Tinder rolls out new safety features, including an Incognito Mode

Tinder is rolling out new features aimed at making it easier for users on the dating app to control how they interact with others. The new features, which are rolling out globally, were announced today to mark Safer Internet Day.

One of the new features is called “Incognito Mode” and is a step up from fully hiding your profile. Members can still Like and Nope in the app, but only those whom they’ve Liked will see them in their recommendations. The feature is designed to allow users to take complete control over who sees them while scrolling through profiles on Tinder. Incognito Mode is a premium feature available for Tinder+, Gold and Premium members.

Image Credits: Tinder

“Incognito Mode is a new way of being able to control your experience,” Rory Kozoll, Tinder’s VP of Product and Integrity, told TechCrunch in an interview. “You’ve always been able to hide your profile on Tinder, but we had wanted to create a feature that lets people hide their profile, but still be able to see everybody else and only get shown to the people they like.”

The company is also launching a new “Block Profile” feature that gives users the option to choose who they want to see on Tinder. Now, when profiles are suggested, before matching, users can block them so they don’t show up again. Tinder notes that the feature provides an easy way to avoid seeing a boss or an ex on the app. The new feature is launching in addition to the current “Block Contacts” feature that lets users can determine which of their contacts they’d rather not see, or not be seen by on Tinder.

Image Credits: Tinder

In addition, Tinder is making it easier for users to report bad behavior by introducing “Long Press Reporting.” Long press reporting lets people tap and hold offensive messages, launching the reporting flow directly in the chat experience. The company says that by simplifying the reporting process, it hopes more users will report bad behavior on the app.

Last, Tinder is updating its “Does This Bother you?” and “Are You Sure” prompts to include more language that it classifies as being harmful. The Are You Sure? prompt appears before a message is sent when Tinder detects harmful language. The Does This Bother You? prompt encourages users to report inappropriate conversations so that the company can take action against users who break the app’s rules. Now, the two features will cover more keywords, phrases and emojis that might be considered harmful.

“Over the years, we’ve been introducing safety in every step,” Kozoll said. “From trying to understand the authenticity of our members and making sure members are being respectful towards each other. We see that whole journey as a place where we can help. And so today, we’re looking at the latest features in that evolution.”

Tinder is also launching Green Flags, a new campaign that highlights the safety features that it offers users, from creating a profile, to liking and matching, to talking and to meeting up in real life. The company says the Green Flags campaign is an extension to Match Group’s recent campaign that introduced in-app messages and email notifications to give users tips on how to prevent being scammed online.