Tinder’s incoming CEO wants to rid the app of its hookup app reputation, but the app is testing a pretty superficial preference: height.
In recent days, users have started noticing a height “filter” in the app. Another dating app, Hinge, already had a height filter for premium users. Both Tinder and Hinge are owned by Match Group.
Apparently, though, height is being tested as a paid preference, not a hard filter. The difference is that a preference doesn’t block or exclude profiles outright for not fitting the requirements. It’s more of a guide for the algorithm. The app is evolving its preference system, where free preferences help improve relevance while paid preferences like height offer greater control without completely cutting people off.
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“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,” a Tinder spokesperson told Mashable. “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,” the spokesperson continued, referencing incoming CEO Spencer Rascoff’s LinkedIn post about changes he wants to implement at Tinder. (Rascoff is already CEO of Match Group, and will lead both it and Tinder as of July.)
For years now, height has been an obsession on dating apps, at least for straight users. As Mashable’s features editor Rachel Thompson wrote in 2017, “In the economy of heterosexual online dating, where thumbs wield the ultimate power over a person’s love life, height appears to be an immensely valuable currency.” Two years later, Tinder even teased “height verification” as an April Fool’s Joke. Now,
The obsession hasn’t been quenched, and already there’s drama online about Tinder’s height preference. While this is currently just a test, it won’t be surprising if this becomes a permanent fixture on the app.
