American online dating app
Tinder is an online dating and geosocial networking application launched in 2012. On Tinder, users "swipe right" to like or "swipe left" to dislike other users' profiles, which include their photos, a short bio, and some of their interests. Tinder uses a "double opt-in" system, also called "matching", where two users must like each other before they can exchange messages.
In 2022, Tinder had 10.9 million subscribers and 75 million monthly active users. As of 2021, Tinder had recorded more than 65 billion matches worldwide.
History.
Sean Rad launched Tinder at a hackathon at the Hatch Labs incubator in West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, United States in 2012.
Sean Rad and engineer Joe Munoz built the original prototype for Tinder, "MatchBox", during a hackathon in February 2012. The hackathon was hosted by Hatch Labs, a New York-based startup incubator with a West Hollywood outpost. Realizing the name MatchBox was too similar to Match.com, Rad, his co-founders, and early employees renamed the company Tinder. The company's flame-themed logo remained consistent throughout the rebranding.
2012: Prototype and launch.
In January 2012, Rad was hired as general manager of Cardify, a credit card loyalty app launched by Hatch Labs. During a hackathon in his first month, he presented the idea for a dating app called Matchbox. Rad and Munoz built the prototype for MatchBox and presented the app on February 16, 2012.
In March, co-founder Jonathan Badeen (front-end operator and later Tinder's CSO), and Chris Gulczynski (designer and later Tinder's CCO) joined Cardify.
In May, while Cardify was going through Apple's App Store approval process, the team focused on MatchBox. During the same period, Alexa Mateen (Justin's sister) and her friend Whitney Wolfe Herd were hired as Cardify sales reps.
In August 2012, Cardify was abandoned, Matchbox was renamed Tinder, and co-founder Justin Mateen (marketer and later Tinder's CMO) joined the company.
In September 2012, Tinder was soft-launched in the App Store. It was then launched at several college campuses and started to expand quickly.
2013: Swipe feature developed.
Tinder's selection function, which was initially click-based, evolved into the company's swipe feature. The feature was established when Rad and Badeen, interested in gamification, modeled the feature on a deck of cards. Badeen then streamlined the action after a trial on a bathroom mirror. Tinder has been credited with popularizing the swipe feature many companies now use.
2014–2016: Growth.
By October 2014, Tinder users completed over one billion swipes per day, producing about 12 million matches per day. By then, Tinder's average user generally spent about 90 minutes a day on the app.
Rad served as Tinder's CEO until March 2015, when he was replaced by former eBay and Microsoft executive Chris Payne. Rad returned as CEO in August 2015.
In 2015, Tinder released its "Rewind" function and its "Super Like" function and retired its Tinder "Moments" and "Last Active" feature. In January 2015, Tinder acquired Chill, the developer of Tappy, a mobile messenger that uses "images and ephemerality".
In 2016, Tinder was the most popular dating app in the United States, holding a 25.6% market share of monthly users. On the company's third-quarter earnings call, Match Group's CEO Greg Blatt described the popular dating app Tinder as a "rocket" and the "future of this business."
In September 2016, the company also initiated testing of its "Boost" functionality in Australia. The feature went live for all users in October of that year.
In October 2016, Tinder announced the opening of its first office in Silicon Valley in the hope of more effectively recruiting technical employees.
In November 2016, Tinder introduced more options for gender selection.
In December 2016, Blatt took over as interim CEO of Tinder. Rad stepped down as CEO, becoming chairman of the company.
2017: Merger with Match.
Tinder had annual revenue of $403 million and accounted for 31% of Match Group's 2017 annual revenue of $1.28 billion. In the same year, it surpassed Netflix as the highest-grossing app on the app store. Match Group's market cap as of December 28, 2017, was $10.03 billion.
In March 2017, Tinder launched Tinder Online, a web-optimized version of the app. Initially, it was available only in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, and Sweden, and did not include special features such as "Super Likes" or "Tinder Boost". Tinder Online launched globally in September 2017. During the launch of the web version, Tinder took legal action to shut down third-party apps providing a web extension to use the Tinder app from a desktop computer.
In July 2017, Match Group merged with Tinder for approximately $3 billion.
In August 2017, Tinder launched an additional subscription service, Tinder Gold, that allows subscribers to see which users "swiped back" without alerting those users. Tinder Gold quickly became a successful revenue source for the company, boosting Match Group's total revenue by 19% compared to 2016. This boost in revenue and profits came as Tinder's paid member count rose by a record 476,000 to more than 2.5 million, mainly due to product changes and technology improvements. Tinder Gold's popularity led to a surge in Match Group shares and recorded high share prices. Blatt called Tinder's performance "fantastic" and said the company was driving most of Match Group's growth in late 2017.
Blatt resigned from Match Group and Tinder in 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment. He was replaced by Elie Seidman.
2018–2019.
In 2018, Tinder had annual revenue of $805 million and accounted for 48% of Match Group's 2018 annual revenue of $1.67 billion. Match Group's market cap as of December 30, 2018, was $15.33 billion.
On August 6, 2018, Tinder had over 3.7 million paid subscribers, up 81% over the same quarter in 2017. On August 21, 2018, Tinder launched Tinder University, a feature that allows college students to connect with other students on their campus and at nearby schools.
In 2019, Tinder had annual revenue of $1.152 billion and accounted for 58% of Match Group's total 2019 annual revenue of $2.0 billion. Match Group's market cap as of December 30, 2019, was $21.09 billion.
On May 10, it was reported that Tinder was planning for a lighter version of the app, Tinder Lite, aimed at growing markets where data usage, bandwidth and storage space are a concern.
Tinder had 5.2 million paying subscribers at the end of 2019's second quarter, up 1.5 million from the year-ago quarter and up 503,000 from the first quarter of 2019. It became the highest-grossing non-gaming app, beating Netflix. Tinder's subscriber growth led Match Group's shares to the best single-day gain in their history on August 7, adding more than $5 billion to the company's market capitalization.
On September 12, Tinder relaunched "Swipe Night", an interactive series where users make decisions following a storyline. "Swipe Night" had previously been launched in October 2019. It was slated to be launched internationally in March 2020, but it was postponed until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Swipe Night"'s international launch included multiple countries and languages.
In 2019, Tinder had annual revenue of $1.2 billion.
2020.
In 2020, Tinder had annual revenue of $1.355 billion and accounted for 58% of Match Group's 2020 revenue of $2.34 billion. Match Group's market cap as of December 23, 2020, was $40.45 billion.
In January 2020, the Tinder administration enabled a panic button and anti-catfishing technology to improve U.S. users' safety. In the future, these features are planned to become globally available. If something goes wrong on a date, a user can hit a panic button, transmit accurate location data, and call emergency services. To use this feature, users must download and install the Noonlight app. Also, before going to a meeting, users are required to take selfies to prove their photos in Tinder profiles match their real identities.
In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 Tinder temporarily made its Passport feature available for free to all its users worldwide. Previously this feature had been only accessible to users who had purchased a subscription.
In August, Tinder revealed plans for its Platinum subscription plan, which gives users access to more features for a higher price than gold. The same month, Jim Lanzone took over as CEO.
On September 1, Tinder was banned in Pakistan in a crackdown on what the Pakistani government deemed "immoral content".
On November 4, Tinder reported higher than expected third-quarter earnings and significant platform growth amid the pandemic: the app grew its user base by 15% and its subscriber count by 16% since the third quarter of 2019. According to "Business Insider", Tinder's growth was fueled by a large population that turned to online dating in response to increasing social isolation and health risks. In 2020, Match Group products, including Tinder, released video-based features to facilitate long-distance dating. Tinder had 6.6 million subscribers globally in November, growing from 6.2 million reported in June.
2021 to date.
Match Group's market cap as of October 14, 2021, was $44.59 billion.
In February 2021, Tinder announced it would launch a range of mobile accessories under the brand name "Tinder Made". The app reported that month an all-time high in users ready to "go on a date" as opposed to virtual and online chats during the height of the pandemic in the U.S. It gave away pairs of COVID-19 testing kits to some matches to encourage responsible behavior as users begin to meet in person again.
In March 2021, Tinder announced a service that would let users run background checks on potential matches after an investment in Garbo, a company that "collects public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes". Garbo does not publicize drug possession charges or traffic violations, citing disproportionate incarceration. This service comes with a fee that has not yet been disclosed to users.
In August 2021, Tinder announced an ID verification service to mitigate catfishing on the platform.
In September 2021, Lanzone announced that he was stepping down as chief executive to pursue a new role at Yahoo. Tinder named Renate Nyborg its new CEO. She is the company's first female CEO.
In December 2021, Nyborg announced that the company was working on creating a metaverse called Tinderverse, a shared virtual reality. The company is also testing "Tinder Coins", an in-app currency users can earn as a reward for good behavior, allowing them to pay for the platform's premium services.
In May 2023, Match Group announced its intent to restrict access to Tinder in Russia and withdraw from the Russian market by June 30, 2023, citing the need to protect human rights. In doing so, it became one of many Western companies to leave Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tinder became unavailable in Russia on the intended date. In response, a group of Russians staged a mock funeral in Sochi. Mourners, dressed in black, shared their stories and experiences with the app and placed red carnations on a mock gravestone in the form of a smartphone.
In 2023, Tinder introduced a new feature, Tinder Matchmaker. It allows the user's friends and family to access their Tinder account and suggest potential partners for them.
According to Tinder, the addition of a feature that allows friends to select compatible matches makes online dating safer because the "team-based" approach helps users mitigate potential risks associated with interacting with strangers. Melissa Hobley, Tinder's Chief Marketing Officer, said that singles often seek advice from friends when choosing a match: "The new feature streamlines this process, allowing your most trusted friends to join you on your dating journey."
In January 2024, Match Group named Faye Iosotaluno as chief executive officer of Tinder.
Tinder ceased operations in Belarus after February 14, 2024.
Operation.
After building a profile with a Meta login or cell phone number, users can swipe yes (right) or no (left) on potential romantic matches. Chatting on Tinder is only available between two users who have swiped right on one another's profiles. The selections a user makes are not known to other users unless two users swipe right on each other's profiles. Once the user has matches, they can send personal photos, called "Tinder Moments", to all matches at once, allowing each match to like the photos. The site also has verified profiles for public figures, so that celebrities and other public figures can verify their identities.
The app is available in about 190 countries and can be used in 45 languages.
Financials.
Since merging with Tinder in July 2017, Match Group's market capitalization has grown from $8.34 billion to $44.59 billion as of October 14, 2021. In August 2021, Morgan Stanley valued Tinder's worth at $42