Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps where one swipes right and left to mark their like or dislike for other users’ profiles. A right swipe indicates that you’re into someone, and a left swipe indicates that you’re not attracted to someone. But don’t worry too much about not getting enough right swipes on Tinder, especially if you check out this guide. With so many people on Tinder, there’s bound to be someone there you can match with.
But along with having a lot of people on the app, there is one caveat: you need to be on the lookout for potential scams and unsavory characters. That’s why you should always know how to keep yourself safe on Tinder.
Since Sean Rad created the app at a Hollywood hackathon in 2012, its profits and popularity have been growing steadily.
So, it will be fair to assume that Tinder is generally safe. Read on to find out what the app’s team is doing to maintain its safety and what each user can do to ensure theirs.
Tinder’s Safety Features & Tips for Risk-free Use
First, let’s look at the app’s dating safety tools and how they work. The Dating Safety Center, photo verification, and the panic button are the platform’s top 3 safety features.
The Safety Center
Tinder’s safety center is the place to go if you feel unsure of your match’s intentions or notice some red flags in their behavior.
The reading section provides more than essential online safety tips and guidelines. There, you’ll find quizzes to test what you’ve learned and instructions on what to do if you find yourself in various risky situations while on a date.
The Photo Verification Process
You can’t open a Tinder account without verifying your photo. Because it’s an app, not a desktop site, the process is relatively straightforward: take two selfies in the suggested poses, and you’re good to go.
Who can chat on Tinder?
One of the best things about the platform is that it only allows users who’ve liked each other to start a chat session. So, you can only ping and be pinged by users in whom you’ve shown some interest.
Message reporting
Tinder is an adult dating application, and users sometimes get too horny in their exchanges. Upon detecting such a line, Tinder’s AI-based editor prompts the user if they are sure they want to send it.
You can still send it, but the spicy message gets a red flag, and the recipient may report it if they feel uneasy or threatened.
The Moonlight panic button
Tinder integrates with a third-party app called Moonlight to create a virtual panic button one can use if their tinder date starts to go wrong.
Only available in the USA for the time being, Moonlight sends an automatic alert to selected safety contacts and the nearest police station pinpointing the sender’s location.
How to Stay Safe and on Tinder and Off the App
Here is what you can do to enjoy Tinder responsibly. As soon as you move off the app, your safety is in your own hands.
Check your date
Doing a background check on your Tinder date is a must. To facilitate the process, Tinder signed a partnership deal with Garbo in March 2022, allowing its users to safe-check their matches before meeting them in real life.
The only setback is that these background checks aren’t free. Considering the screenings’ depth and accuracy, the price is quite reasonable.
Garbo’s background checks focus on violence-related charges but hold back ones ensuing from drug possession and loitering. Hence, it would help if you used other people screening platforms to get the whole picture.
Don’t overtrust the panic button
Moonlight gives you an extra layer of safety, but it depends on several external factors like your phone’s coverage and battery life.
You should follow general first-date precautions like meeting in a public place of your choice, setting an exact time limit, and having a friend pick you up when your meeting is over.
Read between the lines
Even if the user you are chatting with is very polite and avoids using words that may provoke flagging, you can still read between the lines and catch some alarming signals.
You should distance yourself from them if, for example, they ask too many targeted questions without revealing much information about themselves.
Don’t rush
You’ve probably watched films where Tinder users exchange provocative pics and find themselves in bed in no time. Well, it is a safe thing to do only in the movies.
In real life, Tinder is a social networking app, and, as such, it connects people with similar interests. However, it’s unwise to proceed with meeting a tinder match in real life based on their good looks alone.
Before making such an important decision, you ask them for general background information and try to cross-check and verify it online or through mutual acquaintances.
Feel free to cut off communication at any time
One huge red flag could be if your Tinder match changes its attitude toward you after a few chat sessions. Some people go to great lengths to woo a potential date but turn abusive and invasive if their plan doesn’t work out.
Do not hesitate to report it and block its sender if you read something you find manipulative, coercive, or against your safety standards.
Let’s Wrap Up
Tinder’s safety team is working tirelessly to develop new tools that guarantee the app users’ comfort while they are nonchalantly swiping pics to the left and right.
However, dating through Tinder is safe if one follows basic safety rules. Running a background check on your future date is, perhaps, the most important.
Featured Image by Solen Feyissa from Pixabay
