Tinder Launches Blind Dates Feature, Wants You to Judge Matches Based on Personality & Not Looks | Explained

Tinder said its feature is directed at its Gen Z users, those aged between 18 and 25, who want a 'personality first' approach to finding a partner and are seeking 'authentic connections'.

New Delhi: Needless to say, Tinder is the go-to app for millions of single people around the world looking for love. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Tinder seems to be embracing old-school romance and is taking dating back to the 90s by bringing back an old classic — the blind date. The new feature is said to boost the app’s popularity among young people by letting them experience romance and dating like it used to be in the pre-smartphone era.

Tinder said its feature is directed at its Gen Z users, those aged between 18 and 25, who want a ‘personality first’ approach to finding a partner and are seeking ‘authentic connections’. The feature aims to encourage people to gauge their first impressions of one another based on personality and conversation, instead of photos.

What is The Blind Dates feature and how will it work? 

As the name suggests, the latest feature called, ‘Fast Chat: Blind Date’ is a new social experience wherein you have to chat with other users before you can see what they look like. Members will only be able to view each other’s profiles and photos if they both decide to match after chatting.

In this feature, members will have to answer a short series of icebreaker questions and be paired with one another based on commonalities. They will then enter a timed chat, not knowing any details about the person on the other side of the screen aside from their answers to multiple-choice prompts. When the timer runs out, they can Like the other’s profile, which will be revealed if there is a match, or they can choose to get paired with someone new. Blind Date is now available in the US and will be rolling out to Tinder members globally in the coming weeks.

Focus on Personality rather than Looks

Tinder hopes the feature will encourage users to focus more on personality than looks when searching for a match. Kyle Miller, Tinder vice president of product innovation, said: ‘There’s something really special about letting conversation introduce someone’s personality, without the preconceptions that can be made from photos.’

“We have all seen the mix of anticipation and excitement going on a blind date brought some of our favourite movie or TV characters, and we wanted to recreate that experience for today’s generation with the Blind Date feature,”  Miller added.

Will it work?

A survey of 1,000 18-24-year-olds in the UK commissioned by the app found that a fifth said they would like to try blind dating as it would enable them to meet people they might otherwise have overlooked. 

Tinder said: “Inspired by the OG way to meet someone new, usually at the hand of a meddlesome aunt or well-meaning friend, blind date gives the daters of today a low-pressure way to put their personality first and find a match they truly vibe with.

“The experience reflects the modern dating habits of gen Z, who value authenticity, and also taps into their 90s nostalgia with a callback to dating in a pre-smartphone world.”