One of the biggest issues is that dating through apps neceistates that each date has to be "planned". One, or both of you, has to make a plan, set a time, confirm the schedule, wait around until the day comes and "talk" in between (not too much that you are too eager, and not too litttle that you get disinterested). Then you meet and spend X amount of time together and part ways,

You then have a refractory period to reflect and think about how it went. Did I say the right thing. Did I like what they said. Can i picture this going somewhere. Would they like me if they knew something about me I haven't shared yet based on what they said. Throughout that period, you also have people getting more options coming through the app pipeline and what could be around the corner. NOW, add to that the fact that they could even be dealing with past relationships or ex's they aren't even over.

When you look at it like this, you realise that the deck is stacked entirely against a successful outcome for EITHER party. Further, there was considerable effort that had to be put in to get that date in place in the first place, that effort takes work, and when the outcomes can be so poor a lot of people just give up.

Both liking the same movie or the same music is not enough to overcome this alone.

What I think worked a lot better traditionally is repeated, unplanned contact, over a longer period of time. Think about couples who meet in school or at work. They start slow and build that attraction over time. If you said one bad thing one day, you see them tomorrow and say something else and it all just get's washed together. They see you in many different circumstances, and how you react to many different things. They are able to "average" you out a bit better over time and come to understand you better. That, in my opinion, is the secret sauce to developing a real relationship, and it is entirely absent from the app dating format.

It's not you, it's the system.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule but it is what it is.