Safety first: Tinder introduces new safety features

Today, Tinder is announcing that its members will have further protection against online abuse, with developments to its ‘Does This Bother You?’ and ‘Are You Sure?’ features - widening its categorisation of hate speech, sexual exploitation and harassment. Additionally, Tinder is giving its members more control in-app with the introduction of ‘Incognito Mode’ and ‘Block Profile’ as well as upgrades to member reporting. 

Since day one, Tinder has been focused on delivering experiences that encourage healthy interactions and giving members control over their dating journey. A recent survey reveals that although 98%* of young daters in India said that safety features on dating apps are important for their overall dating experience, 20%* of those surveyed admitted that they aren’t sure about the range of safety features that are available.

Updates to ‘Does This Bother You?’(DTBY?) and ‘Are You Sure?’ (AYS?): 

These features are being updated to include more language that Tinder classifies as harmful or inappropriate, such as terms related to hate speech, sexual exploitation or harassment which are against its Community Guidelines. 

‘Are You Sure?’ steps in before a message is sent in the instance that Tinder detects inappropriate language, defined by being overtly sexual or violent, reducing the sending of these messages by more than 10%**. This tool is aimed to help Tinder members pause and consider their actions. According to a Tinder survey, more than half (56%*) adult Indian singles say that features which help to promote good behaviour on dating apps are helpful in making the online dating experience safe.

While on the flipside, ‘Does This Bother You?’ encourages members to report inappropriate conversations and take action against members who choose to break the rules. Since its launch, this feature increased reporting of messages with harmful language by 46%**.

“Every touchpoint in Tinder has been built with safety in mind, but we’ve heard from members that they aren’t always aware of what safety features currently exist, how to use them, or how to approach staying safe when they take a conversation off the app,” said Rory Kozoll, VP of Product, Integrity at Tinder. ”We continually work with expert partners to expand our safety features, and to inform our efforts to help those entering online dating to form healthy relationships from the start. Through education and information, our goal is to make Tinder the safest place to meet new people online.”

New features, more control:

Tinder introduced the concept of mutual matching, requiring both daters to Like each other before initiating a conversation, which several other dating apps and platforms have followed and is now the industry standard. Additionally, Tinder does not allow photos to be sent directly in chats, which makes it impossible to share sexually explicit images when messaging. 

As part of Tinder’s continual effort to lead the dating industry in safety product innovation, Tinder is releasing new features that add to the ways members can control how they engage with others in the app:

• Incognito Mode***: Incognito Mode is a step up from fully hiding your profile. Members can still Like and Nope in the app, but only those whom they’ve Liked will see them in their recommendations. Take complete control over who sees you while scrolling through profiles on Tinder. 

• Block Profile: Block Profile is an important step to give members the option to choose who they want to see on Tinder. Now, when profiles are suggested, before matching, members can block them so they don’t show up again. It’s an easy way to avoid seeing a boss or an ex. This new feature comes in addition to Block Contacts and blocking following making a report. 

Last year Tinder redesigned its reporting process with guidance from RAINN, giving its members more agency over what step they want to take next - whether it’s making a formal report or unmatching. With the introduction of ‘Long Press Reporting’ this has further evolved: 

• Long Press Reporting: Tinder wants it to be as easy as possible for members to report bad behavior. 58%* young daters in India said that reporting features that help them alert inappropriate behaviour are helpful to use dating apps safely. Long press reporting lets people tap and hold offensive messages, launching the reporting flow directly in the chat experience. By simplifying this flow, Tinder hopes more members will report bad behavior, allowing it to take appropriate action against accounts that violate the Community Guidelines and terms of use. 

Tinder has significantly invested in trust and safety product development over the last three years, bringing its total trust and safety feature suite to more than 15 innovations, leading the category. Tinder doesn’t assume to know it all, which is why the app actively enlists leading partners, such as NO MORE, RAINN and GLAAD in the US and Yuvaa, Love Matters India, GAYSI  in India to advise and guide work in the safety space and ensure best-in-class safety features and policies are implemented.

These latest Trust & Safety updates come as an extension to Match Group’s recent romance fraud awareness campaign and the release of Tinder’s Consent and Safe Dating Campaign developed by Yuvaa enabling young adults to access appropriate information and a safe space to have a healthy discourse on the subject. These initiatives aim to educate singletons on how to date safer and help stay protected.