Locked down singles in Britain looking for love on Tinder, one of the world’s most popular dating apps, can now video chat with their matches.
Tinder had announced it is rolling out its ‘Face to Face’ feature to its global customer base today.
To prevent creeps and weirdos exploiting the feature to berate or harass their matches, video calling only becomes available when both parties opt in.
It is designed to be used to compliment and boost conversation once a spark has been established.
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Tinder had announced it is rolling out its ‘Face to Face’ feature today to its users around the world. Unlike other video call apps and platforms, Tinder’s Face To Face feature sees both participants with an equal split of the screen
To prevent creeps and weirdos exploiting the feature to berate or harass their matches, video calling only becomes available when both parties opt in. It is designed to be used to compliment and boost conversation once a rapport has been established
Tinder has trialled the feature in 13 countries, including some US states, France, Australia and Brazil.
The company says it received positive feedback from users regarding the feature and as such has decided to roll the feature out worldwide.
In-person dating is all but impossible in the current coronavirus-stricken world, leaving singletons in a tricky spot when it comes to finding a partner.
Tinder believes adding video calls to its app can help people who are either shielding, self-isolating or in quarantine.
But, dating apps are often grounds for abuse, something which could be worsened by video calls.
As a result, Tinder has taken precautions to ensure both parties are as protected as possible.
To video chat, users aren’t required to exchange phone numbers and must opt-in in order to initiate, with the agreement of both users needed to start a video call.
Once both parties have agreed, they can simply tap a button on the right corner of the screen to begin.
A screen then appears which outlines the guidelines users must agree to, which includes: no nudity, no hate speech and ‘no activity involving minors’.
Once this is agreed, the video call splits the screen into two equal halves, unlike other video chat tools like FaceTime.
After the video call is concluded users will also be prompted answer whether they would have a video call again and may report someone if they do anything inappropriate.
Users who are reported for misconduct on the app will be swiftly removed, Tinder says.
Tinder said it won’t keep records of calls and moderation will be based on reports from users with disciplinary action being taken on a case-by-base basis.
‘We’re excited to share that our Face to Face feature is rolling out to our global community after receiving positive feedback from our members who have had early access to it,’ said Rory Kozoll, Head of Trust and Safety Product at Tinder.
‘This adds to our growing list of features built focused on member safety throughout their dating journey, like Photo Verification, Safety Center and our offensive message detection technology.’
The feature comes less than a week after Facebook expanded its ‘Dating’ feature to Europe and the UK.
Facebook Dating is an opt-in feature that allows users to create a profile that’s separate from their main Facebook account.
The feature lets users indicate their interest in potential matches in the local area, send messages and go on ‘virtual dating’ video calls.
It also includes the Secret Crush tool, which lets users select up to nine of their existing Facebook friends that they’re interested in and matches them up if the feelings are reciprocated and both people have a dating profile on the app.
The service, which was launched in the US in September 2019, is rolling out to 32 European countries including the UK, Ireland, France and Germany.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
