Tinder adds Blind Date feature

Tinder is adding a Blind Date feature to its app, prompted by Gen-Z interest in "old school" dating trends, the company says.

In a new social experiment from Tinder, the feature will be found under the "Explore" page within the app. It's an extension of the "Fast Chat" feature where members are quizzed and paired up before they can actually view each other's profiles.

First, you'll be prompted to answer a series of icebreaker prompts in the app, after which Tinder will match people who answered similarly. Then, in a timed chat, you and your match will be given more questions to answer like “It’s OK to wear a shirt ____ times without washing it" and “I put ketchup on____." Once the timer runs out, you can decide whether or not to match. If both do so, the match is revealed and so are the profiles.

In other words, no more first impressions by a handful of photographs.

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"The new Blind Date experience brings a surprisingly fun, banter-based way to interact and create connections that’s all new to Tinder," said Kyle Miller, VP of product innovation at Tinder. "There's something really special about letting conversation introduce someone's personality, without the preconceptions that can be made from photos."

In early testing, Tinder said people using the Blind Date feature made 40 percent more matches than users turning to another Tinder Fast Chat feature where the profile was visible. The company found that this showed more willingness among users to speak to, and later match with, someone overlooked in another Explore setting.

The blind date, no longer a cornerstone of the dating experience, is making a comeback thanks to Gen-Z (who have a habit of bringing back nostalgia anyway). Tinder surveyed users and found that 41 percent of Gen-Z respondents said they would go on a blind date but have no idea how to embark on one. According to an Opinium survey cited by Tinder, a fifth of Gen-Zs in England said that they hope blind dating will come back into collective dating consciousness, while over half said they haven't been on a blind date but would definitely do so. While dating apps can sometimes result in the opposite, Tinder is predicting a return to honest, fluid, and transparent dating.

Blind Date on Tinder is available now in the U.S. and will be rolling out globally soon.