TECH NEWS: Blind dates and background checks – All about Tinder’s newest releases

Tinder is one of those apps that never lose popularity, or at least it appears to be that way.

Tinder was not immune to the pandemic and according to the interview that Tinder’s CEO gave to BBC, the pandemic had thrown people off the linear dating trajectory, which, in principle, involved swiping, matching, meeting for a date, and having a relationship. According to Tinder’s CEO, its signature swiping method approach to match-making appeared to be no longer sufficient to satisfy singles used to lockdown dating.

Their data showed that gradually, during the lockdown, the average number of sent messages per day increased by 19% compared to the numbers they were seeing before the pandemic, and the average length of conversations individuals were having over the app increased by 32%. Additionally, almost 50% of Gen Z users have started having video chat dates, and a third of them increased time spent doing virtual activities together, rather than taking things offline.

To keep up with the rules dictated more or less by the pandemic, Tinder rolled out a number of new features, thus expanding its toolset to allow for a more multidimensional version of the users to include in their presentation of self. This included the option to add videos to profiles and to search for modes in a so-called “explore-hub” in order to tailor the type of profiles one wants to see, for instance, allowing them to search for individuals who are pet-owners.

The most recent features Tinder introduced in February and March 2022 were “Blind Date” and “Background Check”, and we will tell you all about them.

The “Blind Date” feature

This feature was rolled in February and it switches up the famous dating app’s swiping left or right based on the users’ appearance and a short description to chatting with them before you can actually see what they look like.

Blind Date is one of the additions to the app’s Fast Chat lineup, which features different in-app experiences, such as Hot Takes and Swipe night. If you are unfamiliar with Tinder’s said feature, don’t worry – we’ll break it all down for you. After you enter “Hot Takes”, a multiple-choice question will pop up on your screen asking you and a potential match about a current trend or event. Once you submit your answers and see each other’s answers, you will get the chance to chat with that person for a limited, pre-set amount of time. Swipe Night, on the other hand, is usually described as an interactive in-app event, which allows its users an alternative way to break the ice besides just matching and chatting. The Swipe Night story is a first-person adventure where at key turning points, users get to decide what happens next.

During Swipe Night, you enter the mystery corner of Tinder, or at least an even more mysterious one. This is where you will face moral dilemmas and practical choices with just 7 seconds to decide what your next move will be. After each Swipe Night episode, your choices are saved and added to your profile, showing which decisions you did or didn’t make so that your potential matches can get to know you a bit better.

The Blind Date feature makes a great addition to all these interesting situations where you can get to know someone better and prioritize personality over looks, at least for a moment.

With the Blind Date feature, users are paired based on everything that they have in common, their answer prompts, and game playing. If both users make a call to match, the option to see each other’s photos will finally appear.

During the beta testing phase, Tinder’s data suggested that users who used the Blind Date feature made over 40% more matches compared to just using other Fast Chat features that include profiles and images, thus promoting someone’s chances of meeting someone they would normally overlook.

The “Background Check”

We have all heard of or even seen the notorious “Tinder Swindler” story that was released early this year on Netflix. So, the good news for all Tinder users in the US is that they will now be able to run background checks in-app, in order to screen the users they matched with for potentially harmful or violent past behavior patterns. According to The Verge, the checks are performed thanks to Tinder’s partnership with Garbo, a nonprofit that runs online background checks (via TechCrunch).

According to Tinder, each user will have access to two free background check searches and after that, they will have to pay $2.50 along with a small processing fee per transaction, directly funding Garbo’s operations and other search associated fees.

The results that come back after running a background check on Tinder will be relevant to the user’s safety exclusively and will not include certain information, such as loitering and drug possession. Naturally, the results will also exclude the user’s personally identifiable information, such as phone number and address.

Tinder stressed that when one stumbles upon a user who shows a history of violence and harmful behavior on Garbo, they are fully encouraged to file a report on that person to Tinder. The company also noted that a lack of history on a Garbo background check shouldn’t be taken as an absolute guarantee that a user is completely safe and it urges users to follow all safety tips when meeting new people using their platform.

This is Tinder’s latest safety-oriented feature that has been rolled out in the past few years in an attempt to look after its users and their relationships. Last August, the company also added an ID verification feature and has had a blue “verified” check-mark feature since 2020, which notes that a user’s identity has been verified via photo.

One thing is certain, the globally famous swiping app is making great efforts to keep up with the latest trends and ensure the utmost safe experience for its users and we are anxious to see what’s next that Tinder has in store for us!