Tinder angers swipe-happy users

Tinder launches 'passport' service for finding love overseas
Tinder launches 'passport' service for finding love overseas

Many wish they could swipe left and reject the latest version of Tinder.

On Monday, the dating app launched its new premium service, Tinder Plus. New features include the option to "rewind" or unswipe someone they didn't mean to pass on and the ability to match with people around the country instead of one geographic location. (The app lets users "swipe right" on people they find attractive or "swipe left" to reject someone.)

But the premium service varies in price and favors the young.

In the U.S., those under 30 pay $9.99 a month. If you're 30 or over, you'll pay $19.99. (In the UK, you pay more if you're over 28.)

Many are taking to Twitter to air their frustrations.

"Doesn't making people over 30 pay more for Tinder feel like some sort of penalty? You haven't found love yet, give us your money," tweeted @eleshepp.

tinder out of likes
To upsell users to Tinder Plus, some users are receiving notifications that they've reached their "likes" limit.

Is Tinder suggesting that 30 is the new middle age? Not so, says Tinder spokeswoman Rosette Pambakian.

"During our testing we've learned, not surprisingly, that younger users are just as excited about Tinder Plus, but are more budget constrained," wrote Pambakian in an e-mail. "Lots of products offer differentiated price tiers by age, like Spotify does for students. Tinder is no different."

To incentivize users to upgrade, Tinder has also introduced a limit on how many swipes right or "likes" are allowed within a certain time frame. Once that's exceeded, users must wait 12 hours to swipe again.

Confessions of dating app war stories
Confessions of dating app war stories

So, how many swipes do users get? According to Pambakian, there's actually no set number.

"It's based on an algorithm, and in some cases it is individual," wrote Pambakian. "The vast majority of our audience will never hit any swiping barrier."

But within the first day, it seemed many users were in fact hitting that barrier.

"So Tinder, you're telling me that I'm out of right swipes for the day and can no longer swipe right on everyone... This is depressing. #smh," tweeted @BradyMcIntyre_.

@timmyslices tweeted "#Tinder is now limiting number of likes per 12 hours... Be careful out there," along with an Instagram photo reading, "Every swipe matters now."

@Whatupmax tweeted: "Running out of lives on candy crush was always devastating but it pales in comparison to running out of likes on tinder #thegamehaschanged"

According to Pambakian, the limitations should encourage users to "make sure their swipes are honest" (in other words, don't just like everyone and see who likes you back). She suggested "power users" upgrade for unlimited liking.

This is Tinder's first attempt at monetization. The service is owned by IAC/InteractiveCorp (IACI), parent company to other dating platforms like Match.com and OkCupid.

Tinder declined to disclose its number of users but said that one million new users join every week. Pambakian said the app makes 22 million matches a day across 140 countries.

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