Tinder is working on a new feature for its dating platform which will allow women to decide if men are allowed to send the first message on the app. One of the common criticisms about Tinder is the deluge of messages that women receive from people they’ve matched with, making it difficult to wade through all of the content. The new, optional feature, has drawn comparisons to another dating app, Bumble, which forces women to initiate the conversation within 24 hours, only giving men the option to prolong the 24 hour time frame women have to reach out.
Chief Executive at Match Group Inc (the company that owns Tinder), Mandy Ginsberg said:
“Often, women don’t really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that’s great. Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference.
We have to constantly listen to what women want and address their needs, not just on Tinder but on all products.
The feedback we’ve heard is that women don’t always want to be forced to make a move, so we want to give people the ability to choose.”
The feature, as mentioned earlier, will be able to be switched on and off depending on what the user wants. Additionally, it looks as though the feature will only be available for heterosexual women, as is the ‘women message first’ policy on Bumble. Ginsberg hopes that the new feature will make users behave more appropriately towards one another.
According to MarketWatch, Match Group ended the day with new highs after earnings, likely thanks to the announcement of this new feature.
Source: MarketWatch via The Verge