Tinder is no longer just a platform for solo dates. The company has announced a new “Double Date” feature rolling out in the US that will let you invite a friend to find — and match with – another pair.
The feature lives within a new “Double Date” icon in the top-right corner of the app, where you can invite up to three friends to create pairs with. You can both scroll through a feed of paired profiles, which appear side by side with photos and descriptions. A match is created when one person from both pairs swipes right. Tinder will then open up a group chat with all four users.
The update should help Tinder gain an edge over rivals as the dating app industry continues to experience a slump. It will also allow Tinder to compete directly with platforms built for double dates, like Doubble and Fourplay.
Cleo Long, Tinder’s head of product marketing, told The Verge that the platform has been testing the feature in Europe for a “couple of months,” adding that it’s meant to help relieve dating pressure, especially among younger users. “This is a social-first experience that’s really meant to help relieve some of the pressure that we know a lot of Gen Z experiences with dating by making it more social, more fun, and bringing your friends in to help reinforce that comfort piece,” Long said.
Tinder plans on rolling out Double Dates globally in July.
