Topline
Tinder unveiled a new “Share My Date” feature Monday that will allow users to send date information directly to friends and families—including their parents—through a link, a move the app said will promote “fun” and “safe” dating.
Key Facts
The link provides the details of date plans—including location, date, time, and a photo of the match—which are editable and can be sent up to 30 days before the day of the date.
Tinder users can view the full profile of the match but are unable to interact with it, while non-users are only able to see the match’s photos, name, and age, Philip Fry, VP of Communications at Tinder, told Forbes.
The feature was developed based on user data showing that 51% of singles under 30 already share their date details with friends beforehand, and 18% inform their mothers, according to the company.
“Share My Date” will be released in the coming months across the U.S., U.K., and more than a dozen other countries.
Key Background
Tinder’s new feature arrives as the dating app giant—used by 46% of online daters—faces a drop in new paying users. The number of downloads has declined by more than a third from its peak in 2014. Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, has reported in its 2023 fourth quarter earnings the number of paying Tinder subscribers declined 8% year over year to 10 million.
Tangent
The new feature also comes amid concerns about the potential risks of swiping right—ranging from fraud to harassment to assault. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center report, among all online dating users, 52% believe they’ve encountered a scammer on dating apps, 30% have experienced continued unwanted contact and 6% have faced threats of physical harm. More than half (52%) of Americans remain skeptical about the safety of online dating and 60% endorse mandatory background checks before creating a dating profile. Although the safety impact of the new feature has yet to be measured, users could appreciate the ability to share date details with their trusted network—enabling informal checks and potentially facilitating quicker help if needed.
