Tinder released new features on their hookup app, did it also roll out a new era of infidelity along with it?
With the news of cheating website Ashley Madison’s hacking recently, we were all reminded just how easy it is to have an affair with a little help from the Internet. And when hookup app Tinder rolled out its premium service, Tinder Plus, in March, it may have made it even more effortless.
According to those behind the location-based app, Tinder Plus, which gained more than 275,000 paid users during its first couple months, was the answer to consumer requests.
First, it offers unlimited swipes, letting users surpass the swipe limit in its free version. (For non-Tinderers, a left swipe is a no; a right swipe is a yes. If you both swipe yes, it’s a match.) Tinder maintains that limiting the number of swipes makes for more sincere right swipes and, so, more true matches. But if you fork over the $9.99 for those 29 and under or $19.99 for those over 30, you can swipe to your heart’s content. Secondly, with Tinder Plus’ “Rewind” feature, users can undo an unintended left swipe, which otherwise would have been permanent.
The third premium feature is called “Passport.” It’s the new way to make global connections…
Related: Tinder – What Makes People Swipe Right or Left?
..One study showed that almost half of all Tinder users are already in a relationship..
“Search by city or drop a pin on the map and you can begin swiping, matching, and chatting with Tinder users in a destination of your choice,” according to Tinder’s blog. “Navigate between your current location and new destinations. Passport creates real, one-on-one connections with people across the globe.”
This new feature allows paying users to change their current location to anywhere in the world without actually being there. Sure, it can be used by innocent singles looking to go on a date during a weekend trip to Tahoe, but it also means that Dave, the husband and father of two, can plan a little rendezvous during his business trip to Baltimore next week.
Nobody in Dave’s hometown would have any inkling that he’s on Tinder because Dave is only showing up in the app in a city 2,000 miles away.
Related: How Difficult Is It To Keep Desire Alive Within Relationships?
Now, premium app or not, Tinder seems to be a playground for the already betrothed. A study by the market research firm GlobalWebIndex, showed that almost half – 42 percent – of all Tinder users are in a relationship, with three in ten users actually being hitched.
But are all of these users using it for potential hookups? Tinder claims that, while it can be used for dating, it is in essence a “social discovery platform.”