It seems Tinder has been running an invite-only tier of its popular dating app. The exclusive version is known as Tinder Select and the service is for the upwardly affluent and attractive users, which include CEOs, supermodels, and celebrities.
Tinder Select is not packaged into a separate app, but rather as a different layer of the core dating app, allowing the users to toggle the layer on and off at will. Interestingly, the company has been quiet about the whole development.
Users who are part of Select, apart from seeing matches from the new club, can also continue seeing the matches from "normal" Tinder users as well. The company could have initially invited some people to the platform, with some having the ability to recommend other users. The nominated users, however, cannot propose new names, preventing the members-only layer app from growing uncontrollably.
TechCrunch, which initially reported about the existence of Tinder Select, says that the secretive tier has been operational for at least six months. Images obtained by TechCrunch show the top bar where users who have Tinder Select access can toggle the feature on. The layer has a gradient navy blue "S" at the top, the area where the Tinder flame is found in the regular Tinder.
However, what makes someone qualify to be part of this new exclusive club is yet to be disclosed. It is possible that the Tinder Elo score, an algorithmic rating system across the dating platform, could be one of the factors included in the Tinder Select criteria.
Not The First Dating App To Offer A Members-Only Tier
Interestingly, this is not the first time a dating app has provided exclusive features for its high-profile users. It also isn't the first time a dating app tried an invite-only club.
Raya has only allowed users with a huge number of Instagram followers, great profiles, and references from existing members to join in. The League, the invitation-only dating app, makes good use of LinkedIn to determine the eligibility of those entering the platform.
Not The First Attempt By Tinder
This is also not the first time Tinder has bought in features to attract more elite users. Back in 2014, it introduced verified profiles so that the more famous users could find their matches. However, it did not succeed as much as the company would have liked as many thought these profiles were fake.
It is not yet clear about whether Tinder Select would be kept as a "quiet experiment," or whether it would be developed as a separate offering.
With Tinder Select, perhaps the company has found a new successful way to lure and help the more famous and influential users find each other.
