Fending Off Weirdos on Dating Apps? Tinder Now Lets You Go Incognito

Want to keep the creepers and fishing enthusiasts(Opens in a new window) at bay? Tinder has rolled out new safety features intended to provide members with better control over their digital interactions.

Users can now fully hide their profile, block unwanted suggestions, and more easily report bad behavior. Plus, updates to the “Does This Bother You?” and “Are You Sure?” prompts help avoid hate speech, sexual exploitation, and harassment.

The dating app—which works with partners like No More, RAINN, and GLAAD for policy guidance—has more than 15 trust and safety innovations, including mutual matching, where both parties are required to “Like” each other before starting a conversation. But Tinder also now offers(Opens in a new window) more ways to take charge of your own account:

• Incognito Mode (exclusive to Tinder+, Gold, and Premium members): A step up from fully hiding your profile. Only people you’ve Liked can see you in their recommendations.

• Block Profile: Choose who you want to see on Tinder. Block suggested profiles to avoid seeing the boss or an ex again.

• Long-Press Reporting: Tap and hold offensive messages to launch the reporting flow directly in chat.

• Updates to ‘Does This Bother You?’ (DTBY?) or ‘Are You Sure?’ (AYS?): Tinder is adding more language classified as harmful or inappropriate, including hate speech, sexual exploitation, and harassment.

“Every touchpoint in Tinder has been built with safety in mind,” according to Rory Kozoll, the company’s SVP of product integrity. “We’ve heard from members that they aren’t always aware of what safety features currently exist, how to use them, or how to approach staying safe when they take a conversation off the app.”

To close that gap, Tinder is launching a Green Flags campaign to highlight the app’s trust and safety features, from creating a profile and liking or matching to chatting and meeting in real life.

“Research shows that a majority of 18- to 25-year-olds are concerned about their emotional and physical safety when dating,” Pamela Zaballa, CEO of Tinder partner No More, said in a statement. “This is why we want to provide these younger daters with useful and insightful content about how to communicate with others they’ve matched with online.”

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