Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, September 25 2017 @ 01:18 pm
Last modified on
The dating app that started a cultural revolution, at least as far as online dating goes, is changing its focus from swiping - a fundamental part of its technology. Tinder, which made its reputation as a hot-or-not dating app thanks to its innovative swiping function, is now offering more functionality to profile viewing through tapping.
Instead of just swiping through different user profiles, Tinder is offering a deeper look and more functionality and ease to check out a person’s profile before you say yes or no. This includes toggling between a user’s photos and also between photos and written profiles.
Part of the rollout includes a new visual approach. Each profile photo extends to the edges of the phone, giving users a better, cleaner look at a potential match (as well as an even more visual experience). The look is also similar to other visual apps, like Snapchat.
Users can now tap the bottom of a photo to open the written profile, seeing information like how far away they are, their education, shared connections, their top artists, Instagram feed, and other information.
Another tapping feature Tinder has added is the ability to toggle between a particular user’s photos. Instead of swiping to the next prospective match, you can dig deeper into each individual profile by tapping the left and right sides of a user’s photo to see the stream of photos that user has posted. It gives Tinder customers a little more ease with which to examine potential matches.
TechCrunch pointed out that Tinder’s new “story” format follows many social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, which offered tapping functionality a while ago. This kind of seamless integration seems to be the trend.
The tapping function might also offer a way for Tinder to add video capability to its profiles, much like other dating apps have done. Earlier this summer, Match, Bumble, and Hinge announced the addition of video features to their respective dating apps. These companies are touting a more user-friendly experience when it comes to crafting creative and unique profiles, trying to appeal to younger daters as well.
Video is becoming more and more popular with social media apps, so why not also with dating apps? It seems a natural fit, and one that Tinder can’t ignore as the industry heads in that direction.
Tinder’s new tapping technology was rolled out in July, and is currently available for all users worldwide.