Tinder

Probably the dating app most synonymous with the term, Tinder is a household name. Launched in 2012 by Sean Rad, Justin Mateen, Jonathan Badeen, Joe Munoz, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and Chris Gylczynski before merging with Match Group in 2017, Tinder put swiping on the map. Here's everything you need to know about the app Tinder says 50 million people use each month.

Meet Our Experts

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

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.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features
 

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.

Headshot of a Black man
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments
 

Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.

In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].

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Tabitha Britt
Freelance Writer

Tabitha Britt is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and SEO/AEO strategist. Aside from reviewing dating apps and sex toys for Mashable, Tabitha is also the founding editor-in-chief of DO YOU ENDO — a digital magazine by individuals with endometriosis, for individuals with endometriosis. She has a Master's degree in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism from The New School for Social Research and is a grad of Sextech School. You can find more of her work in various online publications, including National Geographic, Glamour, Better Homes & Gardens, and Everyday Health.

More Tinder - Page 4

5 things you can't do on Tinder
By Rachel Thompson
5 things you can't do on Tinder
How to use Tinder's new Explore feature
By Anna Iovine
How to use Tinder's new Explore feature
Tinder to make ID verification available worldwide
By Anna Iovine
Tinder to make ID verification available worldwide
How to verify your Tinder profile
By Rachel Thompson
How to verify your Tinder profile
Tinder is about to look more like TikTok and Snapchat
By Anna Iovine
Tinder is about to look more like TikTok and Snapchat
More couples — and singles — want threesomes this summer
By Anna Iovine
More couples — and singles — want threesomes this summer
Tinder will now let you block phone contacts from showing up in your feed
By Alex Perry
Tinder will now let you block phone contacts from showing up in your feed
Tinder releases 'Are You Sure?' feature to stop harmful messages before they happen
By Anna Iovine
Tinder releases 'Are You Sure?' feature to stop harmful messages before they happen
Tinder launches Vibes to give matches a chance to check their compatibility
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder launches Vibes to give matches a chance to check their compatibility
Done with Tinder? Try one of these 6 alternatives
By Jules Suzdaltsev
Done with Tinder? Try one of these 6 alternatives
Tinder says the future of dating is more honest and fluid
By Anna Iovine
Tinder says the future of dating is more honest and fluid
Tinder will give 500 lucky matches free COVID tests
By Anna Iovine
Tinder will give 500 lucky matches free COVID tests
Tinder will soon let you get background checks on your matches
By Amanda Yeo
Tinder will soon let you get background checks on your matches
Tinder sees massive rise in mentions of 'courting' and 'flirting' in bios
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder sees massive rise in mentions of 'courting' and 'flirting' in bios
The stock market, explained by my Tinder matches
By Morgan Sung
The stock market, explained by my Tinder matches
Tinder's Ghosting Graveyard helps you craft a text to the person you ghosted
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder's Ghosting Graveyard helps you craft a text to the person you ghosted
Tinder finally rolls out video dating to global users
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder finally rolls out video dating to global users
HOTorNOT: The forgotten website that shaped the internet
By Jess Joho
HOTorNOT: The forgotten website that shaped the internet
Tinder launches apocalyptic Swipe Night experience in the UK and around the world
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder launches apocalyptic Swipe Night experience in the UK and around the world
Tinder slammed over mysterious premium pricing, transparency and data use concerns
By Caitlin Welsh
Tinder slammed over mysterious premium pricing, transparency and data use concerns
Tinder user seems to have uncovered a new 'Platinum' paid tier the app is testing
By Anna Iovine
Tinder user seems to have uncovered a new 'Platinum' paid tier the app is testing
Tinder users still getting banned after showing support for Black Lives Matter
By Anna Iovine
Tinder users still getting banned after showing support for Black Lives Matter
Tinder is finally testing in-app video calls months into social distancing
By Anna Iovine
Tinder is finally testing in-app video calls months into social distancing
Tinder is making its 'Orientation' feature global and you can list up to 3
By Rachel Thompson
Tinder is making its 'Orientation' feature global and you can list up to 3
Tinder pulls global launch of apocalypse show 'Swipe Night,' which is a little too real right now
By Caitlin Welsh
Tinder pulls global launch of apocalypse show 'Swipe Night,' which is a little too real right now
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