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India’s year-end dating reset: fewer swipes, clearer hearts
MUMBAI: As the curtain falls on 2025, India’s dating scene is doing what it does best at the end of the year: pausing, pondering and quietly panicking. According to fresh insights from homegrown dating app QuackQuack, singles across the country are taking a long, honest look at their love lives and changing how they match, chat and commit.
Based on a year-end survey of 9,746 active users aged 22 to 35 from Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities, the app notes a clear shift in mood. Dating, once breezy and experimental, has turned more thoughtful and deliberate as the new year approaches.
“This December, dating is far less casual and far more reflective,” said QuackQuack founder and CEO Ravi Mittal. “We see this every year. The new year brings a sense of urgency, but what stands out is that people are not chasing more matches. They are chasing the right one.”
Resolutionary dating takes over
Just as fitness goals surge in January, dating resolutions are having a moment too. Nearly 44 per cent of users aged 22 to 28 admitted they are rethinking past dating choices, while three in five said they no longer want to settle for less. The result is what QuackQuack calls resolutionary dating.
Low-effort chats are being quietly dropped, while self-awareness is in. User bios are filling up with phrases like “consistent”, “emotionally available” and “worth my effort”, signalling a move away from surface-level attraction towards compatibility that actually lasts.
The great chat autopsy
Reflection, of course, comes with a touch of overthinking. Three in five daters from Tier 1 and 2 cities confessed to revisiting old conversations, analysing replies and re-reading jokes to figure out where things slipped.
This habit is especially common among those who have faced ghosting, almost-relationships or situationships that never quite found a name. Advait, a 26-year-old from Pune, summed it up neatly. “I dissected every ‘haha’ and every dry reply. In some cases, I realised we were never compatible. I was just trying too hard to make it work.”
Plus-one panic and wedding season woes
Add wedding season to the mix and anxiety inevitably rises. With the familiar line “You are next” echoing around banquet halls, 27 per cent of women and 31 per cent of men above 26 reported feeling heightened dating pressure at year end.
Some admitted to reopening old chats, only to be reminded why they ended. Around 18 per cent said they tried fast-tracking conversations to make one match stick, though most agreed the rush rarely led anywhere good.
Yet panic is not always pointless. Two in five daters over 30 said the pressure has pushed them to be bolder, more honest and quicker to share non-negotiables. For many, the year-end scramble has delivered something unexpected: clarity.
As 2026 beckons, India’s singles seem less interested in fairytale timelines and more focused on getting it right. Fewer swipes, deeper conversations and higher standards are setting the tone for the year ahead.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
