Tinder to launch paid-for 'premium' service from November

The free dating app will remain the same, developers said

Lizzie Dearden
Tuesday 21 October 2014 21:22 BST
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The Tinder app has around 10 million users worldwide
The Tinder app has around 10 million users worldwide (Justin Sullivan/Getty)

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Tinder is reportedly launching a paid-for “premium” service next month, while keeping the original free app.

Users swipe through 1.2 billion profiles every day, according to Tinder’s co-founder and CEO Sean Rad, who told Forbes about the plans.

“We are adding features users have been begging us for,” he said. “They will offer so much value we think users are willing to pay for them.”

Although he did not provide details, the new features could include extended location settings that would allow people to go beyond the limits set by the free app.

Tinder lets users see profiles of other people within a selected distance based on their preferences. Then they can swipe left (like) or right (pass) to express an interest.

If two people like each other’s photos and make a match, they can communicate to arrange a date.

The free app currently limits how far away people can search – a restriction that could be lifted by the premium service.

The lack of adverts and subscription has boosted its huge popularity, with more than 15 million matches being made every day, but now Tinder is trying to monetise.

“Revenue has always been on the road map,” Mr Rad told Forbes. “We had to get our product and growth right first.”

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