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Guardian Soulmates to close next month
Image source, Getty Images
The Guardian is closing its online dating service Guardian Soulmates because it is "no longer viable".
The service, which has about 35,000 free members and paid subscribers, will close at the end of June, it said.
The "online dating landscape has changed dramatically" since it launched in 2004, it added - making it a "very little fish in a very big pool".
The 15 years since its launch has seen the growth of global dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and Bumble.
Guardian Soulmates said on its website: "There are so many dating apps now, so many ways to meet people, which are often free and very quick.
"To keep up with the changing times we'd need to invest heavily in new technology and develop a new way of operating, and it's just not viable."
Membership to the site is free, but it has seen about a 40% fall in the number of paid subscribers - with access to advanced search and messaging options - over the past six years.
Former users took to Twitter to thank the site for helping them find their partners.
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Others shared their slightly less romantic experiences.
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Guardian Soulmates said the service had helped many of the newspaper's readers "find love and form lasting relationships".
"We want to say thank you to everyone who has participated in Soulmates and has been part of a like-minded community of people looking for love," it said.
It said it was contacting its members.
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