- In response to the coronavirus, and with millions of people around the world now stuck at home, Tinder will make its Passport feature free to all users starting next week.
- The Passport feature enables users to swipe through user profiles of people located in other geographic regions.
- The feature will remain free until April 30.
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With large segments of the world population in lockdown mode, and with no indication that quarantine guidelines will subside anytime soon, there’s a strong chance people across the world will be stuck at home for the next few weeks. The situation is unprecedented and will, for many many people, be a lonely and isolating experience.
To help alleviate the impact of self-quarantine and foster connections across the globe, Tinder next week will make its Passport feature available for free to all users. The Passport feature, in effect, allows users to swipe in geographic locations outside of their own. So, for example, if a Tinder user in Los Angeles wants to check out any potential matches in London, they’ll be able to do so at no charge. Note that the Passport feature is bundled with the Tinder Plus premium tier which typically costs $9.99 a month.
The Passport feature will become free starting next Monday and will remain free through April 30th.
Commenting on the matter, an update to Tinder’s website reads in part:
A message for our community: In these trying times, while we all know we need to stay home, this doesn’t mean we have to be alone with our thoughts. Having someone to talk to can make a world of difference. And that’s why we decided that starting next week we’ll make our Passport feature, free to everyone, everywhere through April 30th. Our hope is that you use the Passport feature to virtually transport yourself out of self-quarantine to anywhere in the world. You can check in on folks in their hometown, college town, or sister city, and find those across the world who are going through the same things.
If nothing else, you can learn how to say “hey” in another language.
It’s a nice gesture for Tinder to make and will undoubtedly help boost engagement on the app. If anything, with millions of people now staying at home every day as opposed to going to work, it stands to reason that people are using Tinder — and other dating services — more frequently than ever before.
When the feature goes live next week, users can adjust their location by hitting the Settings icon, then scrolling down to the “Discovery” pane, and then tapping on the “Location” field. From there, users can select “Add a new location” whereupon they can start swiping away.
