Ah, Valentine’s Day: A day dedicated to giving and receiving love… and providing annual engagement boosts to apps that make you look better, feel better, and connect better with your partner. But this Valentine’s Day, even singles are unlikely to alter their behavior on dating apps. According to analytics company AppsFlyer, this surprising downward trend is actually nothing new. 

AppsFlyer compared data from February 2024 and February 2025 to predict how dating app installations, in-app purchases, and user engagement will fare this upcoming Valentine’s Day. 

The headline? Dating apps have continued to decline in favor among singles over the last year. In fact, AppsFlyer concluded that dating app installation rates decreased globally by 30% between January and December 2024, while uninstallation rates are as high as ever. 

Gone are the days where people scrambled for a date, any date, so they would have someone to smooch on Valentine’s Day. Not even the national day of love has encouraged a significant uptick in global or U.S. dating app downloads in February. AppsFlyer even advised dating app marketers against planning for a bump in installs around Valentine’s Day. 

App Users are Most Passionate About Time and Money

Now we know that global dating app installations in January 2025 decreased by 19% compared to the same time last year. It’s worth noting that the UK did, in fact, experience a somewhat significant dating app installation boost last Valentine’s Day. A 19% increase makes the idea of a similar increase this year seem more likely – but, again, only in the UK. 

Does this mean that dating app users globally, and specifically in the U.S., are more serious about finding lasting love instead of casual flings? This theory is not out of the realm of possibility, according to AppsFlyer’s global data on user engagement. 

Dating app users are more engaged than in previous years, and AppsFlyer even described these users as being more results-driven than in the past. Who among us hasn’t sent lukewarm texts back and forth with a match only to think, “There must be a better — and faster — way?” 

The way people currently use dating apps points to a shift in priorities. Two of life’s most precious commodities — time and money — are at play within dating apps, and more people chose to prioritize time in 2024. 

Instead of scrolling endlessly through a general carousel of potential matches, users chose to streamline the process by making in-app purchases. Whether they paid to receive more personalized matches or to boost their profile, more users spent more money in dating apps on Valentine’s Day in 2024. 

In fact, daily in-app purchases increased by 14% the week of Valentine’s Day, which AppsFlyer predicts will happen again in 2025. 

As AppsFlyer pointed out in its report, the people who do still use dating apps do so with more intention around Valentine’s Day. This is in keeping with the results-driven user engagement AppsFlyer reported on a global scale. When it comes to spending time and money, users want to get out what they put in. 

Beauty and Food Define Valentine’s Day – Not Dating Apps 

Perhaps this is why the most significant Valentine’s Day-related increase in app installations in 2024 happened with apps that promote confidence, connection, and bonding. Specifically, AppsFlyer reported a significant increase in app installations for selfie and beauty editor apps as well as restaurant and food delivery apps.

If most of the people who celebrate Valentine’s Day are already established couples, then they obviously don’t need to install dating apps on the national day of love. Instead, couples seem to be more invested in saving money, time, and face. We mean this last one literally. You may not be able to erase that pesky pimple in real life, but thanks to beauty editing apps, your Instagram followers never have to know it was there when you celebrated Valentine’s Day with your partner. 

In February 2024, selfie and beauty editing apps experienced a global 19% increase in installations and a 14% increase in in-app purchases. In the U.S., apps in the beauty editing category experienced a 21% boost the week of Valentine’s Day as compared to an average week. Interestingly, beauty apps in the UK experienced the biggest boost on Valentine’s Day — 133%.   

The lesson: Never underestimate the user’s desire to airbrush their lives for the sake of their followers.  

AppsFlyer pointed out another massive increase, this time on Valentine’s Day in 2024: Total sessions on restaurant and/or food delivery apps increased by a whopping 58% as compared to average week days in February. Homecooked meals may be a love language, but many couples prefer the convenience and celebratory nature of a restaurant dinner. In the U.S., food delivery and takeout apps in particular experienced a 53% boost in sessions on Valentine’s Day 2024. 

Singletons have the rest of the year to install dating apps, engage with the app’s features, pay to boost their profile, and put in the time and energy it takes to make a real connection. If AppsFlyer’s data proves anything, it’s that Valentine’s Day is, and perhaps always will be, a day for couples.