How to block your ex on Tinder
There are plenty of reasons why seeing a former flame in your Tinder feed isn't exactly a desirable situation — maybe they broke your heart, or perhaps you broke theirs. Or it could be just that you'd like to swipe away with abandon without the worry of seeing the face of someone you'd rather cross the street to avoid.
Regardless of your reasons, there is a way to make things a little easier on yourself while you put yourself out there in the online dating world. Tinder recently introduced a new feature that allows you to block contacts using their mobile numbers to prevent that individual from showing up in your stack of swiping contenders. If you'd like to know how to remove your ex from your entire digital life (we've all been there), here's a great how-to guide by Mashable's Anna Iovine.
As you might have gleaned, it doesn't strictly need to be an ex you're blocking — it could be your boss, your colleague, or even just members of your own family.
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So, how do you use the Block Contacts feature?
- 5 minutes
- Tinder account
Step 1: Go to your settlings in the Tinder app.
Scroll down until you see the "Block contacts" option.
Step 2: Next, you'll be asked if you'd like to grant Tinder access to your contacts.
Click "OK".
Step 3: Select the contact you'd like to prevent from showing up as a potential match.
You can also press the + button to manually add a number you'd like to block.
It's worth noting that the person doesn't need to be currently on Tinder for them to be blocked. It can prevent a future possibility of them appearing in your pile of possible matches if that person ever decides to download Tinder.
Now that's done, you can breathe a deep sigh of relief and get back to looking for your next flame.
This article was first published in 2021 and republished in 2023.
Topics Tinder
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
