Too nervous to date alone? Now you can team up with a friend! Tinder launches Double Date feature

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Going on a first date can be scary for even the most confident singletons.
From what to wear to whether the conversation will flow, many daters go into the situation with worries playing on their minds.
So imagine how much nicer it would be if you could bring your best friend along.
Tinder has just launched Double Date – a new feature that turns the scary world of dating into a team sport.
The app will let you and a friend join forces and match with other duos, taking the pressure off an intimidating first meeting.
Users can invite friends to 'pair up' and scroll through other Double Date pairs to try and find a match.
Once a connection is made, a chat is created and the group can arrange a date.
Tests show women using this function are three times more likely to 'like' a pair than they are individual profiles, Tinder said.
Match rates have been significantly higher for those using the feature, the company revealed, and users send 35 per cent more messages in group conversations compared to typical one-on-one chats.
'Whether you're getting ready, meeting someone new, or catching up after the date, Double Date makes dating feel more fun, social, and supportive—especially for women and younger users,' Tinder said.
'With Double Date, the post-date recap doesn't have to wait—it starts as soon as the date ends.'
While the feature has only launched in the US for now, a global rollout is planned for July.
This isn't the first time the dating app has brought user's friends and family into their dating lives.
Their 'Matchmaker' feature allows users to ask friends to recommend profiles for them.
And the 'Share My Date' function lets people share their date plans directly with friends and loved ones.
Tinder said their new innovation is designed to make meeting new people 'way less pressure'.
Once a first date has been arranged, deciding what to wear is the next step.
And while red is the shade most associated with love and passion, previous studies have found it's no longer the colour women reach for ahead of a first encounter.
In fact, those hoping to hit it off with a potential partner are more likely to wear black, researchers found.
A study based on the hit TV series First Dates showed the majority of 546 daters across six series wore black to meet their match.
While evolutionary studies have long pointed to the fact females use red to attract a mate, black is a more modern and fashionable choice, pointing to the large role 'cultural and societal' influences play in how we dress, experts said.
HOW CAN YOU CHECK IF YOU ARE BEING CATFISHED?
Dating apps and online websites are plagued with fraudulent profiles, known as 'catfishes'.
'Catfishing' originated as a term for the process of luring people into false relationships, however, it has also come to encompass people giving out false information about themselves more generally.
These profiles often use images of another person to allow users to pretend to be someone else in order to get a date, or scam money from a lonelyheart.
Fortunately, there are certain ways to check if these profiles are real people or if they are bogus accounts —
1. Google reverse image search
This is probably the most valuable tool for catching out a catfish and can be done via Google.
To kickstart the process, people need only right-click the photos that are arousing their suspcions, copy the URL and paste it into images.google.com.
The search engine will search to see if the image has been used elsewhere.
If you find the picture associated with a different person to the one you're speaking to on your dating app, it's likely you've met a catfish!
2. Use an app called Veracity
It is useful for dating sites such as Tinder, Bumble and Grindr as it allows images from Dropbox or Camera roll (or similar) to be cross-referenced against any matching results.
Load the app, then select a screenshot of the suspicious dating app profile from your camera roll to launch the search.
The app will tell you if the picture belongs to somebody else.
3. Check their Facebook
Almost everyone who has a profile on a dating site will have a Facebook account (most dating apps require users to have one, after all!) so it is always advisable to track down your potential suitor on other forms of social media.
4. Google them
Google and other search engines have an extensive repertoire and most people will crop up in a search.
In this day and age, it's unusual for someone to have nothing on Google.
Have a search through for them or their relatives, things they've said or posted in the past. If there's nothing, that should raise alarm bells.
6. Money