Tinder has just announced that it's testing a thing called "Feed" within its mobile app, which is designed to help users learn more about their matches, including recently added photos, Instagram posts, and Spotify likes.
Tinders Outs New Feed
The Feed will appear in the form of a new tab inside the Messages screen, and it'll show real-time updates from a user's matches. Technically, the above-mentioned content are things that are already accessible within the app, but Feed arranges them in a neat, streamlined format.
What Is It For, Though?
Suffice it to say that Feed is Tinder's way of providing users more of a social experience, especially since the app offers very little beyond its infamous "swipe right or swipe left" experience. Feed is an attempt to help users "connect" with their potential partners — and connect is in quotes because really, isn't this just an easier way to stalk people? Perhaps.
Tinder has its heart in the right place, however, by saying that the new Feed feature is a way for users to make more meaningful connections beyond being matched together. It's something that could, in theory, help initiate conversations between potential partners. That seems to be just swell, especially because trying to start chatting with a stranger is perhaps the most difficult aspect of online dating apps. The Feed at least offers a way for users to know a little bit more about their matches before they hit them up, defrosting the awkwardness if only slightly.
"It's an exciting new way to see more of what someone is all about by giving you a true glimpse into their world — their passions, their personality, their latest adventure — all leading to better conversations and deeper connections," wrote Tinder in a blog post.
Fittingly, chats can be initiated by double-tapping directly on the content shared on the Feed. Meanwhile, users who don't want to share anything or want to limit what they post can navigate toward the Settings page and make changes accordingly.
As TechCrunch points out, the new Feed is somewhat similar to the way another dating app, Hinge, works. There, each individual text or photo can be replied to, allowing users to address the content itself rather than the profile of the author.
Of course, probably not every Tinder user will find the Feed a pleasant experience, especially if it opens the doors to cyberstalking. For Tinder, Feed is a great way to ultimately boost the time its users will spend on the app.
