Tinder update – This could change the way you use the popular dating app

Tinder fans are set to get a brand feature that will shake-up how matches work on the dating app for iOS and Android devices.

Tinder is one of the world’s most popular dating apps, used by tens of millions of people each month.

Tinder users swipe 1.6billion times each day trying to find the perfect match, and the app is used in 196 different countries.

And now Tinder is set to rollout one of the biggest changes to how matches work since the dating app launched back in 2012.

Currently on Tinder, matches can only message one another once they both swipe right on their prospective date’s profile.

However, in a future update Tinder are planning on giving women the option to choose whether they want to initiate conversations with any future match.

The update will offer Tinder’s women the option to receive messages only from men they choose they want to talk to.

It’s a feature similar to Tinder’s rival Bumble, an app where women have to make the first step and initiate conversations with men.

The new Tinder feature was revealed by MarketWatch, after the site interviewed Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of the dating app’s owners Match Group.

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.”

Ginsberg said the new Tinder feature was “not a reaction to any competitor” and was the result of years of behind-the-scenes talks.

She said: “We have to constantly listen to what women want and address their needs, not just on Tinder but on all products.” 

Ginsberg added: “The feedback that 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 news comes after Tinder users last month were put on alert over fears hackers could exploit security flaws to spy on the dating app’s users.

Researchers from Checkmarx discovered the “disturbing” vulnerabilities that affects both the iOS and Android versions of the dating app.

The flaws allow an attacker using the same Wi-Fi network as the user to monitor their every move on Tinder.

The first flaw is a result of Tinder lacking HTTPS encryption for photos, opening the door for hackers to see pictures users are scrolling through.

The second security flaw lets hackers see data patterns for specific actions, such as swiping left and right.

By studying this data, cyber criminals can see who users are matching with and monitor “the user’s every move on the app”.

Checkmarx said hackers exploiting these vulnerabilities could also change Tinder users’ pictures to inappropriate content.

Alternatively, they could use private information from the user’s Tinder profile to target and blackmail them.

In a blog post outlining the security flaws, Checkmarx said: “The vulnerabilities, found in both the app’s Android and iOS versions, allow an attacker using the same network as the user to monitor the user’s every move on the app. 

“It is also possible for an attacker to take control over the profile pictures the user sees, swapping them for inappropriate content, rogue advertising or other type of malicious content (as demonstrated in the research).

“While no credential theft and no immediate financial impact are involved in this process, an attacker targeting a vulnerable user can blackmail the victim, threatening to expose highly private information from the user’s Tinder profile and actions in the app.”