Tinder and similar apps have been accused of turning dating into a superficial environment, where people are being judged based solely on their looks. This has triggered the emergence of a new generation of dating apps like S’More, SwoonMe and Jigsaw, that encourage members to connect on a deeper level. Instead of building out a whole new app, Tinder has introduced the blind dating concept as an option within its own app.

As Position Mobile has learned, Tinder has launched a new feature last week that allows users to interact and chat before they see each other’s profiles. The idea behind the launching of “Blind Date” is to encourage users to assess people based on personality instead of appearance.

The users are being paired by the system with other users with similar ideas and beliefs. But before that, members need to answer a few of icebreaker questions. They will then enter a timed chat, knowing nothing about the other person, apart from the answers they have given earlier. When the timer runs out, they can view each other’s profile and decide if they want to keep talking to one another.

According to TechRunch, “Tinder says the new experience better reflects the dating culture of Gen Z users, who value authenticity. During tests, Blind Date proved to be fairly successful, the company says — those who used the feature made 40% more matches than those using another Fast Chat feature where profiles were visible. This encouraged Tinder to roll out the option more broadly.“

Blind Date has been rolled out last week in Explore to Tinder members in all English-speaking markets and it will be released globally in the weeks ahead.

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