That is why I quit dating apps. I had a few good dates, but it ultimately trashed my self-esteem. To deal with this, I focus on speed-dating, which doesn't have the same emotional toll on me.
I'm in 2 minds about the way dating apps work these days.
On the one hand, being constantly nagged to unlock other ways of accessing other people on the apps makes online dating feel kind of stalky. Like you're paying someone to find out where someone is going to be so you can hit on them 🤔
OTOH having premium features people can pay for means they have a revenue model other than ads. Although that doesn't guarantee they're not datafarming us anyway.
