There are many advantages to online dating on apps like Tinder or Grindr. A great number of potential dates, ease of use, GIFs. But one of the downsides is the uncertainty of whether the person you’ve matched with is the real person behind the phone or computer screen.
But a new feature announced by Tinder hopes to reduce the risk that you could be catfished. Announced on Monday, the company behind the dating app announced that Tinder users in Australia will have an option of proving whether their pictures actually depict them.
The new Tinder feature, Photo Verification, uses “human-assisted AI technology” to compare the the photographs on a user’s profile to a photo taken in real time. If it matches, the user is verified. Verified users have a blue tick next to their name.
Tinder’s head of trust and safety product Rory Kozoll said the feature will make Tinder users safer.
“Every day, millions of our members trust us to introduce them to new people, and we’re dedicated to building innovative safety features powered by best-in-class technology that meet the needs of today’s daters,” he said in a statement.
“I’m proud to share this update to our Australian members, which represents an important step in driving our commitment to trust and safety work forward.”
How to verify your Tinder photo
Here’s how it works:
- Users open the app and click on their profile.
- Click the grey checkmark by your name.
- Select ‘Verify your profile’.
- You’re shown a pose and you need to copy that pose in a selfie picture.
- Once you’ve done that, you can submit it for review.
- You’ve got to do another self and send it off.
- Wait until you hear back from Tinder.
While this feature is certainly not foolproof, it does offer Tinder users some additional security that they are dealing with the person they think they are. And maybe, just maybe, that person is The One.