Tinder launches ‘double date' feature as Gen Z seek low-pressure dating

South Wales Guardian

6 hours ago

The feature will be rolled out on the dating app in the UK from mid-July.
Users who activate 'double date' can select up to three friends to create a pair with.
Pairs can then 'swipe right', or like, other pairs on the app – with just one like per pair needed to form a match.
If there is a match, then a group chat is launched for pairs to message and organise a date.
Tinder, which tested the feature among some users across its international markets for several months, said it was drawing in young people and women looking for a more social and low-pressure way of meeting people.
Nearly 90% of double date profiles came from users under the age of 29, according to its internal data.
Generation Z – which is typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 – make up more than half of Tinder's global user base.
The platform has been ramping up efforts to retain women and Gen Z users following the Covid pandemic, growing safety concerns and a broader shift in the way younger people approach dating.
This has included rolling out additional safety features such as ID verification and 'share my date' – which allows users to share details of their date, including the time, place, and a photo of their match, with friends and family.
Tinder, which launched in 2012, helped bring online dating into the mainstream and is now the world's most-used app with about 50 million users per month.
The Los Angeles-based company is owned by Match Group, which owns a raft of dating platforms including Hinge and OkCupid.
Data from the testing stage showed women were three times more likely to like a pair than they were individual profiles, and match rates have been significantly higher for those using the feature.
Furthermore, Tinder said it was helping attract new and returning users to the app – with nearly 15% of those who accepted a double date invite either new to the platform or had recently reactivated their profile.