Indian singles are on dating apps, both head and heart first looking to make new connections. But before they do, Tinder wants to remind them that safety comes first – non-negotiable! Although you can't control the actions of others, there are steps you can take thanks to some nifty features to help stay safe during your Tinder experience.

According to a Tinder survey, 98%* of young Indian daters surveyed said that safety features on dating apps are important. Moreover, 56%* of young daters said that features that help promote good behaviour on dating apps are useful. But look no further - know about the top Tinder safety feature and get started now:

Tinder’s Community Guidelines - If you’re honest, kind and respectful to others, you’ll always be welcome on Tinder. If you choose not to be, you may not last. Our goal is to allow users to express themselves authentically as long as it doesn’t offend others. Everyone is held to the same standard. We’re asking you to be considerate, think before you act, and abide by our community guidelines both on and offline. You heard that right: your offline behaviour can lead to termination of your Tinder account.

User Warnings - Recently, Tinder announced advancements to its in-app user warnings to provide additional guidance to users, informing them of inappropriate behavior, as well as offering an immediate opportunity to change their actions moving forward. 

India Safety Centre - Tinder’s Safety Centre is an interactive part of the app that includes local resources, articles, tips, quizzes and information about safety and privacy features. It’s available at any time - from settings and from the safety shield that appears when users are chatting. The Safety Centre was developed in collaboration with the Match Group Advisory Council and additional NGO partners to not only help protect, but also to educate users so they can make more informed choices on the app and IRL.

Bio Guidance - Offering Bio Guidance is an additional step in ensuring users understand what’s acceptable on Tinder while also helping protect their personal information. For instance, one common mistake members make involves including personal information like phone numbers in their profile. Bio Guidance removes these details, and lets members know why and gives them another shot at writing their bio.

Photo Verification  - Once someone has created their Tinder profile, and added their photos during the sign-up process, they are encouraged to utilise Tinder’s Photo Verification feature. Users who verify their profile get a blue tick and are more likely to get a match, too. Within their Message Settings, Photo Verified users can also opt to only receive messages from other Photo Verified users.

Video Selfie  - Video selfie takes Photo Verification to the next level. Until now, users would take still photos while holding a series of static poses, and these photos were compared against others on the user’s profile. Now, if users want to get photo verified they will have to complete a series of video prompts. While no photo verification process is perfect, this helps Tinder keep those blue checkmarks more real.

Video Chat - Tinder’s video chat feature was built with control and comfort as its first priority. The in-app video calling feature allows users to meet digitally, verify their match is genuine and better assess whether the chemistry is there before an IRL date - all without giving out personal contact details. 

Mutual Matching  - To start a conversation, two people must have mutually liked each other, thanks to the Swipe Right feature, meaning nobody is getting unsolicited messages from someone they haven’t expressed interest in.

Does This Bother You? - This feature will ask you ‘Does This Bother You?’ when you receive a potentially offensive message on Tinder. If you respond ‘yes’ to the prompt, you will have the option to report the sender for their behavior. This feature has increased reporting of harassment by 46%.

Are You Sure? - Similar to DTBY, this feature will prompt you ‘Are You Sure?’ if you or the sender are about to share a potentially offensive message. Tinder not only relies on people reporting inappropriate content, it also works to catch it proactively. Egregious behavior and patterns of inappropriate content can result in someone’s removal from Tinder. This feature is reducing potentially harmful messages sent by 10%.

PS: Both Are you Sure? and Does This Bother You? have been 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. 

Block Contacts  - Block Contacts allows users to block personal contacts they’d rather not see nor seen by, in the app – empowering them to confidently “like” their way to new connections while avoiding the awkwardness of a familiar face. Whether those contacts are already on Tinder or decide to download it later using the same contact info, they won’t ever appear as a potential match. 

Block Profile - Block Profile is an important step to give users the option to choose who they want to see on Tinder. Now, when profiles are suggested, before matching, users 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.

Unmatch - Tinder users are able to unmatch or block someone at any time for any reason, whether it wasn’t a good fit or something more serious. Once unmatched, that person will no longer appear in the match list or message list and they won’t be able to see you or message you anymore. Users can report someone they have either chosen to unmatch, or have been unmatched with, at any time.

Reporting - From profiles, media, to conversations, Tinder makes it easy to quickly report accounts. You can report someone directly from a profile or through their match list and can even report someone who has unmatched you. Every report is taken seriously. In addition to its in-app reporting, Tinder also announced long press reporting that lets you tap and hold offensive messages and launches the reporting flow directly in the chat experience, making it even easier to report in-app. 

Traveller Alert  - When LGBTQIA+ users travel IRL or use Tinder’s Passport feature in a country with laws that penalise their community, they are alerted and given a choice to opt out before their profile is shown in the area. Tinder can be a great way to meet people when travelling, but safety comes first.

Incognito Mode - Incognito Mode is a step up from fully hiding your profile. Subscribers 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. 

In 2023, Tinder partnered with Centre for Social Research (CSR) to launch the first-of-its-kind Dating Safety Guide in India, a comprehensive resource aimed to educate users on our Community Guidelines, in-app safety features, and crucial topics like diversity, sexual health, and consent, empowering young adults to navigate the dating landscape safely and responsibly. 

*A study of 1000 18-25 year old singles in India between April - June 2022 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder.

About Tinder

Launched in 2012, Tinder is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people and has been downloaded more than 530 million times. The app is available in 190 countries and 45+ languages.  More than half of all users are 18-25 years old. In 2022, Tinder was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.