Tinder is about to look more like TikTok and Snapchat
In the years since the ubiquitous dating app Tinder launched in 2012, its interface has stayed largely the same.
Until now.
Today Tinder is launching a slew of new features to serve Gen Z, which accounts for more than half of their users according to their press release. With the introduction of video and an Explore page, the app is going to look a lot more like TikTok and Snapchat.
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
Let's breakdown the features:
Videos in profiles
Tinder wants to "bring the main character energy" to the app, invoking a popular TikTok meme, by adding the ability for users to put videos on their profiles. They say this is part of making Tinder a "multi-dimensional experience."
Users will be able to crop and upload videos as they are currently only able to with photos.
A social experience called 'Hot Takes'
Hot Takes jumps off of Tinder's experiential Swipe Night, an interactive choose-your-own-adventure game within the app, and Vibes, a question-and-answer game to test your compatibility with other users. More than 20 million Tinder users participated in Swipe Night while Vibes led to more matches and Likes, which led to developers wanting to create similar events.
Hot Takes is Tinder's newest iteration of this type of social experience — and the first time members can chat before matching (at least besides Platinum members, who are able to send a message before matching). When playing, users will message someone else before they match about, what else, their hot takes. The game is timed and players have a chance to match with each other or let the timer run out and have the game restart with someone new.
Tinder adds an Explore page
For the first time, Tinder has introduced an entirely new section — and a new way to match with people — with the Explore page. The mockup looks more like Snapchat's Discover than Instagram's Explore. Here, members can see potential matches who share similar interests (or passions, as they're called on Tinder) and see different aspects of the app like Festival Mode or the new Chef's Mode, where users who love cooking can show off their skills.
In-app events like Hot Takes will also live in the Explore section when it launches later this summer.
Gen Z may now be the majority of Tinder's users, but they were too young to even be on the app when it launched nine years ago. As a younger generation of daters head to the app, Tinder wants to offer features that align with their values in order to stay at the forefront.
2020 was Tinder's busiest year ever, in no small part due to the pandemic. Time will tell if these new features encourage even more messages and matches.
Related Video: We asked over 1,000 people about their post-COVID dating plans
Topics Tinder
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
