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With the new feature Tinder Matchmaker, the dating app allows users to invite others to recommend matches.
Gone are the days of sending your friends or even your mother screenshots and links to the social media accounts of potential Tinder matches you’ve sleuthed. So, too, are the days of handing your phone to a friend so they can swipe for you. Now, your friends and family can weigh in directly in the app.
On Monday, Tinder announced the rollout of Tinder Matchmaker, a new feature that allows users to invite others to review their potential matches, whether they have a Tinder profile or not. To spread the word about the new feature, the app partnered with rapper Coi Leray.
“Handing your phone over to the friend group was the original vibe check. Obviously, you want your friends to like whoever you’re crushing on, and Tinder Matchmaker is a fun way to get the bestie seal of approval even before the match.” Leray said in a release.
In a video ad for the new feature, Leray is the “Matchmaking Monarch,” presiding over a futuristic court of suitors for a friend, along with a group of “royal” subjects there to assist. As the queen, Leray gives her honest opinion of each potential suitor, swiping them away at the slightest indication of a red flag before finally landing on one she thinks is the right match (a man with a bed frame and a headboard). That is essentially how the new feature is supposed to play out.
According to the release, users can activate a Tinder Matchmaker session directly from a profile card or within the app’s settings. Users will be given a unique link they can send to up to 15 people per 24-hour period. Their invited matchmakers will have 24 hours to “play Cupid” before their session expires. When the session finally expires, users can see who their network has recommended for them. The user can then either take their suggestions and send those users a like or swipe left.
This new feature was devised after a Tinder user survey showed that over 75% of the app’s users consult friends and family about their dating life.
“For years, singles have asked their friends to help find their next match on Tinder, and now we’re making that so easy with Tinder Matchmaker,” Tinder’s chief marketing officer Melissa Hobley said in the release. “Tinder Matchmaker 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.”
Tinder Matchmaker also arrives amid increased scrutiny around user safety on dating apps. In February, Tinder rolled out an incognito safety feature available to Tinder +, gold, and premium members, allowing users to almost wholly control who sees their profile. However, in August, Tinder ended its relationship with its main safety partner, Garbo, which worked to provide background checks on users for the app. In September, the app introduced Tinder Select, a new membership plan for $499 a month (yes, really) that, among other “privileges,” allows users to bypass matching with someone before messaging them.
While the membership program was called out early on for its potential to be problematic for users, especially women, Tinder told Women’s Day magazine that “those who are granted access to the feature go through a screening process and that users can opt out of receiving messages from Tinder Select members.”
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