Tinder Online, which was launched on Tuesday, is a web-optimized version of the Tinder dating app, allowing users to access Tinder from their desktop. A user will be required to sign in through Facebook, but features such as Tinder Boost and SuperLike will be absent for now, notes TechCrunch.
Desktop version comes with tweaked interface
As of now, the app, which was limited to phones, is being tested in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Indonesia, where the cellular connections are nothing to boast about. Tinder Online will be launched in the U.S. later this year.
Brian Norgard, Tinder’s head of Product, stated that the desktop version is meant for those who have smartphones with low-storage capacity or a data plan that does not support Tinder’s image-heavy feed. Tinder Online will enable users to swipe and message on the desktop, which will be simpler than the mobile app, notes TechCrunch.
Samantha Stevens, product manager for Tinder Online, noted that on the mobile app, matches and messages are not visible on the same screen; therefore, people first swipe their contacts left or right, and once they have enough matched contacts, their conversation threads start.
Stevens stated that users tend to reject some matches after a conversation, affecting the quality of user interactions.
“It’s very easy to have more generic conversations when you’re not looking at someone’s information and what they stand for,” the executive says.
Now, a tweaked user interface might shift users’ desire from more matches to a desire for more conversations.
Helping users take Tinder Online more seriously
Behavioral psychologist Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, stated that it won’t be surprising if Tinder’s strategy here was to make people interested in longer-term partnerships, notes Wired. In a way, the strategy might work for the business, as there is a large number of users who took to Tinder for casual hook-ups but found long-term relationships and love.
Tinder Online can be a step towards pitching the app to people who are not looking for passing affairs but want to be in a serious relationship. Until now, such users were more inclined towards services such as eHarmony and OkCupid, notes Wired.
Tinder has never tried to position itself as an app that enables you to get into a serious relationship and has never encouraged stories and incidents of casual dating turning into a serious relationship. However, with the desktop version, this might just turn into reality, and people might start considering the platform as one where they can find true love.
