Tinder Safety of How to Use: Everything You Need to Know

While many online dating apps do their best to keep the scammers and catfishers out there, it's hard to know if the person who you're chatting with is who they say they are. That's why it's so critical that you take measures to protect yourself when you meet in person.

Tinder recently unveiled new safety features to help their users control their interactions on the platform and how they may translate into in-person activities. Here's all you need to know.

What is Tinder Safety?

Tinder safety is the features in place to help protect Tinder users on the dating app. From the beginning, Tinder had select safety features in place, including:

You need to have an account to browse.

You have to mutually like each other to chat.

You cannot send pictures via chat to prevent the exchange of unwanted sexually explicit material.

However, that wasn't enough to make its users feel safe when they were trying to form healthy relationships on the platform, so Tinder introduced new features. These additional features are focused on helping members feel they have more control over how they interact with others.

New safety features include:

• Incognito mode: You can like and nope profiles, but your profile will only show up for those who you have liked.
• Enhanced blocking: Users can block contacts, block profiles after they have reported them for inappropriate activity, and block profiles before matching so they don't populate in their matches again.
• Improved Reporting: If you receive an inappropriate message, you can now hold the message to go directly into a chat to report the experience, reducing the number of clicks it takes to make a report.
• Updates to Does this Bother You and Are You Sure? features: Tinder can automatically detect language and offensive messages that violate its terms, so it will prompt users if they really want to send this. Additionally, it will prompt users on the receiving end to report if the message bothers them. According to Tinder, this has increased the amount of reporting by 46 percent.

These new and enhanced features are in addition to the resources and support they have available in the app to help promote safe dating.

How Can I Be Safe on Tinder?

Whether you are just entering online dating or are a seasoned veteran, you want to make sure that you act smartly to prevent falling victim to scams, sexual assault, and other bad outcomes.

Let's go over tips to be safe on Tinder, including online and in person.

Online Safety Tips

When you start chatting, here's some guidance you can follow to stay safe.

• Don't send money: A big red flag is if someone asks you to send money or share financial details with them.
• Don't share personal information: Scammers often use fake profiles to get information about you to try to steal your identity or catfish others. Don't share details that could compromise this or put others around you at risk.
• Don't move to text right away: Tinder has message filters in place that can help detect harmful language, including hate speech, unwanted sexual advances, and more. It cannot protect you if you move to text without getting to know the user.

Report and block suspicious profiles: Listen to your gut. If someone doesn't seem right, report them! If they make you uncomfortable, block them! You are in control of who you interact with on this popular app.

In-person Safety Tips

Once you're ready to meet in real life, you need to up your safety measures. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Meet in a Public Place: For your first date, make sure that you meet in public. People are less likely to act inappropriately if they are around other people.
• Do not leave anything unattended: Always keep an eye on your drinks, food, personal items, and more. Bad behavior can be quick, and you don't want to do anything to become a potential victim.
• Inform others of where you're going: Tell your friends you're on a date and where you're going. Send a picture of the person. If something happens, they can share it with authorities.
• Trust your gut: Again, if something feels off, trust your intuition. Make an excuse to leave or have someone call with an emergency. Get out of the situation as soon as you can. It's not worth the risk.

Your physical safety is at risk when you meet in person, so make sure that you are meeting new people in a smart and safe way.

Examples of Scams on Tinder

While Tinder does its best to prevent scammers from joining, it happens. Here are some scams to look out for.

Catfishing: If a profile seems too good to be true or a person seems too attractive, they may be pretending to be someone else. Do a reverse image search or try to locate their social media profiles to verify their identity.

Money: Many scammers will try to get you to send them money, sharing sad stories to tug on your heartstrings or claim they will pay you back. They will not. Do not send money.

Blackmail: Be wary of what you say or share. Many bad actors will prompt you to share risque messages or pictures (off the app) and then use them as blackmail if you do not do what they want you to.

There are other scams out there, so be mindful and keep an eye out for red flags.

Examples of Bad Situations on Tinder

There are other types of bad situations that can happen on Tinder that you want to avoid, and here are some examples so you are aware.

• Sexual exploitation: Predators can use Tinder to try to sexually exploit others, including forcing them to do things they do not want to do, taking advantage of their loved ones, and, even in extreme cases, sex trafficking. Be aware so you don't become a victim.
• Drugging: If you leave your drink unattended, predators can slip something in there that would lower your inhibitions, causing you to act in ways you normally would not. This can lead to assault and more.
• Domestic violence: Some abusers use dating apps to find new victims. It can also cause abuse if a person is cheating and gets caught.

If you are aware of your surroundings and make smart choices, you should be fine when dating on Tinder.

Conclusion

Not all situations are bad on Tinder. After all, it wouldn't be one of the most popular dating apps in the world if that were the case!

However, it's important that you keep in mind the safety features available to you and take appropriate action as needed if you feel unsafe.