Presbyopia Solutions Boost Middle-Senior Matching App Dating Trends

While convenient, there are also risks such as romance scams and other forms of exploitation.

A-san explains:

“The reasons are the same as for younger people: convenience and the ability to meet immediately. I’ve used about eight types of apps, including Pairs, with, and Tinder.nWith dating sites, they ask for detailed conditions and requests, and it takes time to meet. For me, I use the app when I want to meet for tea or go drinking on the weekend, so I prefer apps without formal procedures. When it comes to choosing someone to meet, I might select based on income or hobbies, which is no different from younger people. I’ve interacted with nearly 100 men and met with over 50. Out of those, about 10 were people I dated for a period of time.”

On the other hand, there are also drawbacks unique to apps. Romance scams, where people create fake romantic feelings through SNS or apps to scam money, are on the rise. A-san herself has fallen victim to one of these scams.

“I spoke on the phone but the person wouldn’t meet up, and used the usual tactic of claiming that their parents were in the hospital and they needed money, which made me suspicious, so I blocked them. We exchanged a few sexy pictures, but then they found my ex-husband’s and friends’ SNS accounts and threatened to spread the photos. At first, I was scared, but then I realized that no one would gain anything from middle-aged naked photos being spread, so I just ignored it and moved on (laughs). I managed to get through it, but I was honestly scared.”

Just like with SNS, the world of app-based romance requires high literacy. In response to the rising demand, apps for middle-aged and senior users are being developed. A spokesperson from Isaac Co., the company behind the dating and marriage app ‘Ras Koi’ for middle-aged users, shares:

“Many of our users have experienced major life changes such as divorce or the loss of a spouse. They seem to prioritize meeting a partner who shares their values over aiming for marriage as the ultimate goal. For those who seek to share the joys and experiences of daily life with someone, using an app is one option.”

Ras Koi, where 75% of users are in their 50s to 70s, has incorporated several features specifically for older users.

“Existing matching apps are designed for people in their 20s and 30s, but we’ve made adjustments for issues unique to middle-aged and senior users, such as difficulty seeing text due to presbyopia and trouble taking selfies. For example, we made the text and buttons larger so users can operate them intuitively, and for the most important profile picture, we’ve added a feature where the app’s camera helps take the best picture using AI. Additionally, we’ve developed our own AI system to prevent fraud.”

App-based romance is no longer just a trend for young people.