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Tinder tests letting users set a 'height preference'

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Tinder tests letting users set a 'height preference' | TechCrunch

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Tinder is leaning into dating apps’ reputation for superficiality with the launch of a new feature that lets paid subscribers add their height preferences to their profiles.

After a Reddit user posted a photo of the new height setting in the Tinder app, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the discovery setting has been launched as a global test.

Tinder Gold and Premium subscribers in the test group will have access to the feature, but not free users, we’re told. In addition, the setting will indicate a preference, rather than functioning as a “hard filter,” the company says. That means it won’t actually block or exclude profiles but instead inform recommendations.

“We’re always listening to what matters most to our Tinder users — and testing the paid height preference is a great example of how we’re building with urgency, clarity, and focus,” said Phil Price Fry, VP Comms at Tinder, in an emailed statement. “This is part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally on Tinder. Our new product principles guide every decision, and this one speaks directly to a few: prioritizing user outcomes, moving fast, and learning quickly. Not every test becomes a permanent feature, but every test helps us learn how we can deliver smarter, more relevant experiences and push the category forward.”

26 comments
  • I'm just surprised that there are still people using Tinder.

  • Well, nobody's looking at my photos and thinking "That's guy looks tall", unless they say add "for an Asian man... sorta," so really this is just saving us all some time.

  • In a perfectly reasonable, civilized and rational world; this would be seen as an additional feature in "Bad taste".

    There is no rational reason for the company to permit any kind of detailed filtering; the longer you're swiping through photos, the longer you use the app and the chance that you potentially give them money for services remains.

    There is no rational reason to discriminate against people based on their height either. While it's quite natural to have preferences, generally speaking, you know when you find someone attractive. I don't think I've ever heard of someone genuinely only attracted to specifically only tall or short people; there's usually something else there behind the reason. That reason could be any number of things from feelings to experiences and more.

    Attraction, much like people, is a complicated and not so straightforward thing. It's reason for being isn't based on rationality always, we don't always size up our mates the way a computer would. In general it's oftentimes emotional, and attractiveness can be something that happens when someone manages to emotionally convey an appearance or vibe that matches something the one feeling the attraction might be looking for.

26 comments