The reality these days is that no one is going out to meet a date right now (and if you are, remember that it’s best to stay home for your safety and the safety of others). That means like the best online dating sites and apps have to adapt to these strange times of social distancing and isolation.
So starting next week, Tinder will let all its users to swipe around the world, therefore giving them the ability to match with anyone around the world. With many people isolated, staying at home, or simply yearning for company, Tinder hopes that the feature will help people find a "quarantine buddy" (alternately, a "quarantine cutie") to help them ride out the crisis.
This isn't a new feature - those familiar with the app will recognize this ability as the Passport feature, which is usually only available to folks paying for either the Tinder Gold or the Tinder Plus subscriptions. For non-paying users, the feature will be available to use until April 30th.
How does it work? User can simply drag and drop a pin or search by city to start swiping on users in that location.
Tinder CEO Shar Dubey said opening up the feature to all Tinder users will give them “the technology to share, learn and listen to those that are experiencing this same situation in different geographies during an unprecedented period of isolation.”
Tinder surpasses OkCupid, Bumble in downloads
With Tinder being one of the best online dating sites and apps, it's no surprise that the dating platform has been able to maintain through these tough times. But it's not just maintaining - it's exceeding other top dating sites and apps in terms of downloads. According to the analytics platform Sensor Tower, "first-time installs of Tinder were up 13 percent last week in the U.S. compared to the week of March 2, but were down 5 percent worldwide for the same comparison period."
In comparison, it wasn't just worldwide downloads that fell for other sites, but downloads in the U.S. as well.
- Bumble's downloads fell 10 percent in the U.S; 11 percent worldwide
- Hinge downloads fell 7 percent in the U.S; 12 percent worldwide
- OkCupid downloads fell 16 percent in U.S.; 20 percent worldwide.
Staying connected is now more important than ever during these uncertain times, whether it's with loved ones or strangers. However you choose to do that is up to you - as long as you do it from home.
