Tinder Enhances Profiles and Algorithm for More 'Meaningful Connections'

Everyone’s favorite mindless dating app is getting more serious. Tinder has recently made updates to both their profiles and algorithm in order to create more “meaningful connections” between users. The simple “swipe left” or “swipe right” is apparently not so simple, anymore.

In a blog post, Tinder was pretty vague about the improvements they made in regards to the app’s algorithm. Techcrunch reports Tinder CEO and cofounder Sean Rad explained it as “like Google search results” and that the change isn’t “just about new data points, but how those things are ranked against one another depending on the user.” However, the Intersect points out how algorithms are pretty much worthless:

The strongest evidence for this comes from a 2012 paper published by Northwestern University’s Eli Finkel and four co-authors in the journal “Psychological Science in the Public Interest,” which not only eviscerated the very concept of matching algorithms, but called on the Federal Trade Commission to regulate claims about their effectiveness.

Still, Tinder claims the updates will lead to a “significant increase” in matches. Along with behind-the-scenes changes, the app now includes features such as job and education info, and other similarities, such as whether you and your potential new lover attended the same university, will now be highlighted on the front of their profile.