August 20, 2020

Tinder Dating App Review: The Best Mobile App For You?

One of the most undeniably addictive applications to ever grace the single guy’s smartphone is Tinder. The two-year old apps’ beauty is in its simplicity: it helps guys get dates/hook-ups by doing either of these two things – swiping right for ‘like’ and swiping left for ‘nope’. Popularly known as a hook-up and dating app, it gets millions of users everyday, mostly 18-24 year olds, its main demographic.

Tinder is a massively popular app which has been downloaded by thousands of smartphone users since its launch in September 15, 2012, when founders Sean Rad and Justin Mateen set to unleash to the world this practical dating/hook-up app. The concept is the same as other apps such as Hot or Not, in that it lets you file profile photos as either attractive and not attractive in a mobile device. It also shares the same location-based nature of the gay hook-up app Grindr, also very popular, which allows you to survey the vicinity for possible mates.

As popular as it is, however, there are still those who are not fully aware of what Tinder is and exactly how it works. 

Aside from the basic need to date or hook up, there are major requirements in using Tinder: a smartphone and a Facebook account. Previously available only in Apple’s iOS operating system, it is now also available in Android devices. Unlike most dating apps and websites, Tinder does not require the user to indicate his hopes and dreams, his idea of a perfect date, and his stand on the issue of global food security in his profile bio. Oftentimes, a wisecrack is enough, or an extremely catchy identifier such as ‘hot stud’ or ‘freak in the sheets’. Lies are never encouraged in online dating but self-confidence is simply a must in an app such as Tinder.

Actually, what matters is what’s outside. As a word of caution, especially to those new to the app, a guy who wishes to experience success in it must not log in with hopes of being swiped right due to his ability to contribute to the vast river of human thought. But if you’re a devastatingly handsome fellow who can also do that, it wouldn’t hurt your chances, certainly.

An exhaustive list of tips on choosing the best profile photo and profile-making is discussed here.

How To Create a Profile:

1. Download the app. For Apple users, go to iTunes store and for Android users, go to Google Play. A user has to be at least 17 years old.

2. Log in using your Facebook account.  The app links through your Facebook page and gathers some of your information, specifically, your ‘About Me’ write-up and some of your photos. Aside from your short bio, only your first name and age will appear. The app does not post anything to Facebook.

3. Select at least six photos. Your default Tinder profile photo will be your Facebook display photo, but this can be edited in the app. Six random photos from your Facebook profile will be included in your Tinder profile, but you can change these up. You can only select photos from any of your Facebook photos.

After logging in, you’re ready to swipe.

The Pros

If Tinder were a person, it would be an unpretentious jock. He would be the kind of guy who is upfront about his wants and would say no more than a few words to hook you in for a chat. He wouldn’t try to dazzle you with his academic credentials; he would, however, subtly let you know that he has a platinum gym membership and an unusually strict skin regimen. If this is not the kind of guy for you then you better head on to the sensitive guy equivalent of dating sites – the Match.coms, the FriendFinders and any of the other circuitous dating sites out there.

That’s what works best for Tinder and its users. It’s a completely no-frills kind of online dating; you either love it or don’t care for it. Unless you engage someone in a chat by swiping right, there’s virtually no need to sit around and be pestered by entities you wouldn’t even find marginally interesting or attractive. Imagine a typical scenario in a dating site where you put up a nice little profile, write up a 200-word ‘bio’ and wait for shows of interest.

In a dating site, you just need to sit back and wait for the deluge of messages, and manage prospects through their personalities and pictures. It’s all very well but matching algorithms aren’t always precise and more often, you end up getting ‘winks’ from users who are not up to your standards of pretty. In short, way too much work involved. In Tinder, there is not a lot of that type of hassle.

The Cons

But that is not to say that Tinder is perfect. The app has its share of creepers and the worst part is, they have Facebook at their disposal. Say, you swipe right on someone who you later find out isn’t really an ideal mate, you might have to block the person quickly because the risk of being stalked is real. Since your Tinder info were culled from your Facebook info, potential stalker you just blocked might be crafty enough to search for you through your common friends or common interests.

There is also the obvious fact of the lack of substance in Tinder profiles. If Tinder as a person is a jock, in much the same way that if it were food, it would definitely be junk food. And the metaphor-making ends here.

Overall Impression

Like any normal dating site or app, Tinder lets you make adjustments on gender, distance and age, but not much else. You may find that this simplicity may work for you or it may not. Ultimately, all it amounts to is taste and preference. When you feel like proper dating websites are too old-school, too tedious or too safe, maybe it’s time to join the 21st century and download Tinder. For the more conventional ones, though, stick to your Cupid Media and Match.com accounts.

Top Alternatives to Tinder

Don’t want to take any chances? We have compiled a list of the best rated and most trusted dating sites similar to Tinder. Join any of them knowing these have been vetted and recommended by other people who tried out different iOS dating sites. If you don’t want to worry about low quality sites and annoying members, this is your short-cut to the best sites:

  1. Canoodle 
  2. Hinge 
  3. Coffee Meets Bagel 
  4. nearmegirls.com
  5. Twine