Dating has always been tough, and online dating has added another dimension of difficulty to our dating lives. One of the many websites that offer adventures in online dating is Tinder.
People who place a profile on Tinder have many of the usual challenges found by patrons of other dating sites. They have to hope the right type of partner will swipe “right” on their profile, and that the course of the online relationship will then lead to the type of connection they’ve been seeking.
It doesn’t always go the way you want it to go. Sometimes, you may not get as many matches as you’d like to get. You may get flooded by matches that are not the right type. You may talk to a person for a few weeks and be sure you have someone you’ll really enjoy meeting – only to find a completely different person waiting at your meeting place.
It can be very frustrating. Even though you may hear lots of tales of success on Tinder, you probably hear about (and experience) just as many tales of disappointment.
But, recently, savvy Tinder users have been learning about the way Tinder optimizes certain types of profiles for you to see; and how it also decides who will see your profile.
You might think filling out your profile and checking the boxes of what you’re looking for – or what you like and don’t like will help determine which matches you will see. You may think this also determines which potential partners will see you. This is known as the Tinder Algorithm.
If you want to get the best results from your Tinder profile, (and of course, you do!) it’s important to learn about the Tinder Algorithm. If you learn about how it works, you’ll be able to use it to your own advantage – and be rewarded by receiving the best possible group of matches. In addition, you’ll also be presented as a potential match to more possible partners.
You can learn details about the Tinder Algorithm by reading Tinder’s official blog post about the algorithm. You could also look online at reports of experienced Tinder users, about their experiences on the site.
In essence, Tinder’s blog shares the following information about how they choose which profiles you will see:
Tinder’s Algorithm
1. How Recently You Used the App
There is logic in this. Tinder wants to keep its active members, so they want to highlight those who actively use the app. Tinder will show you matches who are (or recently were) actively swiping. They won’t waste your time with people who haven’t checked their profiles in a few weeks.
This means your time on the app will pay off with matches; with people who are also spending time on the app. Let’s face it: they are there for the same reason you are- so you will both have your minds set on the same subject.
This is also of advantage to Tinder, since the more productive time you spend on their app, the more of their sponsor’s ads you will see. They’ll also have more opportunities to sell you their premium packages.
2. Your Matches Will Be Near Your Location
It may seem obvious to have Tinder send you matches that live near your hometown. It’s difficult enough to find a match near your home; having matches even further away would mean less of a likelihood of future matches.
The Tinder Algorithm takes this a step further and first shows you the matches who live closest to you. They have found this results in a higher percentage of in-person meetings.
3. They No Longer Use Religion, Race, Hair Color, Height, or Weight
Matching by those characteristics used to be the way Tinder made matches. It stood to reason using these criteria would provide a good likelihood of compatibility.
Although these characteristics are still used as part of the matching process, they are no longer the most important criteria in ranking how soon you will see those matches. With the Algorithm, a match that scored high on those secondary characteristics may be shown after several other matches that scored less highly but who lived a few blocks away and had just used their Tinder app.
A recent series of YouTube videos about Tinder, called School of Attraction, features a dating coach who has made an extensive study of the effectiveness of online dating. In one video, he recently studied Tinder profiles, to see how the Tinder algorithm affected the number of potential matches he received – and the results of those where he swiped right.
His video about the “New Rules of Tinder” reported similar criteria for Tinder match choices:
1. Location
The dating coach reported first seeing matches located close to him. He compared these match results to those he had received, a few months ago. For example, the first twenty matches the coach received recently were about 2-3 miles away (while the ones he had received for the same profile, three months ago, had been an average of 8 miles away).
2. When you are online
The dating coach said he seemed to receive matches based on the time they were online. For example, he would see matches that were online at the same time as he was – or who had been online recently.
In short, the first few matches the coach would see would be ladies who were 2 miles or less away from him; and who was also online at that same time.
The coach’s take-away advice: To get the most “Right Swipes” who would be likely to return the “Right Swipe” – you should only use Tinder during “high traffic times” (like evening, night, and weekend afternoons.) And, while you can’t change your location, you should also “pin” yourself in the most populous part of your city, when you’re online.
Furthermore (says the coach) you don’t need to change your profile if (as long as it’s a good one). You no longer have to be as worried about competing for attention against models or more traditionally popular date prospects – you just have to be in the right place; at the right time.
Although using location and recent app use as its most important criteria when showing matches may seem like a questionable decision for a website that is supposed to match people up. Tinder has done its research.
Tinder does use the preferences it used to prioritize its matches. They do this by using their computers to categorize their matches into groups (called “clusters”) of matches with the same hair color, race, religion, etc.
They will then use data, compiled by Tinder’s computers over time, on the app use and results of these clusters. They use this data to predict what type of matches the members of these clusters would be likely to choose.
Tinder uses this to compile what they call the Attractiveness Profile. They track the number of times a user is chosen and use this – along with their cluster – to predict who might like them in the future. Those likely matches will join the stacks of matches you’ll be likely to receive.
Although the Tinder blog and the dating coach’s video may give some insight into how the Tinder Algorithm works, nothing really beats personal experience. So, here are some tips about how Tinder prioritizes matches – based on recent user experience:
Messaging Rate
Getting lots of prospective matches doesn’t guarantee lots of in-person meetings. Tinder has found some users enjoy accumulating large numbers of possible matches – but will then respond to only a few. These users may be picky, or they just may enjoy the experience of having many possible choices for a date.
No matter what the reason, a Tinder user like that will not make for a satisfied group of users. If you decide – for whatever reason – to pile up a large group of matches without a proportional number of responses, you’ll find your potential number of Tinder matches decreasing.
How You Select Your Matches
Some users have found they can use a third-party app to auto-like every potential match they get. If Tinder detects this type of activity, they can ban (or, at least, selectively ignore) your profile.
Even responding to your possible matches in a more conventional way might catch Tinder’s negative attention, if you tend to “like” almost every match you get, it will have a negative result.
Tinder has noted that, as time goes on, and a successful match is not made, men tend to become desperate. They will then begin to “settle” for less-desirable matches. As they do this, the matches they receive in their possible pile will decrease in conventional attractiveness.
The advice a user can take, from this, is to swipe specifically, on matches you truly feel could be someone you would like to meet.
How to Manipulate the Tinder Algorithm
Don’t let this knowledge discourage you. You can utilize the principles above, but there are additional ways to use what savvy Tinder users have gleaned over the years.
There are things about Tinder that will not change. For example: if your profile has attractive pictures, it will receive 90% more positive responses from those who view your profile. In addition to using attractive pictures, there are still things you can do to improve your odds of having your Tinder profile noticed.
Some of these measures are premiums that must be paid for. But, if your purpose for using Tinder is to find the most possible number of compatible matches, it may be worth your while to pay these fees.
Hack #1: Tinder Passport
By using the Passport, you will automatically get a “boost” in your profile – in the area, you have changed your location to.
If you are wise, you’ll use the Passport location in advance. You can do this before a planned vacation or relocation; to set yourself up with some dates, before arriving at the location.
Remember: If you’re going to use this feature to your best advantage, pin your new locale to the central part of the future city; in order to reap the largest match harvest.
Hack #2: Swipe Surge
This is a boost, given to users in your area, at a specific time. If you’re a premium member, you’ll get a notification about the surge, before it happens.
During that time, your profile will be boosted and seen by more people. They, in turn, will have their profiles boosted. You’ll be in – and will see – a special group of boosted profiles.
Hack #3: Tinder Boost and Tinder Super Boost
The best way to be noticed as a priority match is to press the purple Lightning Bolt icon that appears on your Discovery screen.
A Tinder boost will increase your visibility ten times. A super boost will increase your visibility 100 times. You get one boost per month for free – but you can pay for additional boosts.
Hack #4: Tinder Reset
A good way to get a boost on Tinder without paying for it is to reset your Tinder account.
It’s not as simple as merely deleting your Tinder account, and then immediately starting a new one. If you do this, Tinder will be aware of the tactic- and your new account will be banned within a short time.
There is a specific way to strategically reset your account – and it’s important to do it only in a precise way. There is a video on YouTube by Tech Junkie called “Can You Reset Your Twitter” account?” that gives a step-by-step tutorial.
In conclusion, getting the most out of your Tinder membership is not a routine experience. There are things you can do, now that you know about and understand the Tinder Algorithm.
Wrapping Up
In review, here are the actions you can take:
- Use the Tinder app at least 3-4 times a day, since recent usage matters.
- Use Tinder in places where a lot of users are very close to you, as proximity is also key in the algorithm
- Always try to improve your profile with better and more recent pictures; to have a better attractiveness score
- Don’t always swipe right, be as selective with your swiping as you can
- When you match someone, message your match less than 24 hours after the match happens.
Good luck with your dating pursuits. May Tinder help you find what you are looking for!
