Tinder is now testing its very first video feature. Tinder Loops allows the dating app‘s users to take a two-second video of themselves and loop it. The Tinder video feature is aimed at allowing the dating app’s users to show off their personalities. The company believes users with Loops will attract more interest from other users than those without Loops.
How the Tinder video feature works
The company announced its new video feature in a blog post today. Tinder Loops can be created from two seconds of any video. Users simply select a video that shows them doing something they really enjoy and showcases their personality. For example, the company suggests that users can use videos of themselves roller skating, shooting basketball, jumping off a cliff, or doing any other fun thing they enjoy. Users can even speed up their video so more happens in the two seconds that are shown.
The Tinder video feature seems very similar to a GIF format, but more like Apple’s Live Photos, which basically turn still photos into ultra-short videos by adding on a second or so before and after the photo to create a very short image that moves. In fact, in addition to videos, Tinder Loops also supports Live Photos taken by iOS devices. This type of video or animated still photo has exploded over the last year or two, with several other formats also gaining in popularity, such as Vine and Boomerang. Google also offers a similar format through its Clips smart camera.
How to create your own Tinder Loops
In order to create your own Tinder Loops, all you have to do is upload a video of yourself within the Tinder app by tapping the “Add media” button. Then you just need to edit the video inside the app by setting the time strip to the part of the video you want to use for your Loop. Then all you have to do is post it to your profile after previewing it.
Tinder Loops is now undergoing testing in Sweden and Canada among iOS users. The company will decide later whether or not to roll it out to the rest of its users around the globe.
In addition to the video feature, the dating app is also testing an expansion of the number of images users can show on their profiles. Currently, users can show up to six photos in their profiles, but the dating app is testing the ability to use up to nine Loops or photos. The photos and Loops are what other users see when deciding whether to swipe “yes” (a swipe to the right) or “no” (a swipe to the left) on each profile they’re shown.