It’s a common belief that the approval of friends and family matters in romantic relationships.
Now, the dating app Tinder is expanding on this idea by allowing the friends and family of users to propose potential matches.
With the Tinder Matchmaker feature, users can grant temporary access to their accounts for 24 hours, allowing others to suggest likes.
Tinder: Let Friends and Family Assist You in Finding the Right Match
Tinder promotes this as making dating a collaborative effort, but a dating expert cautioned that privacy concerns may arise.
In real life, it’s not unusual to discuss swipes or potential matches with friends or even let someone else handle swipes on your phone for a bit.
The Matchmaker feature shares profiles with a user’s chosen group of people, allowing them to review and offer their opinions.
This group has the ability to provide recommendations but cannot directly like or reject potential matches.
Initially, the feature will be introduced in 15 countries, such as the UK, the US, and Australia, before expanding globally in the coming months.
Dating expert and matchmaker Sarah Louise Ryan expresses her concern about the new feature, specifically the sharing of one person’s profile with others digitally.
Tinder’s Ongoing Efforts to Enhance Data Privacy
This feature allows up to 15 individuals to view a profile without requiring them to log into Tinder.
Sarah Louise Ryan, a dating expert and matchmaker, expressed her concern, stating that many of her clients seek her services for the sake of confidentiality. She mentioned that while dating app users are generally comfortable leaving a digital trail, they do so with potential matches, not with a group of unknown individuals.
However, she acknowledged that Tinder has generally maintained a good track record regarding data privacy.
Tinder informed the BBC, saying, “You can choose to opt out of having your profile displayed in the Matchmaker experience, conclude ongoing Matchmaker sessions, or invite friends to act as your Matchmaker through Settings.”
In 2016, the company announced its intention to reevaluate its data privacy policies following allegations of collecting users’ private data without explicit consent.
In February 2023, Tinder introduced an “incognito mode” exclusively for paying subscribers, allowing them to display their profiles only to those they’ve already liked.
Ms. Ryan noted that matchmaking for friends and family is a common practice in various communities, having experience with Jewish and Sikh clients herself. She remarked that entrusting one’s quest for love to others is not an unfamiliar concept.
She added that outsiders may offer a more objective perspective on potential matches, although an excessive number of opinions could potentially cloud one’s judgment.
It’s worth mentioning that the dating app Hinge had a similar feature in 2017 but has since discontinued it. Hinge has been under full ownership of Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, since 2019.
On the other hand, rival dating app Bumble allows users to share individual profiles with friends outside of the app.
Tinder has been contacted for a response.
