Tinder is a geosocial networking platform that was founded and established in America. It is a virtual dating app that enables users to privately swipe to like or dislike profiles based on certain factors. These factors include their photos, bio and mutual interests. When a pair of users are matched, they can text each other.
Tinder was founded eight years ago. It is currently available in multiple languages. The app runs across different operating systems like iOS, Android, and web.
The app was launched in startup incubator Hatch labs as a jointly-run venture between mobile application development from Xtreme labs and IAC. 2 years after its inception, Tinder was recording roughly a billion swipes daily.
It began by letting users sign up with just a phone number in August 2019. It can be accessed through a mobile application (for phones) or a web browser (for computers). Registration on Tinder demands the use of a mobile device.
Tinder runs on a business model that provides basic features for free but attach a fee to advanced or special services and features.
Tinder Features
- Swipe: Swipe is the focal point of Tinder’s design. The app’s algorithm provides users with the options of swiping towards the right to “like” possible matches and swiping towards the left to move on with their search for compatible matches
- Messaging: Messaging is another prominent and commonly used feature. Once a user is matched with another user, they will be able to send and receive text messages from each other on the app
- Instagram integration: Instagram integration is a feature on Tinder that gives users access to other users’ Instagram profiles
- Common connections: Common connections enable users to find out whether they have a mutual friend on Facebook with a match. This is a first-degree linking on Tinder. There is also a connection where a user and their match have two distinct friends who are friends. This is considered a second-degree connection on Tinder
- Tinder gold: Tinder Gold was launched globally in August 2017. It is a paid subscription feature that enables the user to view those who have already liked them before swiping
- Panic button: The panic button was launched in the US from January 2020. This feature will contain emergency aid, location tracking, and photo authentication
- Paid subscriptions: In March 2015, Tinder launched its paid service, Tinder Plus. It is a feature enabling limitless matches, while the free Tinder app restricts the number of right swipes within 12 hours. This restriction has been deemed controversial due to its limit on the number of “likes” a free user can give within a certain period. Tinder Plus also charges various fees for multiple age groups.
The fee for a Tinder Plus subscription was £14.99/US$19.99 monthly for users above the age of 28, while the service for a user aged 28 and below was £3.99/US$9.99 monthly.
Users
Tinder users’ age demographic in 2015:
- 16 – 24 (38%)
- 25 – 34 (45%)
- 35 – 44 (13%)
- 45 – 54 (3%)
- 55 – 64 (1%)
Tinder is popular and commonly used across the world, and it is available in over 40 languages. During late 2014, an approximate of about 50 million people made use of the app monthly.
The lowest age-eligible to register and use Tinder was 18. During June 2016, Tinder was no longer accessible to anyone under the age of 18.
Underage people were banned when caught using Tinder, and the ban lasted till they reached 18. During April 2015, Tinder users swiped across a total of 1.6 billion profiles and recorded over 26 million matches daily. Since the inception and launch of Tinder 8 years ago, it has attained over 8 billion matches.
User behaviour
As at June 2015, 62% of Tinder users were male and 38% were female. David Buss, Psychologist at the University of Texas, stated that apps such as Tinder and OkCupid offer users the impression that they are numerous possible mates.
One perspective on this is the effect it has on the psyche of men. Once an abundance of women is perceived, the entire matching system is likely to lean towards ephemeral dating. There is also the feeling of being detached when selecting potential partners.
