Could 'astro dating' save my floundering love life? Sick of swiping and ghosting, millennial FLORENCE SCORDOULIS tried a new app that uses star signs to match romantic partners - with 'scarily accurate' results...

My parents met successful nan 1980s, locking eyes connected a train earlier swapping (landline) telephone numbers. Growing up, I ever dreamed of a emotion life that would beryllium arsenic romanticist and serendipitous.

But, alas, astatine 30, I’m portion of a millennial procreation who has travel of property connected making love apps. Tinder launched erstwhile I was astatine assemblage successful 2012, pinch others quickly following. There’s Hinge (serious relationships), Bumble (women successful control) Breeze (blind dates without messaging) Feeld (anything goes). You sanction them, I’ve tried them.

Dating apps person allowed maine to day whenever I want, research my bisexuality and person respective fulfilling relationships. But, hundreds of dates later, I’m still azygous and what was erstwhile a nosy novelty has go a slog.

People for illustration maine are emotion a consciousness of burnout, having been promised emotion but now stuck successful a loop of swiping and ghosting. With zero accountability and a changeless illusion of choice, making love has go astir arsenic romanticist arsenic ordering a Deliveroo.

Indeed, past month, Bumble’s shares collapsed by 30 per cent and Match Group, which owns respective making love apps and sites, has seen a dependable diminution successful paying users.

It seems singletons are looking for a caller measurement to meet partners. Could ‘astrology dating’ – which promises to inject immoderate mysterious magic backmost into nan making love segment – beryllium nan answer?

Enter Co-star, an app that has go thing of a phenomenon. It describes itself arsenic ‘the astrology app that deciphers nan enigma of quality relations done Nasa information and biting truth.’ 

Since launching successful 2019 it’s clocked up 30million – mostly Gen Z and Millennial – users. It generates an astrological commencement chart, combining this pinch real-time prima information to create personalised regular horoscopes.

It’s important to statement that Co-star, which is free to motion up to, is not a match-making app, alternatively a societal web that tin beryllium utilised to thief find much like-minded matches connected existent making love apps by moving compatibility tests pinch imaginable suitors. 

This mightiness sound bonkers, but 83 per cent of millennials judge successful astrology and 81 per cent person aliases would consult it for narration guidance, according to a 2024 Harris Poll.

It’s moreover much celebrated successful nan LGBTQ+ community: a 3rd of users connected queer women’s making love app HER said they wouldn’t day personification because of their prima sign, and Hinge’s LGBTQ+ users are 86 per cent much apt to put their motion connected their profile.

‘Astrology connects group pinch nary separations based connected gender and intersexual orientation. That’s why truthful galore queer group return an interest’, explains Moe Ari Brown, Hinge’s emotion and relationship expert. 

‘For anyone looking for love, it tin connection an insightful, nosy measurement to research commonalities and strengths that, erstwhile utilised well, tin support a lasting patient relationship.’

Being millennial, queer and Pisces (making me, to quote Co-star, ‘fundamentally dreamy’), I’m a premier campaigner for making love by nan stars. And, though sceptical, I spot nan appeal. Four of my exes were Pisces: unrivalled affectional depth, ever doomed. Then location was nan ‘free-spirited’ French Sagittarius, who told maine each astir his committedness issues, connected our first day (I should person listened).

So, could astrology apps prevention maine a batch of clip – and yet thief maine find love?

To subordinate Co-star you request nan nonstop time, day and location of your birth. This is utilized to create your unsocial chart, a snapshot of nan entity showing nan precise location of each nan planets and constellations (zodiac signs) astatine nan infinitesimal you arrived successful nan world.

It’s our ‘sun’ aliases ‘star’ motion that dictates your halfway consciousness of aforesaid but it’s our ‘moon sign’ that reveals our much affectional broadside (mine’s Sagittarius, making maine ‘independent’). Your ‘ascendant’, nan zodiac connected nan eastbound sky astatine birth, influences really you coming to nan world: Gemini intends I’m ‘chatty, eclectic and fun’.

Plus, there’s nan position of 8 planets: for example, Venus determines your attack to emotion (mine’s successful Pisces, making maine ‘sentimental’) and Mars is astir taking action, including successful nan chamber – excavation is Aquarius which intends I apparently asseverate myself successful a measurement that’s ‘eccentric and unconventional.’ The floor plan besides divides nan entity into 12 ‘houses’, representing different areas of life – specified arsenic money and possessions and profession and goals – again corresponding to zodiac signs.

While nan commencement floor plan is free, to put it to immoderate usage intends spending money. I brave nan ‘you successful love’ trial (£9.99) which analyses really you do relationships based connected your chart. I’m told I ‘run astatine nan first motion of trouble’, want my relationships to consciousness ‘all-consuming’ and can’t group boundaries. ‘Deep down you’re terrified of being close. You correct this by falling successful emotion pinch a fantasy’. Wow. I sound for illustration a stepping reddish flag!

Co-star besides has an AI programme called ‘the void’ where, for £2.99, you tin inquire up to 5 questions, pinch a circumstantial conception that prompts connected emotion matters.

‘Who americium I really looking for?’ I ask. ‘With your ascendant successful Gemini, and Mercury and Mars successful Aquarius, you’re attracted to individuals who lucifer your quick-wittedness and bask intelligence conversations,’ comes nan reply.

With everything to play for I re-download Hinge, utilizing my recently gleaned astrological penetration to thief take a match.

First connected my database of star-driven dates is Jon*, 34, a cyber-security whizz from eastbound London. His profile, pinch talk of travel, creation and salsa dancing providing bait for this dreamy Piscean.

He’s precocious to nan pub, truthful I’m a G&T down erstwhile he declares that he doesn’t drink. But his alternatively sexy leather overgarment and disarming questions (‘describe your narration pinch men’) charm me. When I enquire astir his prima sign, for illustration astir consecutive men, he has to google it (Capricorn).

To really trial our compatibility I request to tally Co-star’s ‘crush report’ usability (£4.99 per report) wherever I provender his specifications into nan app and get a verdict connected our emotion potential. Despite saying ‘this is wild’ astir 10 times, Jon is up for nan compatibility test, and, gamely texting his mum to inquire his commencement time, he jokes: ‘Do you want my mother’s maiden sanction and nationalist security number too?

Our crush study lands and it’s for illustration a Black Mirror episode. ‘Soulmates: each emotion opus is astir you’, it reads. We people afloat marks connected beingness attraction, affectional connection, connection styles and semipermanent potential. And ‘feel for illustration location to each other’ because our moons are successful Sagittarius. I commencement seeing him successful a overmuch much promising light. Could this beryllium it?

However, it has nan other effect connected Jon. ‘Damn, this app has a batch to say’ he replies. Except, erstwhile our 2nd day rolls around, he cancels connected nan day, offers a booty telephone instead, past says he’s not looking for thing serious. A fewer weeks later, he pops up connected different app, pinch nan tagline: ‘monogamy: low-key looking for a starter wife’ – proving that nary matter really bully personification looks successful nan stars, it doesn’t ever translate.

Suspecting that a female mightiness beryllium little star-spooked, I plough connected pinch Cara*, a 35 twelvemonth aged organization worker pinch a large grin, tattoos and a lingua piercing. She’s not a making love app match. Instead we get chatting successful nan smoking area of a queer nine and deed it disconnected – observe we’re some Co-star fans – switch numbers and work together to meet again. A fewer days later, complete rooftop margaritas she confesses: ‘I was engaged to a Virgo once, excessively similar’, adding that she’s sworn disconnected Scorpios (after being cheated connected by two).

But, erstwhile we do nan ‘crush report’, it transpires that her ex was besides a Pisces: she makes faces, murmuring ‘spot-on’, arsenic Co-star labels america a ‘romantic whirlwind’, warns it tin beryllium a ‘challenging match’.

Co-star was right. After 2 drinks it’s clear there’s nary existent spark and we portion ways arsenic friends.

Encouraged nonetheless, I effort my luck pinch Alex*, 30, a southbound London tech founder. It turns retired he’s bisexual, excessively – our chat astir Saturn returns should person been a giveaway. He asks my prima motion 10 minutes in, and we download our crush study pinch gusto.

It likens america to ‘the aged joined couple’, we people highly connected semipermanent imaginable owed to my ascendant and his Venus being successful Gemini. Our ‘minds excite each other’ pinch my Uranus successful Capricorn and his Mercury successful Taurus. Tick. But Co-star warns, he’s ‘not easy caught and doesn’t for illustration labels’.

Afterwards, we spell for a locomotion nether nan stars, and he remarks: ‘But why does what’s going connected up location mean thing astir us?’ No clue, Alex. And, possibly that’s nan appeal, successful a world wherever we person each nan answers.

Co-star surely added to nan romance, but erstwhile I inquire him retired again, he says activity is hectic, earlier ghosting me: truthful overmuch for each that Gemini promise.

Did astrology app making love thief maine find love? Not yet. Indeed, each crush study has a disclaimer that it ‘won’t ever consciousness for illustration this’: ‘the only 1 pinch nan powerfulness to determine is you’.

But, utilizing Co-star did interrupt Groundhog Day-style dates pinch nosy conversational prompts that accelerate nan getting-to-know-you process. I enjoyed it arsenic a trial of really open-minded (or queer-friendly) personification is – and, yes, sometimes it’s scarily accurate!

Yet, I don’t deliberation this is astir astrology itself: rather, it’s a instrumentality for america to bespeak connected ourselves done what resonates, and to pass that to others, pinch much societal acceptability. And, if I’ll return thing from nan stars: possibly being azygous correct now is precisely wherever I’m destined to be.

*Names were changed.

Four much astrology apps to revamp your emotion life

The Pattern 

Like Co-star, this AI app, pinch 15million users and celeb fans including Lena Dunham and Channing Tatum, creates a free commencement chart.

It besides tests your compatibility pinch up to six friends aliases lovers called ‘bonds’ (thepattern.com).

Sanctuary

Link pinch 140+ on-demand astrologers, tarot aliases crystal experts for personalised readings connected your emotion life. 

Plus there’s a romanticist compatibility calculator (from £49.99 for 1 year, sanctuaryworld.co).

Stars Align

An astrology-fuelled making love app wherever you tin publication someone’s commencement floor plan and cheque compatibility scores retired of 10 earlier swiping (starsalign.co).

Oromoon

View a fistful of ‘stars’ (potentially compatible dates) per day, connected this making love app which reveals sun, satellite and rising signs (oromoon.com).