Tinder just announced a new Double Date feature that pairs up friends to match and mingle with other duos, and people’s reactions are a mix of amusement and confusion.
Tinder is evolving beyond one-on-one swipes. Its latest feature, Double Date, invites users to match as a pair, adding a fresh, social twist to the dating experience. Currently rolling out across the U.S., Double Date lets Tinder users team up with up to three friends to browse profiles of other duos. Once two people from opposing pairs swipe right, a group chat opens instantly.
There is a dedicated section of the app for this new feature to tap and opt into. Once inside, friends can form pairs and view side-by-side profiles, complete with photos and bios. Importantly, only one mutual swipe from each pair is needed to spark a match. From there, conversations shift into a four-person group chat, and hopefully, plans for a double date.
Tinder has been experimenting with more social features over the past few years. Double Date is the most direct push into turning dating into a group activity. It expands on features like match-sharing and friend-suggested profiles, both designed to make dating feel less isolating.
A strategic push against the ongoing market slump
Tinder’s new rollout comes at a pivotal moment. The dating app industry has slowed recently, with younger users becoming more selective about how and where they date online. By tapping into a group experience, Tinder hopes to boost engagement and recapture attention from Gen Z users.
Importantly, Double Date positions Tinder to compete directly with niche platforms like Doubble and Fourplay, which already focus on group-based matchmaking. If successful, this update could help Tinder reclaim some of the cultural relevance it’s lost to rivals and newer dating trends.
Reactions to Tinder’s Double Date announcement
So far, reactions to Double Date have been mixed to curious. Online, people have joked, “@Tinder how am I supposed to double date when I can’t even get a single date.” Others seemed to wilfully misunderstand the concept, thinking that the feature meant that one person was going on a date with two people at the same time.
Some praised the feature as a much-needed way to make dating less awkward, while others questioned how it would work logistically. Will two friends always want to date together? What if only one person likes the match?
Regardless of the skepticism, Tinder appears confident. The company plans to roll the feature out globally in July, just in time for summer travel, socializing, and, hopefully, more successful matches.
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