With 2020 being the year of the unexpected, has quarantine and social distancing changed the whole dating game like we used to know? The truth is dating rules have been redefined, with different approaches to relationships and mental well-being coming into play in this new environment. It’s not surprising to find many daters facing challenges as they have tried to adapt to virtual dating or following socially-distanced etiquettes. Bumble’s most recent data has revealed that over 40% of daters in India were no longer confident that they know how to date successfully and 70% of single Indians were not comfortable navigating dating in 2020.

So, has dating in 2020 been all glum? While it has been a turbulent year, daters have found ways to make meaningful online connections in new and different ways. Even with lockdown and social distancing restrictions in India, there has been an increased need for social connections since March, evidenced by the fact that over 540 million messages have been sent on Bumble in India in 2020.

Key Dating Trends Of 2020
Here are some of the key observations from Bumble’s recent report:

Trending Topic In 2020 – The most popular topic of conversation on Bumble in 2020 was “working from home”.

Making The First Move – The most popular prompt used on Bumble India India in 2020 was “beach or mountains”.

Emojis Of Choice – The most used emoji on Bumble profiles in India was the classic red heart.

Zodiac Signs – Zodiac signs continued to be a hot topic amongst the Bumble community. Leos were the most lucky in love across India on Bumble this year, with most matches of any star sign, followed by Scorpio and Libra.

Dating In 2021: What To Expect

As we look ahead to 2021, there’s no doubt that the dating landscape will continue to evolve. Per Bumble’s predictions, dating will “ramp up in 2021” with virtual dating becoming a norm in India. Dating-in-person is definitely not off the table with one in two people from the Bumble community in India claiming that they are ready to date in-person.

Bumble revealed the more you share, the more you match. For starters, you can increase your chances of matching with someone by a whopping 96% by adding a Badge to your profile. These badges convey your interests and habits like if you have pets, if you exercise, even your zodiac sign. Per Bumble’s report, those who fill out their bios experience 41% increase in the number of monthly average matches than those who don’t.

People who share what kind of dates they are comfortable using Bumble’s new dating badges (virtual, socially-distanced, or socially-distanced with masks) see a 43% increase in the average number of monthly matches than those who don’t specify.