Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Tinder is launching a new Blind Date social experience that pairs members before allowing them to view each other’s profile.
The idea, according to a company news release, is to let conversation—not carefully curated photos—make a first impression. This marks a big departure for the online dating service, which built its brand on users anonymously swiping right or left based mostly on images.
“We’ve all seen the mix of anticipation and excitement going on a blind date brought some of our favorite movie or TV characters, and we wanted to recreate that experience for today’s generation with the Blind Date feature,” Kyle Miller, VP of product innovation at Tinder, said in a statement.
Housed in the Explore tab for US users now and globally “in the coming weeks,” Blind Date is the latest addition to Tinder’s Fast Chat suite. It’s designed to help members “connect faster” through prompts and games. Users may view the other’s profile and photos only if they both decide to match after chatting.
“There’s something really special about letting conversation introduce someone’s personality, without the preconceptions that can be made from photos,” Miller said. “The new Blind Date experience brings a surprisingly fun, banter-based way to interact and create connections that’s all new to Tinder.”
Based on modern dating habits of Gen Z, with a sprinkling of ’90s pre-smartphone nostalgia, the feature pairs folks based on commonalities and multiple-choice prompts like “It’s OK to wear a shirt [blank] times without washing it” and “I put ketchup on [blank].” Following a timed virtual chat, you’ll be prompted to like (or not) the person’s profile and see if it’s a match.
