concern, you shouldn't overlook AFF just because it lacks disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption. Spend a quick minute perusing profiles on the site and you'll see that many AdultFriendFinder users choose to remain largely anonymous, with no face photos or identifying information on their profiles at all. 

The site is remarkably generous in how it allows users to engage with it, and unlike with traditional dating sites, there's no obligation to show your face or even use your real name in a public-facing capacity. Moreover, there's a real culture of "anything goes" on the site, so if you want to use it as a traditional dating site, you can meet people who want that, but if you just want to use it for a sneaky link or a one-and-done dirty chat, that's also perfectly acceptable. 

The bottom line? What AFF lacks in security features, it more than makes up for with a massive userbase, a laissez-faire, sex-positive culture, and the option to keep your anonymity as you browse the site and search for a like-minded chat partner. 

Picture the scenario: It's Friday night and you're at a loose end. It's the best night of the week and you've got nothing to do. Due to boredom and loneliness, you decide you're going to use the internet to find a hookup — if not for this weekend then certainly next weekend.

But now it's a case of choices. Which dating site or app offers your best chance of success? In the wild world of online dating, there are two names that stand out above all others — especially when it comes to keeping things fun and casual. Those names are of course Tinder and AdultFriendFinder. Both are veterans of the online dating game, but operate on different ends of hookup spectrum. They also take very different approaches to connecting strangers. 

Is one inherently better than the other? Not necessarily. It's more a case of which one works better for you. That all depends on what you're looking for — not just the kind of person you want but the kind of hookup you want — and how you tend to go about your search. To help you choose your best hookup option, we've looked at some of the key differences between AdultFriendFinder and Tinder.

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder

 

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Credit: Tinder

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AdultFriendFinder vs. Tinder for hookups

Historically, both of these options are notoriously hookup-focused — so you've certainly come to the right place with these platforms — but they operate in entirely different ways. That means they also attract very different people, so it's important to understand the differences if you're going to get the most out of them.

But don't forget that while both are hookup platforms, they offer slightly different things — Tinder is a hookup but also a place where you can find a relationship, while AFF is more sex focused and can be pretty NSFW.

Do you prefer an app or website?

Tinder began as an app and will likely remain an app, but AdultFriendFinder is one of the few dating websites that never opted for native smartphone support. It's kind of an old school internet approach. So, if you prefer to do your swiping on the couch or on the toilet, Tinder is your best bet. But if you don't mind using a desktop to score your next hookup, you'll appreciate the richer selection of features through AdultFriendFinder, which include chat rooms, discussion boards, and live webcam broadcasts. 

From a hookup perspective, Tinder's algorithm-driven approach can be somewhat limiting, since the only way to speak to someone is to match first, whereas AdultFriendFinder is more generous in its approach, allowing you both the traditional match-first-and-then-talk approach while also offering you more public spaces to interact with people based on shared interests.

If you're looking for the fastest possible connection, AFF is probably the way to go, but if you can be patient, Tinder's ability to serve up an endless array of nearby singles shouldn't be underestimated. There's a reason that just the name Tinder has become shorthand for the whole internet dating phenomenon.

The cost of using both services

Both services have a free tier option, but it's worth remembering that Tinder is the better option for anyone who doesn't want to submit credit card information. A free Tinder account allows you to browse, swipe, match, and talk to people. There's no subscription fee necessary. A free account on AdultFriendFinder only allows you to create a profile, explore the public areas, and interact with people in group settings. If you want some one-on-one interaction via AFF, you'll need to upgrade to a Gold membership.

That being said, if you really want to make the most of both services and maximize your chances of scoring a hookup, the premium membership tiers do offer some valuable features. Tinder has three subscription Tiers — Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, and Tinder Platinum — that offer unlimited likes, the ability to "boost" your profile in the search results, and even, at the highest tier, the ability to message people you haven't already matched with or see people who like your profile. Tinder uses a dynamic pricing model, depending on your age, gender and location, but you should expect to pay between $4.99 and $9.99 in the United States for a Plus membership, and above that for the higher tiers.

AdultFriendFinder's Gold membership costs between $19.95 and $39.95 per month, depending on the length of the subscription you opt for, and it really helps the site shine. A premium membership unlocks one-on-one messaging, upgrades your search options, and gives you insights into who is checking out your profile, which makes finding a hookup much more efficient. 

The user demographics

Another major difference between Tinder and AdultFriendFinder, and one that can make or break your hookup search, is the demographic data. Both Tinder and AFF skew male, with AdultFriendFinder clocking in at approximately 65 percent male, 35 percent female and Tinder posting even more lopsided numbers, with roughly 75 percent of its users identifying as male. That's pretty common with any mainstream dating app or site. But that's not even the most important demographic statistic in the case of AdultFriendFinder and Tinder.

The big difference between AdultFriendFinder users and Tinder users isn't gender but age. Tinder is most popular among the young, with its average user between 18 and 24 years of age, while the average AdultFriendFinder user is between 30 and 38 years of age.

So which option offers your best chance for success? If you're younger, or if you live among a younger demographic, like in a city or college town, you're probably better off dipping your toe into Tinder's waters. But if you're in your 30s or 40s and looking for something fun and casual, AdultFriendFinder will have the best options for you.

The increasing cost of living isn't just hitting groceries; it's hitting explicit content, too.

The porn site Clips4Sale reviewed millions of clips this month to determine how much the price of a clip has changed over time, depending on the fetish. With the "Kink Consumer Index" or KCI, Clips4Sale developed average prices for newly uploaded clips, year-by-year, in major fetish categories.

"Kink and fetish are impacted by the same economic forces that drive global markets: the cost of goods, supply and demand and shifting consumer trends," Clips4Sale's spokesperson, Avery Martin, said in a press release shared with Mashable.

Here's some good news: The overall price of fetish content has risen more slowly than the rate of inflation, according to Clips4Sale. The U.S. consumer price index (CPI), which measures the change in average costs of common foods, rose 25 percent between 2020 and the end of 2025, CNBC reported at the time, and given inflation due to the Iran War, that number is surely even higher now. The cost of the average fetish clip, meanwhile, has risen 12.3 percent since 2020.

Credit: Clips4Sale

But the increase in average clip cost for certain fetishes has exploded (higher than the CPI) in the last six years:

• Boot Worship: +56 percent

• Wrestling: +45 percent

• BBW / SSBBW ("big beautiful woman" / "super-sized big beautiful woman"): +42 percent

• Balloons +39 percent

• High Heels: +34 percent

• Dirty Feet: +36 percent

• Foot Tickling: +33 percent

Several of these fall into the category of feet, which seems to be in high demand these days.

Credit: Clips4Sale

"Civilians and celebrities often think they can make big money selling feet pics, without understanding the fetish consumer. There's a stunning diversity of content in the foot economy," Martin continued. "Fetish creators should be recognized as the experts that they are, and valued accordingly."

Kink and fetish are specialized skill sets that carry value, Martin said. While more people are working as adult creators today than in 2020 — which has kept content prices low — the market is diverse, and not all content is equal, she said. "We developed the KCI to help us track prices for our creators so they can help meet market demand."

"I fell in love with him and he also claimed to feel the same way for me," said a victim of a romance scam, who requested anonymity. They met a man called "Bob" on Facebook, who claimed to be in South Africa working for the military.

After talking for some time, Bob said he wanted to visit the victim, who lives in the United States. Sure enough, he started asking for money: "He told me he had some trouble with his bank card not working in South Africa and couldn’t get funds to pay for his flight," anonymous said. "He asked if I could send the money to pay for his [flight] and other things."

The victim, like so many others, sent money to the grifter. Romance scams are a multimillion-dollar problem, and it appears to be only getting worse. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), people reportedly lost $547 million from romance scams in 2021, an 80 percent jump from the year prior. Then, in 2025, two senators urged the CEO of Match Group to act on romance scams, suggesting that the problem is only getting worse.

But what exactly are romance scams, and how can you avoid them?

What are romance scams?

Romance scams are also called confidence scams because they require the scammer to gain the victim's trust. They're a form of social manipulation where scammers often create fake profiles on dating or social media platforms to start talking to victims and get them emotionally attached, said trial lawyer and partner at The Clark Law Office, David Clark.

Scammers often target people who are vulnerable — say if they're elderly or recently divorced or widowed. However, "it's important to remember that these scams can happen to anyone, regardless of their level of financial knowledge," said Tommy Gallagher, a former investment banker and the founder of Top Mobile Banks, a site dedicated to digital banking.

Once they gain victims' trust, scammers will start asking for money. They'll come up with excuses like they have a medical emergency, or even that they want to visit the victim, just like Bob did. When the victim starts sending money, the scammer will demand more and more until they're financially drained, said Clark.

Unfortunately, that's what happened to the victim Mashable spoke to: "Every day, he [brought] up one issue or the other, demanding for more money that I ran out of money and went into debt," they said. "When he realized I had no money left, he stopped replying to my messages and stopped taking my calls." That's when it dawned on them that Bob was a scammer.

"When it comes to matters of the heart, even the most rational of individuals can throw caution to the wind," said Gallagher.

People may fall for romance scams because grifters meet their emotional needs, commented licensed therapist and vice president of marketing at Divorce Answers, Lauren Cook-McKay. Scammers master what victims want to hear: promises of love, compliments, messages of empathy and compassion. 

"In fact, it typically takes a significant loss of money before victims notice things to be wrong and resist," Cook-McKay said. "This is because when our emotional needs are being met, we're willing to look past the negative in an attempt to preserve that source of emotional support."

There are multiple types of romance scams, according to Clark:

• Military scam, when the scammer pretends to be a member of the military — like Bob.

• Oil rig scam, when they pretend to work as an oil rigger. 

• Exchanging intimate media, when the scammer gets the victim to send nude photo or video to use them for blackmail.

"But no matter what type of romance scam it is," Clark said, "the scammer will always make excuses to avoid their victim, such as they're too far away and can't meet with the victim or avoid video calls."

How can I avoid romance scams?

Be cautious when meeting online, and be skeptical of anyone who asks for personal information or money too soon, said Gallagher. Never give money to someone you haven't met in person, and never share details like bank account numbers or your Social Security number. 

Some dating apps, like Tinder, have verification features where users can prove they are who they say they are. Tinder and other Match Group dating apps have even started rolling out features to help people sniff out scammers. In the UK, Match and OurTime partnered up for a similar campaign with the City of London Police and reporting center Action Fraud.

If you're using a service without verification or your match is unverified, you can do a reverse image search. Clark recommends doing this on Google or a site called Social Catfish. 

You can also stop talking to someone who refuses to meet in-person or on video; it's a major red flag. 

Ask questions pertaining to their identity, or ask for proof. If they say they're in the military, for example, ask to see their military ID card. "They can also ask the person what their MOS [military occupation specialty code] is. The MOS identifies the person's job title," Clark said. "They can also ask questions about the military culture, such as basic training or their favorite MRE [Meal, Ready-to-Eat] treat."

There's new evidence suggesting scammers are increasingly posing as loved ones, so be diligent about that as well. Contact the friend, romantic partner, or whoever else to see if they're being impersonated.

If you've already given a scammer money, contact your bank and credit card companies and let them know what happened, Gallagher said. You can report them to the dating site you met them on, and report them to the FTC as well.

Beyond researching your matches and calling out scammers, Cook-McKay said to "stop falling in love with being in love." Learn how to meet your own emotional needs and validate yourself, so you don't turn to others; seek out the help of a mental health professional if needed.

Most importantly, Gallagher said, don't be ashamed to reach out to friends and family for support. You're not alone. "By being aware of the dangers and taking the necessary precautions," he said, "we can all protect ourselves and our loved ones from the heartless actions of these scammers."

This article was first published in 2023 and republished in 2026.

It seems that scams are everywhere these days — in our texts, emails, and phone calls to start. And con artists continue to become more sophisticated in the age of AI, so much so that a recent survey suggested that they're increasingly imitating your loved ones.

Some also prey on people's vulnerability and loneliness, pretending to be potential love interests: Romance scammers. New research from online protection company McAfee found that two in five young adults (ages 18-24) encounter potential romance scams weekly, much more often than adults 65+ (one in 20).

Fifteen percent of Americans said they've lost money to an online dating or romance scam, McAfee reported. Men are more likely to report losses (21 percent) than women (10 percent). And while most losses are under $500 (especially among younger adults who are scammed), some can be in the thousands; only men have reported losses over $5,000.

And it's not just scammers joining the most popular dating apps who are out to scam. Tinder recently required all new U.S. users to scan their faces when signing up, with one reason being to prevent scams. (Hinge will soon be testing this, too.) But bad actors are also creating fake clones of these dating apps.

A third of adults surveyed by McAfee received a fake "exclusive" or "invite-only" dating app invitation, and 14 percent signed up and shared personal or payment information. And Tinder clones accounted for around half of all malicious app activity, McAfee found. Between Dec. 1, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026, 78 percent of all detected fake dating app installations were fradulent versions of Plenty of Fish.

Visa Scam Disruption found similar results, according to Visa's chief risk and client services officer, Paul Fabara, in a blog post about romance scams leading up to Valentine's Day. The team found a romance scheme that was "an entire network of dating sites engineered to mimic affection and funnel unsuspecting people into recurring billing traps."

Romance scam red flags

Watch out for those "exclusive" dating app invitations. There are apps out there that let you apply for membership rather than just create a profile — like Raya — but those are few and far between. If you want to download a dating app, your best bet is going to your phone's app store.

Here are some other red flags to pay attention to:

Lovebombing

If someone says they're in love with you after a few messages, that's a red flag — even if they're not after your money. If a potential lover is rushing intimacy, it might be tempting to go along with it, especially if you're lonely, but it's not the norm. The old adage remains: If it seems "too good to be true," it probably is. Same goes with glowing dating app profiles of perfect (filtered?) photos and cutesy bios.

"Romance scams don't begin with money. They begin with trust," said McAfee's head of threat research, Abhishek Karnik. "Scammers blend into everyday dating and social platforms, take time to build emotional familiarity, and make the relationship feel real before the scam ever starts."

Urgent requests for money

Is someone you matched with on a dating app — or someone appearing to be your long-lost friend — saying they need money this instant? It's a sign they just want that from you: Money. And they might even threaten that the conversation will end, Fabara wrote, in an attempt to keep you hooked.

Asking for sensitive information

Are you asking to go out, and they're asking for your bank details first? Be cautious. Just like asking for money, begging for this sensitive data isn't what someone would want to do if they're just trying to get to know you. These people might just want to get to know your bank accounts.

Trying to get you off the app — but not IRL

If a match is sending you weird QR codes, links, or asking for a verification code? That's a bright, bursting red flag. Again, don't send money, and it's best practice not to click any strange links, either.

Especially worse is if someone you're talking to refuses to video chat or meet in person. "Consistent excuses to dodge face‑to‑face interactions signal they may be hiding their real identity," Fabara wrote.

As scams become trickier to navigate, we have to learn the clues. Stay safe.

Hinge users may have noticed something subtle next to a potential date's profile: a tiny purple heart next to their name.

Hinge's new Signals feature. Credit: Hinge

Your eyes don't deceive you. This is a new feature called Signals, and it's currently in testing, according to a page on Hinge's Help Center. The badge indicates that the user demonstrates thoughtfulness and follow-through.

Users can't buy a Signals badge. It's based on baseline requirements:

• A complete profile (with photos and prompt responses)

• The user's profile must be in good standing, meaning they follow Hinge's Community Guidelines

• The profile must be over a week old

• Completed selfie verification

If any of these aren't checked off, your profile won't have a Signals heart. Additionally, users must exhibit three of five behaviors Hinge calls "Thoughtful Participation," all of which involve actively engaging with other profiles.

These behaviors include sending comments when Liking, actually sending messages to matches, and confirming a date. Hinge also considers "looking before liking" a thoughtfulness factor: reading prompts, and scrolling past the first photo before sending a Like, suggesting that Hinge can detect all these behaviors. Reviewing one's Likes and matching or skipping (instead of leaving folks in limbo) is another point of thoughtfulness.

Credit: Hinge

Credit: Hinge

"With Signals, we are testing a new feature that would make it easier for your small but meaningful actions to stand out to people viewing your profile," Hinge's chief product and technology officer, Ben Celebicic, said in an emailed statement to Mashable. "It's based on the behaviors daters have told us matter to them, like taking time to notice the small details on a profile or keeping the conversation going."

Signals is dynamic and based on activities over the last 30 days on the app. It refreshes daily, but doesn't reflect real-time activity. The Help Center page states that the heart reflects in-app patterns only; it's not a background check or ID verification (other than requiring selfie verification), and it also doesn't guarantee how someone will act with you.

Recent Hinge features typically nudge users towards better behavior, like Date Ideas for actually figuring out what to do on a first date, and Conversation Starters so singles aren't hit with the dreaded "hey" message.

Summer is coming, which means booking flights and getting passports ready for travel. The ubiquitous gay hookup app, Grindr, just launched Season 3 of its show Host or Travel and revealed the top gay travel destinations of the year. Any guesses?

Host or Travel explored "gayborhoods" in cities like Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro in the past. This season, Grindr explores the likes of Sydney, Australia, Austin, Texas, and more, including the number one destination for gay travelers in 2026: Paris, according to new global Grindr data.

Grindr analyzed global in-app behavior to find where its users are going, chatting with, and connecting the most, and the French capital shot up to the top, according to a press release shared with Mashable. Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Bangkok, São Paulo, and Berlin are the other most-frequently visited cities among Grindr users.

"Grindr is the digital home for the community, and Host or Travel was created from the understanding that for gay travelers, finding your people in a new city isn't just a nice-to-have, it's crucial," Grindr's CMO, Tristan Pineiro, stated in the press release.

Pineiro said that the app built this series to celebrate how the gay community finds strength in numbers. Grindr users aren't just looking for dates, but they're using the app to curate adventures, find safe spaces, and experience the world through the eyes of locals.

And it's not just the aforementioned cities that are hot spots for gay visitors. Grindr found that use of its "Right Now" feature (aka who is free to meet...right now) is highest in Taiwan, the Philippines, Lima, Buenos Aires, and Medellín. Meanwhile, lots of late-night chats occur in Manila, Taipei, and Buenos Aires, while San Salvador, Colombo, and Kathmandu are most active in the early morning.

We'll be taking notes, especially as we plan our Pride Month travel.

Bumble has announced a massive overhaul lately, but online daters aren't beelining to it.

On Monday, Axios posted its full interview with the dating app's founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, where she discussed the already-announced news that Bumble is killing the swipe feature by the end of 2026. However, she also talked about Bumble's in-development AI dating assistant called Bee, also set for an end of year launch, which was announced back in the company's Q4 2025 earnings call.

Bumble's lean into an AI-powered product seems to be a long time coming, as Wolfe Herd commented back in May 2024 that she saw AI personas as the future of dating.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today.

However, people across social media got wind of Bumble's AI-forward plan, and they're not impressed. One TikTok user who met her partner on Bumble nearly two years ago said the app has "lost the plot" with its focus on AI. Another TikTokker said she gives up. Another still, a single woman, said she "cannot spend another moment in this f*cking hellscape."

Wolfe Herd posted a statement on her Instagram account on Tuesday to clarify a few things.

"A growing part of the tech world seems to believe human connection can be replicated, automated, or engineered," she wrote. "I believe the opposite, and at Bumble, we are building the opposite."

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Wolfe Herd said Bumble has "used AI for years to improve safety, reduce bad actors, and help people make better, more meaningful connections. But the next chapter of AI should not be about replacing human connection. It should be about strengthening it."

Clarifying that the future of Bumble is "not about automating love," the CEO stated that "the best AI should work quietly in the background so real people can show up fully in the foreground." She also promised "no AI openers, no AI-generated bios."

Bumble's approach is that AI should support people in showing up more authentically, not replace or speak for them, the company told Mashable. The team believes it's important that women have a seat at the table in how AI is applied, and ethical and responsible use is paramount to Wolfe Herd and Bumble.

Most commenters on Wolfe Herd's post weren't convinced by Bumble's AI-focused "future of connection." The top comment asked what the company is doing about combating deepfakes. Wolfe Herd responded, saying that Bumble has supported legislation to fight deepfakes and invests in safety across its product and policies. Bumble works with nonprofit Partnership on AI, a coalition committed to building a framework for the "responsible use of AI-generated media."

"From detection tools and identity protections to partnerships and legal reform, we believe protecting women online must evolve as quickly as the technology itself," she wrote.

Another commenter brought up Wolfe Herd's aforementioned comments about AI personas being the future of dating — at a Bloomberg Tech Summit in 2024, she said onstage, "There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierge...and then you don’t have to talk to 600 people." On Tuesday's Instagram post, Wolfe Herd called the years-old comment a "sound bite" where "people took a speculative thought experiment and turned it into a product announcement for some reason (click bait)."

"I was talking about the far outer edges of what AI could theoretically do someday, not saying Bumble planned to replace human dating with bots," she added. "In fact, the entire point was the opposite: using AI to reduce noise and help people get to real human connection faster."

Despite the outcry, Bumble is far from the only dating app to add AI features. Both Tinder and Hinge have, as well, with the former introducing an AI-powered matchmaker, Chemistry, and the latter adding AI features to help write better prompt responses and initial messages.

And at the same time, Bumble is also investing more into IRL events, suggesting that it knows there's an appetite for tech-free dating.

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May is the best time to focus on yourself. The weather's warming up, some of you are graduating or starting new chapters, and the vibes (pun intended) are just generally good. It's no wonder Good Vibrations established National Masturbation Month in May 1995. (This was shortly after Bill Clinton, of all people, fired U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders for suggesting masturbation should be taught in sex ed. High school probably would have been a lot easier if it were, but I digress.)

If you're looking for an excuse to buy a new sex toy ("just because" is also a very valid reason!), I've got about 15+ of them below. In honor of Masturbation May, I've tracked down all the best deals you can shop right now. From vibrators and dildos to clitoral suction devices and male sex toys, this is a comprehensive list of where to get your rocks off for less.

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Credit: biird

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OK, story time: About seven months ago, biird (one of my all-time favorite sex toy brands) removed the original Namii from its website. No warning, no email to explain why. The rumors were out there, of course, citing "legal reasons," but that's all I heard. Well, the drought is over. The Namii 2 (the upgraded version of the original) is available not only on the biird site but on Hello Nancy, too — and it's on sale! (Side note: Hello Nancy also carries my second-favorite clitoral suction toy, so it's a great place to browse.)

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This isn't a sex toy, but it did help me a lot before my second endometriosis surgery. If you haven't heard of Foria, you definitely need to read up. The brand specializes in creating plant-based products (read: cannabis) specifically for people with pelvic pain.

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OnlyFans performer Lily Phillips exploded online after posting her pornographic video of sleeping with 101 men in one day and starring in a subsequent YouTube documentary about the stunt in 2024. Now, Phillips is a tabloid sensation, making headlines about faking a pregnancy and getting a boyfriend like any other influencer would. Between late Nov. and Dec. 2024, her name was Googled 6.4 million times, according to Google Trends.

Being an adult creator mixes something she really enjoys — sex — with creativity, Phillips told Mashable in an interview. "It was something I just really wanted to do," she said. "I knew it was something that was just for me." 

And she makes money from it. A lot of it. 

While Phillips was tight-lipped about a typical month's earnings, she did share that her biggest month pulled her in $800,000 following the shoot with 101 men.

"What's not to love?" she asked.

Phillips's profile has risen at the same time as a moral panic against porn, both stateside and in the UK, where she resides. 

For years, adult content creators like Phillips have been pushed off mainstream social media platforms. More recently, with the enactment of age-verification laws in many states and in the UK, access to explicit content has become more restricted; if a porn site complies, visitors must submit proof of age, be it a government ID or a facial scan. This has also occurred with content that's not at all explicit but deemed potentially harmful to minors, like a Reddit forum to help people stop smoking. 

For Phillips, who mainly uploads content on her OnlyFans account, porn allows her to be creative and make the content she wants (within the OnlyFans guidelines, of course). 

"For me, I see it as a real art," she said. "And it sounds silly, but I really…get to create my own art every day."

"I wasn't very good at school. I'm not great academically or anything like that. So to find something that I excel in feels amazing," she continued.

What people get wrong about Lily Phillips

There are many misconceptions about sex workers out there. The ones Phillips has heard about herself include that she's money-hungry ("No, I just do something that I enjoy and love") and that she has an "evil demeanor" ("No, none of this is evil or necessarily wrong…I'm just putting my art out there for people to also enjoy").

She also sees how she's treated differently from men in the adult industry. One of the most-asked questions she received is what her parents think. "And if the male porn star [were sitting] here," she said, "is that the first question you would ask him?"

There's an idea of "ownership" when it comes to women, Phillips said, like her parents somehow own her. "No, this was just a choice I made on my own when I was an adult," she said. 

She herself is open-minded about other people's perspectives, so she finds it sad that others aren't the same way. "When someone's made their mind up, and they think they know everything about you and your job, it can be quite frustrating."

She'd love to sit down with someone who is anti-porn and hear why they're against it, and destigmatize the industry for them.

Phillips is also a supporter of the Online Safety Act, the UK's age-verification law that went into effect in July 2025. 

"There's nothing worse than…someone underage seeing my porn," she said. She first saw porn at 11 years old, and thinks the thought of someone underage seeing it is gross. 

Early studies about age-verification laws, however, suggest that they don't work to keep minors off porn sites due to software like VPNs and non-compliant websites. Many instead urge for device-level filters, which free speech advocates say don't infringe on adults' rights. Last week, Pornhub announced it's live in the UK again following the implementation of such a filter on iOS 26.4 devices; it previously blocked itself due to the Online Safety Act.

Phillips is also a proponent of more sex education and media literacy in schools. She mentioned that young men could watch porn and think that sex is like this in real life. As an adult, you come to learn that porn isn't like how everyone has sex, but that's not the case when you first become sexually active, she said. (Though some adults likely don't know this, either.)

Phillips told Mashable she hasn't seen her income impacted by the Online Safety Act at all. That could be because OnlyFans requires a credit card to create an account, which is a form of age verification. But a preliminary study shows that other adult creators have experienced income losses due to these restrictions.

A typical day for Lily Phillips

Every day is "super different," Phillips said, but she gave an example of what she was up to the day of her Mashable interview. That morning, she walked her dog and filmed custom content for clients and social media content. 

After the interview, she said she had other calls scheduled, including video calls with clients. Then, she was going to wind down for the evening.

"Most people think it's a huge amount of sex, but I probably only really have sex with other creators once a week," she revealed. "People probably think I'm banging out every single day, but [I'm] really not."

As for porn studios, Phillips said she only works with them around once a month. She prefers her content to be exclusive to her OnlyFans, as she owns it herself. When she makes a video with a studio, "You sign that contract and they can sell [the video] when you're dead." Plus, studios don't pay as well. An industry professional told Mashable that the typical heterosexual scene pays around $1,200-1,600 for women and $700-1,000 for men. This can increase for specialized scenes or higher-profile performers.

Especially with OnlyFans, marketing and advertising are a huge part of getting an audience. OnlyFans itself doesn't have discovery functions, so creators need to go elsewhere, like social media, to find customers. So a lot of her time is spent creating social media content.

And it just so happened that days before Phillips spoke to Mashable, her Instagram account disappeared.

What happened to Lily Phillips's Instagram?

Phillips and her team confirmed to Mashable that her Instagram account was removed in early May. A Meta spokesperson told Mashable on May 11 that the account was removed in error and has been restored.

"A huge amount of industry girls are being deleted at the minute," Phillips told Mashable while the account was still down. This isn't too surprising, as more and more sex-related, LGBTQ, and reproductive health accounts are reporting that Meta is censoring them.

"We're really being discriminated against," Phillips said. "All my content is always in the guidelines. I really don't even show my ass cheeks or anything like that. I'm pretty strict."

Instagram is one of her biggest platforms that brings in OnlyFans subscribers, so if it remained down, it would've impacted her financially, she said. Her vlogging Instagram account with over 110,000 followers remained active while the main account, @lilyphillip_s, was down, but that's a small fraction of the 1.6 million following on her other account.

What's next for Lily Phillips?

In the immediate future, Phillips is appearing on the new Australian reality series Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money, which premieres at the end of May. 

Phillips sees herself as a workaholic, saying she sometimes doesn't sit back and take in how much she's made or the recognition she's received. But as the nature of content creators, adult and not, you can't just sit back on your laurels once you have an $800,000 month. If you want that to happen again, you have to work for it.

"Sustaining that can be quite hard," she said. Once you have a viral moment like Phillips did with 100 Men, she thinks about how she can top herself (figuratively) and keep doing better.

I was a lost puppy in my early days on Grindr, especially as I tried to ditch the juvenile online abbreviations I’d been using for years. Gone were the days of “ur”. As a wide-eyed, new college freshman, I was more “literate” than ever. These were the times of spelling the whole word out: “you’re.” 

After my first Grindr download, I realized acronyms like gh, gen, ff, ws, poz, and pnp were being thrown around everywhere, but I didn't think it was necessary to learn them. Let me be clear: it was, and it still is. It took a few weeks until someone asked me if I wanted to “parTy”. A spelling error, I had assumed. My iPhone keyboard sometimes does that, too. But, I was an eighteen-year-old first-year college student living on my own for the first time. What a stupid fucking question. Hell yes, I like to party!

It took one Google search to realize that I was right, I do like to party… but I absolutely do not like to parTy (which is a reference to drug use). That’s when it hit me. To stay safe, I actually needed to understand these terms, something I’d been innocently ignoring since I first joined the app. Knowing them is how you avoid ending up in a situation you don’t want to be in.

But, why are people using acronyms and terms on Grindr to begin with? The short answer: speed. Acronyms and terms are quick. They get the point across efficiently, even with the learning curve. It minimizes the need for longer, direct conversations. I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of people using these terms aren’t looking to beat around the bush. They want to meet up right now

Acronyms and terms are also used on Grindr for discretion, which exists for two reasons: safety and plausible deniability. 

Using an acronym for safety might include why a trans person would use a term such as “ftm” (female to male), “mtf” (male to female), or “t4t” (trans for trans). These acronyms enhance safety for trans people meeting strangers online by providing a shorthand for identity and intent.

Plausible deniability, on the other hand, is where things get a little more illicit. Acronyms are often used to bypass moderation for topics that would otherwise result in a ban, including the use of illegal drugs. Codewords allow users to discuss illegal activities with enough ambiguity to claim they were talking about something else entirely. It’s ridiculously problematic, but it is rather foolproof.

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Grindr’s most-used acronyms and terms in 2026

As language shifts, so does the coded shorthand used on Grindr. Some terminology seen on the app ten years ago might not have much pertinence anymore. Whether you’re new to Grindr in 2026 or just need a little bit of a cheat sheet to hold onto, here are the most common acronyms and terms you'll encounter and what they signify.

• anon: anonymous; interest in anonymous sex

• bb: bareback; raw sex without condom-use

• bear: bear; a subculture of gay men with typically larger, hairier bodies

• bttm: bottom; one who prefers to be on the receiving end of anal sex

• cd: crossdresser; a man who dresses up as a woman during (and occasionally not during) sexual acts

• discreet: discreet; someone not publicly out as gay/trans/etc. looking to partake in sexual acts and conversation on a secretive level

• dl: down low; essentially means the exact same thing as above

• dp: double penetration; exactly what you think it is

• ff: fisting; someone either into fisting/wanting to be fisted (you can ask more about who’s taking which side in the DMs)

• ftm: female to male; a person who was assigned female at birth, who now identifies as male 

• fwb: friends with benefits; a friend you can f*ck

• gen: generous; someone looking a financial arrangement, typically involving payment for a sexual encounter

• gh: gloryhole; a typically anonymous encounter involving oral and/or anal sex through a hole in a wall or sheet

• host: host; A user who has their own place and can accommodate guests for a hookup

• into: into; a quicker way to ask someone, “what are you into sexually?”, meaning the person asking does not care that you like to hike and play ultimate frisbee

• jo: jerking off; someone interest in mutual masturbation with a partner

• jock: jock; a man with a muscular/athletic body who is typically into fitness

• ltr: long-term relationship; someone with interest in pursuing a romantic connection

• mtf: male to female;  assigned male at birth, now identifying as female 

• npnc: no pic, no chat; someone with no interest in chatting with someone who is unable to provide a photo of their face

• nsa: no strings attached; a sexual/physical connection with no romantic connection

• otter: otter; a hairier gay man with a slim, lean, or more athletic build

• parTy: chemsex; refers to sex involving drug use, specifically "tina" (crystal meth), with the capitalized "T" serving as a coded signal for the substance

• pnp: party and play; broader term that can include various substances to enhance sexual experiences

• poz: HIV+; a term to signify an HIV+ person

• rn: right now; interest in meeting up for sex as soon as possible

• side: side; a user with preference to sexual encounters that don't involve penetration

• t4t: trans for trans; a trans person looking for encounters with another trans person

• top: top; one who prefers to be on the giving end of anal sex

• twink: twink; a hairless, leaner, younger gay man

• twunk: twunk; a hairless, more athletically-built gay man

• uc: uncut; someone with an uncircumcised penis

• u=u: undetectable = untransmittable; medically proven status meaning those on sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART) with an undetectable HIV viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus to someone without HIV

• vers: versatile; someone who enjoys being both on the receiving and giving end during anal sex

• ws: watersports; interest in urine-play during sexual experiences

• wya: where you at; used to quickly determine a person’s location before or during a meetup

Should I be using acronyms and terms on Grindr?

Grindr may be built for fast connections, but navigating the app effectively requires understanding the specific acronyms and terms users rely on. So, do you need to use them? Technically, no, you don’t, but you should absolutely be familiar with what most of these mean when using the app. If you ever encounter an unfamiliar term or request, a quick Google search is a perfectly normal way to stay informed. And trust me, knowing the lingo will help you steer clear of some very uncomfortable situations.

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2018 was a weird year. I was 22 and just graduated college with an art degree that I still haven’t used to this day. I was planning to be the next Ryan McGinley, taking photos of handsome twinks around New York City. But I was still naive and living with my parents, working with my dad over the summer to make quick cash while I applied to photography internships around Manhattan. All unpaid.

I was flat broke, so I got my very first credit card, which funded a much-needed new mattress and a ticket to Firefly Music Festival with some of my besties. But I realized I needed more money.

I made an account on Seeking Arrangements, banking on being young and broke being enough, but to no avail. I went on Omegle with the tag “sugar daddy” so I could find someone who would let me bully them for incremental payments. That didn’t work either. I gave up on my sugar baby fantasy. 

Until I got to Firefly.

It was a hot weekend. Low 80s. No rain. I saw SZA and Kendrick and Eminem and Arctic Monkeys and MGMT. I was spending a lot of money on food inside the festival grounds. And I was horny. A little horny. Nothing crazy, but I was 22. If you’ve ever been 22, you know.

On the first night, we got back from the festival late. Past midnight. There were four of us in the tent and we were all sharing a Jackery power bank, rationing it so it would last the weekend. My friends were all asleep but I was still awake, phone charging, scrolling Grindr. Tons of profiles. Hot guys from Maine and Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania and even the United Kingdom flocking to me and me to them, all under 500 feet from me. Then, a message from a blank profile a little over 2,000 feet away.

“Hey,” he said. I didn’t reply. No pic, no chat.

A few minutes roll by.

“Can I give you some money? You don’t have to do anything.”

My eyes widened.

If I received a message like this now, almost 10 years later in 2026, that would be an easy ignore. Grindr is packed to the brim with bots pretending to be real people offering money, fake sugar daddy arrangements, or claiming they want to use your photos for an art project. It’s weird and these bots don't do a great job of hiding it. In 2018, this wasn’t the case. If someone was offering you money, yes, they could be a scammer, but it was less likely.

“I don’t have to do anything?” I replied.

“Nothing. Just send me your email for PayPal and I’ll give you money,” he answers.

Too good to be true. I google, “can someone hack your PayPal if you give them your email?” and got a clear answer. No, they can’t. Unless they have your password.

“Why do you want to give me money? What do you get out of this?”

“Being used financially turns me on,” he tells me.

Whatever. Sure. I told him to keep the payment light because I felt bad. I told him to send me $30. A minute later, I got a notification from PayPal, saying someone sent me $30. A first and a last name. Let’s call him S.J. (not his real initials). I look him up on Facebook and he’s real and he lives in Maryland and he’s an uncle and he works at a bank or something. He’s sort of handsome.

“Can I pay you throughout the weekend?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. I fall asleep.

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The next morning, I didn't tell my friends. I don’t want them to think I’m going to pay for their drinks or anything. That $30 is for me. I bought Arancini Bros and Island Noodles. There’s not much cell service inside of the festival. It’s better at the campgrounds. So, the whole day, I’m practically off the grid. When I get back, I have another notification from PayPal. The guy sent me $70. So, I have $100 total. I go back on Grindr to thank him and his profile is no longer there, meaning he either deleted or blocked me. Bummer. But, now I have $70 more to spend. I’ll live.

The weekend continues. I spend his money. The weekend ends. I go back home to New Jersey, working the same job with my dad at the courthouse. It’s around two weeks later and I remember how much the money sucks, and then I remember S.J. I look back at the PayPal receipts. Full name. I find him on Instagram. I send him a message. I don’t follow him.

“Hey man, how’s it been?”

He replies immediately. He doesn’t follow me either.

“Good, man, how about you?”

“Good, missing Firefly. I spent so much money that weekend,” I say.

“You’re telling me,” he replies.

“Speaking of, I’m wondering if you can send me more? I’m just out of college and really struggling with bills right now.” I’m trying to make him feel bad.

“Yeah, I can only send $50 right now, that ok?”

“Yeah.”

He sends me $50. I say thank you. He asks if I want to start a payment plan and I tell him yes and we agree on a number. $250/week, but he can’t start until the following week. I tell him that’s fine. I’m excited. Easy money. For f*cking nothing. No conversation. No nudes. No nothing. Just money for the sake of money.

I wait a week and receive nothing. I message him. Hey. No reply. A few days go by and I message him again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. I send him around 50 heys with no reply for the rest of the summer. 

He replies one night at 3 a.m.

“Hey.”

Sh*t. I missed it. 50 more heys. No reply ever again. I forget about him.

I get a new job. One that pays like sh*t, too, but with potential to grow. I’m saving money to move to Brooklyn the following June and I’m doing an excellent job. It’s October 2 of the same year and I get an email from PayPal. 

The email says S.J. was charging back $50 to dispute his second payment. Why? He claims I did not provide the service I was supposed to perform. I look back at his payments. The first and third were sent as gifts from family and friends. The second he sent as a payment for services rendered. Services that never existed. I was just receiving money because he wanted to give it to me.

I call PayPal. I tell the guy on the other line exactly what happened. He sounds young and polished and it makes me trust everything he has to say. But he gives me information I don't love. What I did was a sex act, technically classified as financial domination, which their terms of service did not permit. PayPal's current terms state that it does not permit "services whose purpose is to facilitate meetings for sexually oriented activities." I'd never heard of financial domination (also known as findom). I tell him I didn't do anything sexual. He knows, he says, but given the circumstances, that's what was happening. This could suspend my account entirely, but he's leaving me with a warning. They're taking the $50. And another $20 for dispute charges.

Damn. This f*cking guy. I send S.J. a strongly worded email. I curse him out. I call him a loser. I call him pathetic. I call him a thief. I just lost $70. $70 I did nothing for, but still $70. $70 I spent already. I send the email. I’m fuming.

He replies minutes later.

“That was so hot.” 

I reply. I’m still heated, but I try one last time.

“Yeah? You think so, you worthless loser? Send me $50, you filthy piece of trash.” 

Returned to sender.

I look up his Instagram. It’s gone. I look up his Facebook page. It’s gone. I type his name into Google. I find no way of contacting him at all.

I never hear from him again.

And, S.J. if you ever see this, my contact information remains the same. I could still use that $50.

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In the 21st century, flirting is no longer just something you do at a bar or club after a few drinks to build up your confidence. In fact, more often than not, it's a text- or photo-based exchange conducted between smartphones, with fingers doing the flirting that tongues used to manage. Getting exact data on how many people are digitizing their flirtations isn't easy, but for one example, consider the DirtySnapchat subreddit: it boasts over one million members and nearly 130,000 weekly visitors.

Of course, as sexting became more popular, we gained exponentially more ways to engage in it, from naughty websites to flirty dating apps to clever in-between options, where a suggestive text message or a racy photo are all part of the fun. It's also becoming increasingly common for services to offer a hybrid feature set, so that what begins as a fun text-based conversation and escalates to photo exchanges might finish off with a live video chat. 

Today we're comparing two of the most popular options for sexting: AdultFriendFinder and Snapchat. Both platforms offer a bevy of fun features to help you get your flirt on through texts, photos and videos, and both have some clever, built-in features to help you do it safely and discreetly.

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AdultFriendFinder

 

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Snapchat

 

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The benefits of AdultFriendFinder for sexting

Finding a partner

The big benefit of AdultFriendFinder is that it has a built-in community of like-minded people all looking for text-based flirtation. Unlike with Snapchat, which is a much more general, multi-purpose platform, AFF users have signed up with the express intent of having some "adult" fun, and their profiles usually reflect this, with wild photos and very explicit lists of kinks, turn-ons and interests. 

In addition to the individual profiles, AFF also hosts communities and groups, often based around specific kinks or a love of erotic storytelling, and these public-facing communities are easy to find and engage with. 

If your sexting journey is a solo one to start off, AFF will help you find a partner in no time, whereas finding a like-minded chat partner through Snapchat alone is no easy task. 

Identity verification

A major strength of AdultFriendFinder is that it offers a robust identity verification service called ConfirmID, and while it isn't mandatory, you can opt not to talk to anyone who hasn't undergone the process. To get verified, users have to offer both a scan of a piece of government-issued identification and agree to have their face scanned via webcam to confirm that the person doing the scan is the same person featured in the ID document. 

Once you're verified, a blue checkmark will appear on your profile photo, ensuring others know you're verified. If you want to only talk to other verified users, stick to profiles that feature that bleu checkmark and you're golden.

On Snapchat, by contrast, verification is as simple as confirming that the email associated with the account really belongs to you, which might be an effective deterrent against bots but doesn't do anything against catfishing scams. 

Sex Academy

What if you're new to sexting and want to pick up some tips or learn some of the lingo before you dive in? An often-overlooked aspect of the AdultFriendFinder universe is what is known as their "sex academy," the constellation of resources, including learning materials and erotic stories, that can help you acquaint yourself with the ins and outs of sexting before you ever speak to a real partner. 

This is an unbelievably useful tool because, over time, sexters evolved their own shorthand language — not to mention suggestive emoji use! — to get their points across faster and not break the sexual tension with long, delayed texting. 

The benefits of Snapchat for sexting

Free to use

Snapchat is free to download and free to use, and although there is a premium subscription option (Snapchat+), it's not really necessary or even particularly beneficial when it comes to sexting. Contrast this with AdultFriendFinder, which restricts one-on-one conversations to paying members, and you can easily see why Snapchat gets the edge here. 

Because it's free to use, it's also much more widely adopted than AFF, which means it's extremely common for people to exchange their Snapchat IDs, or even for singles to include their Snapchat IDs in their dating profiles.

Disappearing messages

Another huge benefit of Snapchat is that, by design, all messages sent through the service are time-restricted. Everything you write or send will eventually disappear, not only from the chat history but from Snapchat's servers.

But some caveats do need to be mentioned here:

• “Disappearing” does not mean “never stored.”

• Anything sent digitally can potentially persist through screenshots, screen recording, device backups, or hacked accounts.

• Even if Snapchat deletes its copy, the recipient may still have one.

So from a privacy perspective, the safest assumption is: if you send a nude on any platform, there is always some possibility it could continue to exist somewhere beyond your control.

That means if you're shy, or concerned about your privacy, or just feel more comfortable being naughty when you have the peace of mind of knowing there won't be a (digital) paper trail, Snapchat is probably the most secure option out there. 

That having been said, Snapchat's official Community Guidelines take a strong stand against "sharing, promoting, or distributing sexually explicit content and conduct," so while such behaviors are actively encouraged on AdultFriendFinder, they are actively discouraged on Snapchat. The truth, though, is that, in practice, private consensual exchanges between adults are extremely common on the app and are generally not proactively policed unless:

• Someone reports it.

• AI moderation flags it.

• It appears exploitative/commercial.

• It involves minors/non-consensual content.

Screenshot protection

One of the perils of sexting, especially if you're doing it with strangers or people you've only recently met, is that exchanging nude photos or videos can be risky — bad actors can save or share your photos without your consent, or even use them to blackmail you, a practice known as "sextortion."

But if you're concerned about someone secretly screenshotting or even using a screen recording tool to record your naughty sessions, Snapchat offers a robust notification software that will alert you right away if someone takes a screenshot or starts a screen recording, and it's comprehensive enough to even pick up on many third-party tools that can do these things. 

It isn't perfect, so you do still need to exercise caution when you're being frisky with people you don't fully know or trust. At a minimum, you should verify that the person you're chatting with is who they claim to be, preferably over a video call, and you should never share sexually explicit content with someone you don't know and trust, especially if those images or videos can be used to identify you.

The bottom line? Both AFF and Snapchat offer fun platforms for engaging in some sexy texting, but the former is probably a more attractive option if you don't already have a sexting partner and the latter is a fantastic platform for getting more intimate with someone you already know.

When Bumble posted a cryptic image on Instagram telling the swipe that "it's over," people questioned whether the dating app was really getting rid of swiping. Today, its founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, confirmed that it is.

On "The Axios Show," Wolfe Herd said, "We are going to be saying goodbye to the swipe and hello to something that I believe is revolutionary for the category."

The change in the matching mechanism will hit certain markets starting in the fourth quarter of 2026.

What will replace the swipe? Wolfe Herd didn't say exactly, but it likely has to do with the new AI-driven matchmaking experience, Dates. Wolfe Herd has also mentioned on multiple earnings calls that Bumble is revamping the app's backend as well.

"We are evolving into our next chapter," Wolfe Herd told Axios's Sara Fischer, which is similar to what a Bumble spokesperson told Mashable yesterday when asked about the Instagram post.

The full episode doesn't appear to be live yet, but from Axios's own coverage, Wolfe Herd also said that the app will not "force one gender over another to do something first," yet the app will keep "the essence of what was always meant to be women making the first move."

Bumble has already begun moving away from its "women making the first move" ethos that it held since its inception in 2014.

In 2024, the app launched "Opening Moves" to let men message women first in heterosexual matches. Then-CEO Lidiane Jones said the move was at least partly due to dating app fatigue. Wolfe Herd soon returned as Bumble's CEO in early 2025, and in February 2026, the app removed the option in Mexico and Australia.

Swiping has been integral to Bumble's user experience since its launch, two years after Tinder (which Wolfe Herd also cofounded) popularized the "hot or not" swipe model. But given that Bumble's revenue and paying users are down year over year, it seems the company wants to try something new to regain those users.

Tinder, too, has seen financial dips recently, and it's also made some changes.

In March, Tinder released a suite of new features, including an AI matchmaker, Chemistry. Hinge, meanwhile, doesn't have swiping and keeps growing financially, suggesting that dating app users may be tired of rejecting someone with their thumb.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from France with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

Access to Pornhub is restricted in a number of locations around the world.

Early in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. After the introduction of these new requirements, Pornhub responded by blocking users from those locations. Now the same situation is taking place in France, with users in the country unable to access YouPorn, RedTube, and Pornhub.

There are complicated reasons for the blockade, but the workaround is actually very simple. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from France, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in France

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free in France with ExpressVPN.

A Utah law, enacted Wednesday, seeks to ban the use of VPNs to access porn sites.

The statute is part of SB 73, which contains amendments to the state's age-verification law. These laws typically require some proof of age to access adult content (or any content the state deems "harmful to minors").

Utah's age-verification law, SB 287, went into effect in 2023; it requires age verification via a digital ID card, a third-party verification service, or a credit card.

Pornhub promptly blocked users in Utah as the law went into effect.

Age verification often doesn't work because it can be circumvented. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which mask a user's real location, are one popular method for doing that. That's what the Utah law aims to tackle when it says porn sites must not allow VPN usage. Here's the relevant language:

A commercial entity that operates a website that contains a substantial portion of material harmful to minors may not facilitate or encourage the use of a virtual private network, proxy server, or other means to circumvent age verification requirements, including by providing: (a)instructions on how to use a virtual private network or proxy server to access the website; or (b) means for individuals in this state to circumvent geofencing or blocking.

"Utah just became the first state in the U.S. to target VPN usage, and they are embarrassing themselves," said Lia Holland, campaigns and communications director at digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, in a statement sent to Mashable.

Holland added that the legal language in question reads like AI slop.

"You cannot require a website doing age verification to determine where someone using a reputable VPN is browsing from — this feat is literally impossible by design for even the best hacker," Holland continued. Websites are left with three choices, Holland said: block everyone using a VPN (which is likely impossible), require every site visitor to verify their age, or censor everything that might fall under Utah's "harmful to minors" standard.

Fight for the Future says it will endorse any lawsuit filed against Utah to overturn this law.

The digital civil liberties nonprofit, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), also criticized SB 73. EFF's associate director of state affairs, Rindala Alajaji, wrote in a blog post published April 30: "These provisions won't stop a tech-savvy teenager, but they certainly will impact the privacy of every regular Utah resident who just wants to keep their data out of the hands of brokers or malicious actors."

Alajaii added: "attacks on VPNs are, at their core, attacks on the tools that enable digital privacy. Utah is setting a precedent that prioritizes government control over the fundamental architecture of a private and secure internet, and it won't stop at the state's borders."

"Protecting kids while preserving freedom is not a new concept," SB 73 sponsor Sen. Calvin Musselman told The Salt Lake Tribune, and compared it to policies about alcohol, tobacco, and gambling. (Alcohol, tobacco, and gambling aren't protected by the First Amendment, however; free speech is.)

SB 73 appears to be the first bill enacted to block VPNs, but another ban has been proposed in Michigan. The UK government is also considering a ban on VPNs for minors.

When speaking with Mashable last year about age-verification, First Amendment experts warned of second-order censorship. The first order is age verification, they explained, but people find workarounds. Second-order censorship means banning the workarounds.

Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, has now announced that "age-confirmed" iOS UK users can once again visit Pornhub. In January, the company said that it would block Pornhub in the UK for most people.

The change is due to Apple's release of iOS 26.4, which Aylo's vice president of brand and community, Alex Kekesi, called "the world's first ever device-based age verification solution for its users in the UK" in a press release.

UK adults who have confirmed their age through Apple's UK age-verification process can now visit Pornhub again.

Age verification can be done with a credit card or by scanning one's passport, driver's license, or other proof-of-age card. Apple will check if the device owner has a credit card on file to confirm if they're 18 or older. For children, teens, and unverified adults, Apple's Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features are automatically turned on. The latter blurs or warns about potentially inappropriate content.

Apple published these age requirements on its website on April 29. They come nearly a year after the UK enacted the Online Safety Act, a wide-ranging age-verification law. It also follows Aylo's request to Apple and other tech giants, Google and Microsoft, to enable device-level age verification in Nov. 2025.

Many people in the adult industry and free speech experts have been advocating for device-level age verification for years.

"We have been reaching out to the operating system providers to emphasize the need for a highly effective device-based solution, that includes Google, that includes Microsoft and Apple," said Solomon Friedman, partner and vice president of compliance at Ethical Capital Partners (which owns Aylo), in a Tuesday press briefing, 404 Media reported. "And on behalf of ownership, we're obviously delighted to see that Apple has instituted UK-wide, effective device-based age assurance."

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On May 5, the dating app Bumble posted a cryptic message on Instagram: "Dear swiping, it's over. - Bumble."

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The post prompted comments filled with suspicious eye emoji, confusion, and guesses as to what this means. It was also shared the same day as Bumble's Q1 2026 earnings report, which stated that Bumble's total revenue decreased 14.1 percent year over year compared to Q1 2025, and that total paying users decreased 21.1 percent in the same period.

While total average revenue per paying user and net earnings both increased (8.9 percent and 165.4 percent year-over-year, respectively), Bumble has made it known that it'll be trying something different.

But does that mean that Bumble is getting rid of the swipe, an integral part of its app (as well as its rival, Tinder), since its inception?

It's difficult to say. A Bumble spokesperson told Mashable, "We have shared that Bumble is entering an exciting new chapter, with meaningful product innovations on the horizon. Our focus remains on bringing our members together in real life, in intentional ways, and that begins with how they connect on Bumble."

The "new chapter" is likely what Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd called "Bumble 2.0" in the previous earnings call in March. Wolfe Herd said then, "We are rearchitecting the entire Bumble experience from start to finish," and that the team is focused on product and technology innovation. This includes a new tech stack for the app's backend, as well as an AI-powered experience called, simply, Dates.

Wolfe Herd continued to discuss this reimagining of Bumble in yesterday's earnings call. The new tech platform is apparently launching in the coming weeks, she said, and the new platform experience as a whole (including a new interaction model and profile system) is rolling out throughout 2026.

It also seems that Bumble is investing more in IRL events, likely due to the explosion of offline dating events in recent years. The app is hosting events in both the U.S. and Europe, with Bumble "taking over" a host of New York City bars this summer, and partnering with local dating events in London.

It's clear that many dating app users are frustrated, so it makes sense that Bumble is trying to switch it up. Will it pay off?

Tinder's revenue and paying users have been trending down in recent years, but the most recent earnings report suggests that it could be making a comeback.

Tinder's parent company, Match Group, released its Q1 2026 earnings report yesterday, and for the first time in several quarters, there's good news for the dating app — kinda. Monthly average user trends were down seven percent year-over-year, which doesn't sound stellar, but it was the slowest rate of decline in 31 months, according to Match Group's press release.

The supplemental materials also show that Tinder's direct revenue is up in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025, but it's down compared to the rest of 2025.

New user registrations returned to year-over-year growth for Tinder, which may be due to the app's push for something new. In March, Tinder rolled out a host of new features, including AI matchmaking service Chemistry, and Astrology and Music Modes.

"Tinder works better today than it did before. Our product changes are resonating with Gen Z and driving improvements in leading indicators, which is a clear signal that Tinder's ecosystem is strengthening," Match Group and Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff said in the press release.

Last month, Rascoff told the Financial Times that Tinder wants more women on the app, which is currently skewed male. He's also more interested in increasing the total number of people on the app, rather than just paid users.

Hinge, meanwhile, continues to make money for Match Group, with a 28 percent increase in year-over-year direct revenue growth. Paying users are also up 15 percent compared to this time last year. Looking at the supplemental materials of Match Group's earnings, Hinge is only trending upward.

"Hinge delivered another strong quarter and launched category-first features for highly intentioned daters that are improving outcomes," said Rascoff.

The earnings report comes a week after Match announced a $100 million investment in Sniffies, a gay hookup app, signaling Match's interest in diversifying its offerings while dominating the dating app space.

If you're searching for a fun hookup or summer fling, and especially if you're prepared to pay for a premium dating account to boost your chances, you're going to be faced with a lot of choices. Not only do you have to pick a dating app or site, from the literal dozens of options, but you also have to consider what subscription tier will best fit your needs or maximize your chances.

By reputation, longevity, and success rate, there are two standout options in the game right now: Tinder and AdultFriendFinder. But while they're both geared towards short-term fun, they operate in very different ways, beginning with the fact that Tinder is a smartphone app and AFF operates on computers exclusively (or almost exclusively). 

The next big difference between the two services is the age brackets that use them. More than half of Tinder users are under the age of 30, while the median AdultFriendFinder member is between 30 and 38 years old, so there's a pretty significant demographic difference between them, though you shouldn't let that discourage you from trying them out even if you happen to fall outside their mainstream age group. After all, their combined member pool is well into the millions, so it's not like you'll be fishing in a small pond. 

But that brings us to the big question: which subscription tier is right for you? We did the research and compared offerings to help you find the right fit for your dating circumstances, without wasting your money on unnecessary extras.

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Tinder subscription tiers

Tinder+

The most basic premium account Tinder offers is also probably the right fit for most people. It unlocks a major quality-of-life upgrade for swipe addicts, unlimited likes, so you'll never have to wait out the clock in frustration ever again, but it also offers another majorly useful feature, especially for young people travelling between university and their hometown: Passport. The Passport feature allows you to change your swiping location, instantly switching up your pool of available singles, which is majorly useful if you're expecting to be in a new place in a month or so, as you can start pre-planning your dates. 

Tinder uses a dynamic pricing model, varying by your age, location and subscription length, but in the United States you should expect to pay from $8 per month for a Tinder+ membership. 

Tinder Gold

Tinder Gold includes all of the aforementioned Tinder+ features, with three additional features to give you a sneaky edge over the competition: a weekly "Super Like," one monthly profile boost to increase your visibility to nearby singles, and, best of all, the ability to see who has liked your profile before you swipe right or left on that person.

If you've used Tinder in the past without much success, or with less success than you would like, a Gold subscription goes a long way towards helping you boost your visibility and find new matches, especially if you happen to come across a profile that has liked you that you somehow overlooked. 

These extra perks aren't cheap, though. Taking into account the aforementioned dynamic pricing model, you should expect to pay between $23 and $45 dollars a month for Tinder Gold, depending on the length of your subscription.

Tinder Platinum

Ready to bring out the big guns? Tinder Platinum is the service's most exclusive and most expensive membership tier, but it's also the most feature-rich. Naturally, it includes all of the perks available to + and Gold members, with two key additions: as a Platinum member, your likes get priority visibility above non-Platinum users, which means you'll automatically be shuffled to the top of the pile for singles you swipe on, and you'll unlock the "Message before Matching" feature, which works exactly as it sounds: you'll be able to DM the sexy single who catches your eye before you both swipe on each other. 

If you have a lot of confidence in your text game but want to buy yourself the chance to flex it, Platinum is a fantastic option. On the other hand, if you're someone who likes to let their profile and photos do the work for them, it doesn't offer enough of a compelling reason to upgrade from a Gold membership. 

Again, taking into account dynamic pricing, you can expect a Platinum membership to cost you between $29.99 per month with a multi-month commitment or up to $50 per month with a short-term commitment.

AdultFriendFinder subscription tiers

AFF Gold

If you opt for the AdultFriendFinder route, you're absolutely going to want to spring for at least the Gold membership. Unlike Tinder, which offers free members an enticing variety of ways to match and meet, AdultFriendFinder severely restricts the freedom of non-paying accounts. You can't message people one-on-one, for example, or even view other people's profiles, without ponying up some cash. 

With a Gold membership, however, your on-site experience starts to improve dramatically. You can view full profiles, including nude photos and full-length videos, and even comment on those public-facing photos and videos. It's also not possible to send friend requests without a Gold membership, and on the AFF platform, this is a major inhibitor to interacting.

But by far the biggest benefit of the Gold membership is how dramatically it improves the site's search functionality. You'll unlock a ton of new filters, including the ability to search by specific kinks or interests, and as a premium member, your profile will be given priority when other people search for criteria you meet. 

All of that added functionality comes at a cost, though. A Gold membership costs between $39.95 per month on a month-by-month subscription or as little as $14.95 per month if you opt in for an entire year. 

AFF VIP

If you become an AdultFriendFinder power user and want to increase your on-site perks even further, you might consider upgrading to a VIP membership. It's only available at a flat cost of $29.95 per month, in the United States, but it delivers some incredible benefits, from read receipts (so you know when someone has seen your message) to enhanced visibility across the site, which includes having a VIP badge affixed to your profile photo. There's even an exclusive, VIP-only site area, where you can mingle with the other elite members. 

If you're looking for local hookups, truth be told, the VIP membership won't really improve your chances above and beyond the regular Gold membership, but if you also like to have virtual fun, the premium subscription tier does unlock a lot of doors, showing you just how wild AdultFriendFinder can be.

In April, Instagram removed sex toy shop Bellesa's account — and it appears to be part of a pattern of Meta removing posts and accounts that have to do with sex and LGBTQ issues, advocates warn.

Nonprofit Repro Uncensored told Mashable that last month it received over 130 reports on its website about social media platforms censoring accounts. In this context, "censored" includes account removal, post removal, or shadowbanning, in which a platform deprioritizes an account (such as not showing it in Search or Explore). 

The vast majority of these reports were about Instagram.

Repro Uncensored's executive director, Martha Dimitratou, confirmed to Mashable that the organization has received more reports in April 2026 than in any other month since it began collecting reports in early 2024. 

What's happening on Instagram?

The influx of reports is partly because people are now more aware of Repro Uncensored's project to monitor and track digital censorship and how to report it, Dimitratou said. But generally, there have been a lot of cases recently; at least five or six reports a day, she added.

Instagram banning or shadowbanning sex workers, sex educators, LGBTQ accounts, and others isn't exactly new. After the twin laws FOSTA/SESTA were passed in 2018, major social platforms began cracking down on sexual content — or content perceived as sexual — even more than previously. 

FOSTA/SESTA states that online platforms are liable for user content that enables sex trafficking or solicits prostitution. While supporters of FOSTA/SESTA claimed it would fight online sex trafficking, the reality is that there's one reported federal prosecution because of it (as of 2021, there doesn't appear to be another report since). 

Instead, platforms overcorrected and began wiping sexual content in general, including non-soliciting discussions of sex, sex education, and sexual expression. Due to sex workers and sex-adjacent accounts getting wiped from online spaces, the humans behind them are less safe, according to two studies, one from the Fordham Law Review and the other from the Anti Sex Trafficking Review.

While FOSTA/SESTA has been the law for about eight years now, Instagram's crackdown is intensifying, according to Repro Uncensored and others. Last year, porn performer Siri Dahl told Mashable she was on her eighth Instagram account, and the platform was getting more strict. OnlyFans model Lily Phillips's Instagram account was taken down in early May, and she told Mashable that she noticed fellow performers had their accounts taken down as well. 

A 2025 study by the Center for Intimacy Justice titled The Digital Gag found that of the sexual and reproductive health groups studied, 63 percent had organic content (not ads) removed from Meta platforms, and 84 percent of businesses and 76 percent of nonprofits had ads rejected by Meta.

Meta didn't respond to a question about whether it is removing more accounts now than in the past.

"It's very unfortunate," said Dimitratou of the account removals, "it's something we need to think of critically as a society." This is happening globally, she said, including the U.S. and Europe. These are "supposed to be places that are respectful of human rights and freedom of speech and freedom of expression," she said, "and presumably care about reproductive health and other issues."

Meta's policy response

Just weeks ago, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri told The Mirror why OnlyFans creators are getting booted off the platform: "They're promoting explicit content…You can't promote, you can't solicit, so you can certainly be on Instagram, but obviously, we have very clear rules about what is and what is not allowed on the platform."

In terms of Meta's rules, its rationale for adult sexual solicitation and sexually explicit language policy states:

"People use our services to discuss and draw attention to sexual violence and exploitation. We recognize the importance of and allow for this discussion. We also allow for the discussion of sex worker rights advocacy and sex work regulation. However, we draw the line…when content facilitates sexual encounters or commercial sexual services between adults or when content asks for or offers pornographic or sexual content. We do this to avoid facilitating transactions that may involve trafficking, coercion and non-consensual sexual acts."

A Meta spokesperson told Mashable, "Every organization and individual on our platforms is subject to the same set of rules, and any claims of enforcement based on group affiliation or advocacy are baseless. We also give people the opportunity to appeal decisions if they think we've got it wrong."

Meta also told Mashable that it's been clear it wants to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes, and that it's committed to doing so.

A viral post shared by Repro Uncensored and the @feminist Instagram account included the handles of 51 accounts that reported censorship from Instagram. Meta told Mashable that of the 51, one was Bellesa (which Meta claims was correctly removed for multiple violations), three handles didn't exist, and the majority of the remaining accounts are fully active.

Some of the accounts and content were disabled in error and have been reinstated; others were correctly enforced, Meta said. 

Meta stated that it, of course, sometimes makes mistakes, but since some instances included content on the borderline of its policies, it's understandable that its systems flagged them.

Given the reinstatements, Dimitratou said it's concerning that Repro Uncensored has to run campaigns both digitally and in the press to gain attention and get accounts reinstated.

"We want citizens from any country to be able, on their own, to use the tools and mechanisms that are supposed to have been set in place to reinstate their accounts," she said. Often, account holders go through the standard appeals processes but don't get answers. 

Repro Uncensored is calling for improved appeals processes, as well as more transparent, accountable content moderation systems. Dimitratou says the group believes AI moderation often fails to account for context, particularly in discussions of women’s health and queer issues, and instead flags content based on keywords alone.

She also noted that coordinated reporting by bad actors, such as anti-rights groups, may play a role in account removals.

And the stakes of this kind of moderation extend beyond social media visibility. For activists and educators, losing access to platforms can directly affect how people find critical health information. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, conservatives have been pushing to limit abortion access in the states. (As of May 4, the Supreme Court has restored access to the mail-order abortion pill.) 

"Access to reproductive health and abortion has been dramatically, even more so, under threat," she said. "There is a larger picture of how [our] rights are very much being threatened, and so censorship is the battleground of how a lot of this information is being accessed."

So these aren't isolated incidents, nor is it merely about posting online. According to Dimitratou, it's about the foundation of how we communicate, share information, and access healthcare.

Love them or hate them, the Kardashians are cultural drivers, and a new book releasing tomorrow dissects why.

Dekonstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto is written by psychotherapist MJ Corey, who runs the Instagram account, Kardashian Kolloquium. When she discovered the Kardashians while in grad school, Corey was so struck by their content and found it uncanny. Her sister told her to read postmodern theory, and Corey deep-dived into self-study and started documenting it online. Now, she has nearly 50,000 followers, helps run the Kardashian Data Koalition, and has become a premier Kardashian intellectual. 

"Kardashian intellectual" may sound like an oxymoron, but as Dekonstructing the Kardashians demonstrates, it's important for us to examine pop culture. There must be reasons why something is popular, after all. "I don't psychoanalyze the Kardashians, but if anything, they might hold a mirror to the rest of us," Corey said in an interview with Mashable. 

The Kardashians trace culture with their narratives, she said, and it actually began with sex work. 

The infamous sex tape

Cast your memory all the way back to 2007, when Kim Kardashian's sex tape with singer Ray J was leaked. Kim rose to fame, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians (KUWTK) premiered months later. 

There's a current legal battle between Kardashian and Ray J, which may shed new light on why the tape was made and how it was released. But regardless, whereas some may have been embarrassed and shied away from the public eye after such an invasion of privacy, Kim did the opposite. She refused to be ashamed. 

"Why did you make a sex tape?" Kim's sister, Kourtney, asked in the very first episode of KUWTK ahead of an upcoming talk show appearance. 

"Because I was horny and I felt like it," Kim said.

A reason why people are angry at the Kardashians is that they made money from the tape instead of living in shame or disassociating from it, Corey said. 

"People have a different feeling towards female icons that are tragic or humiliated than the ones that are like, 'No, I'm good, I'm gonna make money from it,'" Corey said. "It's another nuance that people have been forced to sit with when it comes to the Kardashians and their relationship to sex — that the tape didn't break them."

And the sex tape was far from the only time the Kardashians associated themselves with sex — and sex work — especially in the early years of their fame. In the first season of KUWTK alone, members of the family: played on a stripper pole, hired a porn performer to babysit the Jenner sisters, participated in a Girls Gone Wild photoshoot, and also shot photos for Playboy. 

When we break down the story of the Kardashians intellectually, Corey said, we look at cultural appropriation of race and ethnicity. But in the beginning, they appropriated sex work, as well. Corey spoke with a sex worker who wanted to remain anonymous, who believed Kim is a sex worker, though Kim would never call it that. In Kim's time in the spotlight, she's stigmatized the profession while fully idealizing, glamorizing, and profiting from sex workers' aesthetics, Corey said.

When researching for this book, "it was impossible to ignore this middle-class woman's fascination with sex work," she said of Kim in the early days of KUWTK.

Kim Kardashian and OnlyFans

Kim K isn't on OnlyFans, but there is a connection between the two. As Corey writes in Dekonstructing the Kardashians: 

"Sexual accessibility is, apparently, most alluring when there's a sense that no woman is profiting from it, which is probably at least one reason why the Kardashians…became more reviled the richer they got, and also why people would one day rag on the sex industry social media website OnlyFans, which came out in 2016 in the thick of Kardashian-driven influencer culture and offered a space for many sex workers to own the means of their production."

There's a larger discourse beyond the Kardashians around OnlyFans, its place in culture, and its influence on women and how they view and potentially commodify their bodies. "I've just noticed in the larger discourse, [shaming] of women who are entrepreneurial on their OnlyFans accounts. There's a similar shaming that people throw at the Kardashians sometimes for making money on their sexuality." 

"And I think that it's threatening to see that women can be independent from men," Corey added.

The difference between Kim Kardashian and the typical OnlyFans model, however, is fame, money, and access. Kim K seemingly gets a pass to post whatever she wants; this is a complaint sex workers and other sex-adjacent Instagram users have told Mashable in recent years. While Kim is boosted in our algorithms, non-famous people are shadowbanned — deprioritized — if not banned entirely. 

How the Kardashians won culture

The influence of the Kar-Jenners is undeniable, and in her book, Corey follows the lineage between a variety of American icons — like the Disney brand and Marilyn Monroe — and what they have in common with the family.

Every icon she references in the book typically evokes anxiety about race, death, or sex. This is even true of Mickey Mouse, who has, for example, sparked conversations about how the Disney mascot is racially coded.

"The Kardashians, in a really high-scale way, and in a way that will ensure their legacy, evoke all of these anxieties that all the other icons that came before also have," Corey said. "It just tells us that there's something about us that craves, that is drawn to it, is agitated by it, and that's why they also are so popular, because they play these things out for us at such scale, so relentlessly."

Because there are so many Kar-Jenners, the machine never stops, Corey continued. The family has become figures of catharsis, or release. There are touchpoints, like the SKIMS pubic hair underwear release last fall, that allow us to ask: How do we feel about that?

We're really trying to figure out what kind of society we want to live in, Corey said, and the Kardashians offer us opportunities to chew on and try to sort it out. Everything they do, at this point, conjures up some discourse — so much so that Corey already wants to write another book.

Depending on who you ask, AdultFriendFinder is either the Wild West of hookup sites, an "anything goes" paradise for adult fun, or a total scam replete with bots, fake profiles, and inactive accounts. 

After months of personal testing, I can confidently say which AFF you experience ultimately boils down to how you use the site. If you approach it naively, without a strategy, you're probably going to have some frustrating experiences. On the other hand, if you exercise a modicum of caution and common sense, you'll discover a huge, fun, and kink-friendly community.

Here are three red flags to look out for as you use AFF, to help you spot potential scammers and separate the authentic users from the fake profiles.

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Unverified accounts

AdultFriendFinder already offers a fantastic first step in combatting fake profiles that they call ConfirmID. Once you've created an account, you can, at any time, upload a clear scan of a government-issued ID card and then, using a webcam, undergo a quick face verification scan to confirm that you are indeed the person identified in the government document. 

This step strikes the perfect balance between not being onerous enough to annoy the average user but still requiring enough effort to deter scammers, who notoriously go after the low-hanging fruit. 

Once you've completed the ConfirmID sequence, you'll be rewarded with a verification badge on your profile, and we strongly recommend that you limit your one-on-one interactions on the site to other verified users. 

Perfect profile photos

Alright, admittedly this one requires some personal judgment, as everyone should strive to upload good, high-quality photos of themselves to dating websites. But if every photo looks like it belongs in a magazine, or if the person in the photo looks a little too good to be true, you should exercise caution.

In the age of generative AI and filters, it's trivially easy to create a fake photo or series of photos, so you should also be on the lookout for what isn't in the photos. Are there recognizable local landmarks (clubs, restaurants, well-known parks, or street corners) in the photos, or are they all equally generic?

Over-eager chatters

Ever since chat bots became a thing, dating sites have become plagued with them, and as AI improves more and more, it's not always easy to know, right away, if the "person" you're talking to is really human. One dead giveaway, though, is how much they chat and how quickly they reply. 

Real people go off on tangents, employ non sequiturs, and sometimes stumble with awkward questions or comments. Chat bots, on the other hand, are typically always chipper and extremely fast-talking, so much so that a paragraph-long answer can come back to you in seconds. 

They also almost always have an agenda, too, whether that's directing you to click on a link ("Follow my Instagram profile") or getting you to divulge some potentially compromising bit of personal information about yourself.

So, you want to explore kink but you're not sure where to begin. Finding a dating app that's kink-friendly and full of likeminded kinksters is hugely important, and regular dating apps might not cut it on that front. So, how do you find your people?

Perhaps you have a foot fetish, or you're into spanking or BDSM. Maybe you have no idea what you might be into but want to find a safe, non-judgmental space to explore your options and go on a journey of sexual self-discovery. 

Well, we've got good news for you: thanks to the magic of the internet, there are at least two places purpose-built for you to let your freak flag fly: AdultFriendFinder and FetLife. Spend even a few minutes on either site and you'll see they have a lot in common, from the abundance of nudity to the kink-friendly design of the interface and search functions. 

Another major point of commonality between the two sites is the user demographics. Though both skew male, the major standout difference is age — the average user on FetLife in 25 and AdultFriendFinder users tend to be in their 30s. That having been said, both sites boast a very wide range of genders, sexual orientations, ages, and kink communities, so it's safe to say there's something for everyone here. 

But while both sites are designed to accommodate sex-positive communities, they don't operate in the same way, and you may find one suits your needs and goals better than the other. Here are the major differences in how AFF and FetLife cater to kinksters:

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder

 

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Credit: FetLife

FetLife

 

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Where AdultFriendFinder excels

Faster connections

FetLife is great and very popular, but it also takes time to build a following, earn credibility, and be taken seriously on the site. In fact, while you can message strangers, the culture of the site discourages it, and it's common for unsolicited messages to go ignored. On AdultFriendFinder, on the other hand, the opposite rule reigns. In fact, it's much more like a traditional dating site, in the sense that connecting with strangers online is closer to the site's purpose, whereas FetLife is more of a social media website for building local kink communities. 

And in addition to the one-on-one aspect, AdultFriendFinder also hosts live webcam shows and community discussion forums, offering users multiple different ways to connect and connect quickly.  

Better site interface

This one might be controversial, since the AFF site is notoriously dated, but FetLife's interface is downright confusing, a mix between Facebook and Instagram, with much more limited search functionality. While both sites will allow you to search by specific kinks (and both sites offer exhaustive lists of kink options), the search functionality and filter options on AdultFriendFinder are more comprehensive and more user-friendly.

This isn't an accident, by the way. FetLife deliberately disables search by age, gender and sexual orientation because, in their words, they are "a social network and not a dating site."

Live shows

FetLife allows users to host videos, but it doesn't have a dedicated, live webcam service. Some users do offer that, of course, but they do so on third-party sites, and usually behind a paywall. AFF, on the other hand, makes live streaming a significant part of their community experience, and allows you to search through the webcam shows based on the location of the streamer or the interest/topic of the show, which often revolves around a specific kink. 

In other words, if you're content to watch, AFF delivers some excellent, kink-centric live action, and much of it is accessible without upgrading to a paid subscription.

Where FetLife excels

Free accounts have more freedom

The most noticeable difference between FetLife and AFF is how much more freedom is afforded to non-paying accounts. On AdultFriendFinder, profiles are locked behind a paywall, so only paying members can read bios, scroll through photos, or see a comprehensive list of kinks. FetLife, on the other hand, operates more like Instagram for kinksters, delivering large photos, comprehensive bios, and even a web of connections comparable to what you might see on Facebook, from friends and romantic partners to subs, doms and mentors, if applicable. 

Even more important, free FetLife users can contact each other in one-on-one messages without having to give up their credit card information, which definitely makes it easier to establish a personal connection.

One major limitation of free accounts is that they're prevented from watching videos, and because raunchy videos are a mainstay of many profiles, this is definitely a hindrance, but not an especially annoying one. 

The site promotes in-person events

Perhaps the biggest benefit of FetLife over AdultFriendFinder is the former is much more focused on real-life connections, whereas AdultFriendFinder seems content to let people play in the virtual world. 

The Events tab at the top of the FetLife banner allows you to see, at a glance, all of the nearby, kink-friendly events, from informal meet-and-greets to full-on costume and masquerade balls. Best of all, you can filter by sub-type (Party, Educational, Social, Conference/Festival, Sex Party) or just look for events that your FetLife friends are attending.

These in-person events are such an important part of the FetLife experience, even when they're not officially affiliated with the website, that they should be considered integral to the site itself. In fact, it's pretty common to see people indicate, in their profiles, that they won't message or "friend" anyone that they haven't already met at an IRL event. 

Kink discovery

Because of its community emphasis and dedication to exploring sexuality in a safe, consensual and informed way, FetLife offers users not only the means to connect with others but also to better connect with themselves. There's the community-sourced Kinktionary, for example, a Wiki-like resource covering topical aspects of human sexuality from the ins and outs of gay culture to a comprehensive list of sex toys and their uses, as well as dedicated groups to not only explore kinks but also introduce people to the BDSM lifestyle (we recommend you check out the Novices & Newbies section if you're a first-time visitor). 

AdultFriendFinder isn't totally without these resources, but they're not as user-friendly or as accessible to total newcomers to the world of kink.

The bottom line

Both AFF and FetLife are premier destinations for internet kinksters, and you can't really go wrong with either. Both sites have large user bases, comprehensive kink-based spaces, and the kind of non-judgmental atmosphere that makes it easy to let loose.

That having been said, if you're looking for the fastest possible connection or are content to confine your kink to the digital world for the time being, AdultFriendFinder does a better job connecting people quickly. If, on the other hand, you want to integrate into your local kink community and maybe discover the underground nightclubs and VIP parties reserved only for the naughtiest of the naughty, FetLife will do right by you.

Dating app conglomerate Match Group announced yesterday it's making a $100 million investment in Sniffies, a gay cruising app that makes "getting laid as a gay man almost too easy," according to Mashable's review.

The investment is a minority stake in the company and includes the option to acquire the remaining equity in the future, according to a press release shared with Mashable. Founder and CEO of Sniffies, Blake Gallagher, shared on LinkedIn that it will remain led by him and independently operated.

"The product, the tone, and the community will continue to be shaped by the people who use it," Gallagher continued, saying the app can now move faster to make improvements users are asking for while building it by being "grounded in real-world connection, with our community leading the way."

In the press release, Gallagher stated that with Match Group's support, the Sniffies team can improve the product and expand their network while investing in Trust and Safety (a growing issue on dating apps) and giving users what they want.

Sniffies has around three million monthly active users globally, according to the press release, and 20 million messages sent daily. And Sniffies' iOS app only launched last year, only to be pulled from the App Store shortly after.

The investment comes around a year after Match Group acquired sapphic dating app HER, which drew mixed reactions from users. The same is true for this announcement, with a Reddit thread asking, "Are we cooked?", and most comments answering in the affirmative. But how Sniffies changes with this investment is yet to be seen.