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 recent survey by Tinder, 28%* of young adults are aware of the safety features available, but have never used them, 29%* are aware of them and have used them once or twice, and 20%* are not sure about the range of safety features that are available. But look no further - know about the top Tinder safety feature and get started now:
Tinder allows you to start a conversation only when you have mutually swiped right on each other. Both parties must express mutual interest before you can chat. So cheer up and forget about unsolicited messages from strangers.
Pro tip: Keeping conversations on the Tinder platform is a great (and safe) idea as it only allows texts, emojis and video calls so don’t worry about receiving any unwanted pictures. Be cautious and alert if your match tries to move the conversation to phone calls or other apps right away - they could be trying to bypass Tinder’s Safe Message Filters.
One common mistake a lot of us make while creating a profile is oversharing personal information like email address or phone number. This is when Tinder’s Bio Guidance comes handy! It is an additional step to ensure you understand what’s acceptable on Tinder while also helping protect your personal information. The feature removes all sensitive information from your bio, lets you know why and gives you another shot at writing your bio.
Worried about fake profiles? You can have more trust that they really look like their pics with Tinder's Photo Verification feature. You can even choose to only see people who are already Photo Verified (identified through a blue tick against their name), thanks to Tinder Explore.
With Tinder's in-app video calling feature, you can start a video call with your match directly on the app! So what are you waiting for? Get ready to meet your match face to face digitally, verify if they are genuine and better assess whether the chemistry is there before meeting them IRL.
It’s fairly simple to swipe left to reject and swipe right to match. But what if you swiped right too soon? Tinder has got you covered. You can unmatch someone at any time for any reason. Once unmatched, that person will no longer appear in your match list or message list. And if it is something more serious, you can also report them once you have unmatched.
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 recently 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.
Don’t want to see your boss, ex or family member while swiping? Block Contacts allows you to block personal contacts you would rather not see, nor be seen by within the app. Block Profile, a new addition to the safety features portfolio, is another important step to give you the option to choose who you want to see on Tinder. When profiles are suggested, before matching, you can block them so they don’t show up again.
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%.
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 recently 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.
If you identify yourself as belonging from the LGBTQIA+ community and are traveling IRL or using Tinder’s Passport feature to swipe in a country with laws that penalise the community, you are alerted and given a choice to opt out before your profile is shown in the area.
Tinder can be a great way to meet people, but safety comes first. To learn more about these features and how they work, you can also check out the Safety Center, an interactive feature built right into the app that offers all kinds of local resources, articles, tips, quizzes, and information about safety and privacy features. You can access it anytime from your settings or through the safety shield that appears when you're chatting.
*Research conducted by One Poll - survey of 1,000 Indian young adults (18-25) across pan-India.
