Tinder Places Matches You Based on Location
Posted by DAVE PARRACK
Tinder has launched Places, a new feature that matches you with potential dates based on the places you hang out. Hence the name. This means that if you frequent that hipster coffee shop in your neighborhood you can start dating other coffee-loving hipsters.
Tinder has a reputation as the online dating app for hookups. Sure, people have met on Tinder and lived happily ever after, but most Tinder users are looking for short-term fun. However, perhaps Places, Tinder’s latest feature, will change all that.
Location-Based Right-Swiping
According to the Tinder Blog, Places is “designed to help you discover new people who hang where you hang”. Essentially, using Places means Tinder will match you with people who visit the same locations as you, whether it be a bar, a restaurant, or a gym.
All you do is tap the pin at the top of your Discovery screen, and then opt in by tapping, “Turn Places On”. Then, just go about your life and you’ll build a list of potential matches who have visited the same places as you. You can then swipe-right as normal.
At last I can talk about a product I’ve been working on for years starting with @seanrad’s vision.
We built around the core idea of, “Who goes to the same places I do?”
Think gyms, restaurants & bars. It’s opt-in & not real-time.
It’s called Places.https://t.co/JxVSALyDPJ
— Norgard (@BrianNorgard) May 23, 2018
Realizing the potential privacy issues, Tinder has installed some safeguards. To that end, you can opt-in or out as you see fit, you won’t show up in a location until after you’ve left, and you’re always in control of what places you’re listed as visiting.
Tinder is currently testing Places in just three cities: Sydney and Brisbane in Australia, and Santiago in Chile. The app will gather feedback from these cities before launching it elsewhere, but we have to assume it’ll be available in the U.S. before long.
Tinder Places Is a Mixed Bag
Despite Tinder’s efforts to make sure users stay safe while using Places, there is still the potential for trouble. Simply because it ups the chances of you bumping into your potential matches in real life, which could be awkward, to say the least.
Still, if you and your potential match both visit the same coffee shop every day, perhaps Tinder Places will be the difference between you admiring each other from afar and actually starting a conversation. And if that goes well who knows where it could lead.
Is It Time to Left-Swipe Tinder?
With its focus on locations where you and your matches may bump into each other, Places could make it trickier to protect your privacy while online dating. So, if you don’t like the way Tinder is changing, you should consider trying one of these Tinder alternatives.
