Tinder wants your friends and family to play matchmaker for you

It may sound very traditional, but Tinder thinks there is some value to be had by those looking for a date through recommendations from friends and family.

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The feature makes modern dating a team sport by essentially integrating the “friend test” into Tinder. (Mika Baumeister/Unsplash)

It may sound very traditional, but Tinder thinks there is some value to be had by those looking for a date to get recommendations from friends and family. Yes, Tinder has just rolled out a feature that will allow your pals and kin to actually recommend someone they think can be a suitable date or partner for you. Will it work? The logic being that since your friends and family know you best, they are eminently qualified to find a suitable match for you. If nothing else, they certainly passed the friend test and now it is up to you to prove them right, or wrong!

Tinder says, "New feature lets besties and grandmas alike act as your personal Cupid by recommending potential matches directly in the app."

Hold on! This is not a mere flight of fancy, it is rooted in facts actually. Consider this - in India, hosting a dating life debrief with friends is a time honored tradition, so much so that over 75% of surveyed singles said they discuss their dating life with friends multiple times a month.

To assist today's singles and their dating deliberators in deeming if someone is worthy has led Tinder to launch the Tinder Matchmaker feature. The new feature lets friends and family asynchronously access Tinder to recommend profiles for a user.

The feature makes modern dating a team sport by essentially integrating the “friend test” into Tinder. Users can now invite others, whether they have a Tinder profile or not, to view and suggest potential matches. It gives Tinder users the added intel of seeing who their friends “Like” for them when considering a potential match. 

Not convinced? Check out these facts.

• According to a survey by Tinder, GenZ across India are no stranger to letting their friends swipe on dating apps on their behalf.
• Over a third (37%) have swiped for a friend, and close to a third (28%) have had their friends swipe for them
• 41% young singles in India said they have been on a dating app with a friend looking through profiles together
• More than half (54%) admit to having asked their friend for their advice on profile pictures and bios for dating apps.

Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder said, “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."

How to use Tinder Matchmaker:

• A Tinder Matchmaker session can be started directly from a profile card, or within app settings. Users can share their unique link with up to 15 friends in a 24 hour period.
• After following the link, the matchmaker can either log in to Tinder or continue as a guest.
• Matchmakers have 24 hours to play Cupid before the session expires, where they can recommend profiles for the Tinder user but won't be able to chat or send messages on their behalf.
• Once the session expires, Tinder users will have the opportunity to review the profiles their matchmakers' Like for them. Profiles that received a Like from a matchmaker will be marked as a “recommendation”.
• The Tinder user still makes the final call on who to Like - but now knows who their friends are rooting for.

Is it available in your region? 

If you live anywhere in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and Vietnam, you can access the feature. In the coming months, the rest of the globe is likely to get it too.