Tinder is no longer just a singles dating platform. The company announced the launch of a new feature in the U.S. called "Double Date," where users can invite friends to find and match up with another partner.
The feature, located in the new "Double Date" icon in the upper right corner of the app, allows users to invite up to three friends to create a match and scroll through feeds of their matches' profiles, which appear alongside photos and descriptions. A match is made when one of the two pairs swipes right. Tinder will then open a group chat with all four users.
The update could help Tinder gain an edge over the competition amid an ongoing downturn in the dating app industry. It would also put Tinder in direct competition with platforms like Doubble and Fourplay that are built specifically for double dates.
Cleo Long, Tinder's head of product marketing, said the platform has been testing the feature in Europe for "several months," adding that the feature is designed to help ease the stress of dating, especially for younger users. “It’s a social-first experience designed to help alleviate some of the stress we know Gen Z experiences in dating by making dating more social and fun, and inviting friends to join in,” Long said.
Double Dates builds on some of the other social features Tinder has rolled out in recent years, including a feature that lets users share date details with others and a way for friends or family to find matches for them.
Tinder plans to launch Double Dates globally in July.