Post Date: December 1, 2020

Mobile dating apps like Tinder show age, a biography about yourself as well as location. However, is it able to tell when you are online and using the app?

There is no indicator if someone is active and online using Tinder. The only way to determine if someone uses the app is if their location changes or sends messages to your profile.

In this article, we will show you how you can see if someone is active on Tinder.

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How To Tell If Someone Is Active On Tinder

There currently is no direct way of knowing if someone is on Tinder.

Apps like Plenty Of Fish have a special segment called “online now,” where they showcase profiles that are actively using the app.

Unfortunately, Tinder does not have any features that allow users to see when a profile is online or last active.

Back in 2019, they used to have a last active feature, which has since been removed from the app.

The reason Tinder removed these features was due to safety precautions. Tinder is doing everything it can to prevent online stalking.

If you’re looking to see if someone is online or active on Tinder, there are a few small hacks you can do to see if someone is active.

Are you looking for a complete user guide to using Tinder?

Check The Location To See If It’s Changed

The first way to see if someone is active is to see if their location has changed.

For instance, Tinder gives you information about how far the user you matched with is. This is presented in a number form.

Location change on Tinder

For instance, if the user was 46 miles away when you last talked to them (and possibly for the entire time you spoke) and they are now 15 miles away from you – it means they’re active on Tinder.

When the user opens the mobile app, immediately their location is changed and displayed to other users.

Tinder does this for a few reasons.

First, Tinder needs to improve the quality of matches it delivers you.

If you have your preferences set to find users 1 mile away, it will find your location and deliver you users that are 1 mile away.

Second, other people need to find your profile that is in your proximity. As soon as Tinder makes a successful connection to the GPS signal, it will display it in the app.

Tinder is all about making the experience as best as possible for both users.


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See If The User Is Typing

Another way to see if a profile is active is to see if they’ve entered anything into the chatbox. Similar to how iPhones have thinking bubbles, Tinder has adopted this feature.

Chat bubbles on Tinder

Users can see when another user is typing on Tinder by the three dots in the chat. The three bubbles will appear when something is entered into the chat box (text or a gif).

This is a great way to see if another user is active online, especially if you’re waiting for a message back from that user.

Check For Picture & Biography Updates

Next is to check for pictures or any bio updates. If a person is active on Tinder, there will likely be updated pictures on that user’s profile.

Updated pictures mean any pictures that were taken recently.

The best way to check for this ( if you’re friends with them on social media) is to cross-reference when the picture was taken and if it matches their social profile.

Another way to determine is to see if they have any holiday pictures.

If they have Christmas pictures, there’s a good chance you can predict that the photo was taken around December.

Pictures and biography on Tinder

Users will often update their bio to reflect their new views or give more information about themselves. To determine if a user is active, check if they updated their bio or even deleted it.


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Swipe Right To See If They Swipe Right On You

The last way to see if a user is active online is to swipe right on their profile (if you haven’t matched yet) and see if they matched you back.

Active profiles will be notified that they have at least one match waiting for them. Tinder users this notification to entice the users to swipe.

If the person swipes right on you and you match, that means that they’re active on Tinder.

How To Appear Offline Or Inactive On Tinder

If you’re looking to appear offline or not active on Tinder, there are only a few ways to still check messages without being noticed.

The first way is to delete your profile completely. If you don’t want to appear on the app anymore, completely delete your profile and remove your phone’s mobile dating app.

This is the best way to appear offline or inactive.

The second way is to use the app from the location you always used it, without changing anything.

The mileage won’t change as far as distance, and it will look like the profile is dormant to other users.

Last, if you’re looking to check messages or see someone’s information you matched with, enable airplane mode with just the Wi-Fi enabled.

This will allow you to connect to the internet, but Tinder won’t use your GPS signal.

The best way, of course, is the first way to delete the profile. This ensures that none of your information will be shown on Tinder, and you won’t have to worry or hide anything.

Conclusion

There is no way to see if someone is active or online on Tinder currently.

However, users can look at the distance away, new bios and pictures, or see if the user is typing to determine if the user is online.

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Tinder hides the user’s status to protect them from potential stalkers or creepers.

If you’re looking to see if someone is active, the best bet may be to ask them or to see if the app is live on their phone.

If you liked this blog, learn more about Tinder in these articles:

About the Author

Julia has over 10+ years in the mobile dating app space as a consultant and analyst. Her work has been featured on top websites like Mashable and Women's Health Mag. She writes these blogs to help singles find their true love and life long companion!