Upon its release, "Adore You" received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who praised its production and Styles' vocals.

Filmed in Scotland, the high-concept visuals depict Styles as an outcast in the fictional island of Eroda, where he befriends a gold-dappled fish and takes care of it.

[5] At NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert, Styles revealed that the song is "kind of similar to what 'Watermelon Sugar' is about – that initial excitement of meeting someone.

"[5][6][25] On 20 November 2019, a Twitter account with the username "@visiteroda", which was launched in October, tweeted the post "The Isle of Eroda's rich history is embedded in daily life as the ruins of many structures from the past remain standing across the land.

"[26] Shortly after, a website was set up for the place and advertisements were posted on Facebook and Google in which the island of Eroda was promoted and questions from fellow Twitter users were answered.

[26][27][28][29] On 2 December, Styles officially announced the title and release date of the single on his social media, with Eroda being the main focus of its music video.

[36] The song was included in the setlist of his one-night concert at The Forum, Los Angeles on 13 December, to commemorate the release of his second album.

[38] "Adore You" was again included as a part of the five-song set which Styles performed at the Music Hall of Williamsburg for Sirius XM and Pandora Radio's secret session on 28 February.

[39] On 16 March 2020, Styles performed the song on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert, alongside "Cherry", "Watermelon Sugar", and "To Be So Lonely".

[40] This song is featured on Just Dance 2021 and as a DLC in Fuser, as one of the first DLCs released on November 19, 2020,[41] alongside Groove Is in the Heart by Deee-Lite and Inside Out by Zedd & Griff.

In her review for The New York Times, Lindsay Zoladz regarded the song as an album highlight and wrote, "It's the one in which past and present coalesce most seamlessly, its playful psychedelia streamlined into sleek modern hit-making," while also praising Styles' vocal range and high notes in the track's chorus.

[42] On the other hand, Emma Swann, of DIY magazine likened the song's musical style to the works of British–American musician Mark Ronson.

[18] Reviewing for Clash, Susan Hansen favoured the "mesmeric" pop and soul elements of the song which suited praised Styles' "soft, fully projected" vocals.

[9] MTV's Madeline Roth likened the song to Styles' previous single, "Watermelon Sugar" and wrote that the "funky, synthy new tune is a tale of lust and devotion.

Club, Annie Zaleski called the song "velvety soul" and "luxurious" like Styles' previous single "Lights Up".

[12] Rhian Daly of NME gave a mixed review and wrote that the song "does little to differentiate itself from being any other slice of generic chart fodder.

[48][49] In July 2024, the single was awarded a triple platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 1,800,000 units.

[67] The following week, the song climbed to number seven, making it Styles' third top ten, tying with "Lights Up" as his second highest-charting single there.

[69] In April 2020, the song was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for track-equivalent sales of 140,000 units.

[70] In New Zealand, the song peaked at number six on the issue dated 23 December 2019, and has since been certified platinum by the Recorded Music NZ.

[83][84] In December 2020, the song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for track-equivalent sales of three million units.

[95][100] Over the course of the clip, the fish rapidly grows larger in size and has to be placed from small kettles to transparent backpacks, and eventually in a big tank, supported on wagon wheels.

"[100] Writing for Elle, Savannah Walsh praised the visual for its "high-concept scenarios" and regarded it as "Wes Anderson-meets-The Shape of Water" tale which has a "Twilight Zone-like twist.

"[102] Labelling the visual "cheeky, weird and magical," Brenna Ehrlich of Rolling Stone likened its story-line and concept to Harry Nilsson's animated film The Point!, and lauded Styles' ability for "elevating a good pop song to something closer to absurdist art.