When on a dating app, you get a like, what is the first thing you do? Rush to your best friends to ask them what they think of the “liker’s” profile? Tinder just made things easier for you. The app has rolled out a feature called Matchmaker which allows the user’s family and friends to access the online dating service, and recommend profiles for them. This feature has been launched in 15 countries, including India.
“For years, singles have asked their friends to help find their next match on Tinder, and now we are making that so easy with Matchmaker. It brings your circle of trust into your dating journey and helps you see the possibilities you might be overlooking from the perspective of those closest to you,” Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer, Tinder, said in a statement. It’s like “arranged dating.”
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This new feature will aid singles in vetting potential matches with the help of friends and family. As a Tinder user, you can share the unique link of a profile with friends and family for up to 15 members at the same time, and it remains active for 24 hours. Matchmakers can then either log in to their Tinder account or join as a guest to access the user’s profile to play Cupid. However, these users will not be able to send messages or chat with the profile.
The Why Behind It
Matchmakers can then make recommendations, allowing Tinder users to make the final call based on the responses from friends and family. According to Tinder, this feature has been developed based on a survey that suggests “75 percent of singles said they discuss their dating life with friends multiple times a month.” The Matchmaker feature acts like a virtual friend test.
Upon researching the Indian youth patterns, the company made the following observations:
- 37% of users have swiped for a friend, and 28% had a friend swipe for them.
- 41% of young singles have been on a dating app, with a friend looking through their profiles together.
- 54% have asked friends for advice on profile pictures and bios on dating apps.
How To Use
Currently functional in 15 countries, including India, Tinder Matchmaker will be launched globally in the coming months. Other countries where it can be accessed are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, UK, USA, and Vietnam.
Here’s how it works:
(1) A session can be started on a profile card, or within the app settings.
(2) You can share your ‘unique link’ with up to 15 people in a 24-hour period.
(3) After following the link, the matchmaker can either log into Tinder or continue as a guest.
(4) The matchmaker has 24 hours to recommend profiles for their friend; they, however, cannot chat or send messages on the latter’s behalf.
(5) After the session expires, the Tinder user can review the recommended profiles.
(6) Profiles ‘liked’ by a matchmaker will be marked as a ‘recommendation.’
(7) The final call, however, remains with the user.
Privacy Concerns Answered
As per the report by BBC, dating experts have expressed concerns about potential privacy issues arising from this new tool. Sarah Louise Ryan, a dating expert, and matchmaker, voiced her apprehension, highlighting that sharing one’s profile digitally with others could pose privacy risks. However, she also acknowledged that Tinder has generally maintained a strong track record regarding data privacy.
In a separate statement to the BBC, Tinder explained that users have the option to choose not to have their profiles displayed in the Matchmaking feature. “You can opt out of your profile being shown in the Matchmaker experience, end all active Matchmaker sessions, or invite friends to be your Matchmaker via Settings,” the company said.
This was a much-needed upgrade in the dating app’s features repository. It loops in the user’s friends and family to assist them in making the ideal choice. Let’s see how many users benefit from the Tinder Matchmaker feature to find their true love.
