Tinder video calls a hit among Bengaluru users

Pallavi Dubey | NT

Bengaluru: Nearly a year after its launch, Tinder’s in-app video call feature has become a big hit among the users in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. This new feature was launched in India in October 2020, and it has been a hit globally with overall Tinder bios increasing by 52%.

According to Tinder’s ‘Year in Swipe 2021’ report, India has emerged as the chattiest country, with Hyderabad topping the list, closely followed by Chennai and Bengaluru in face-to-face video chats on the dating app.

However, this has not dimmed the craze for real-life meets. Notices of ‘close by’ and ‘nearby’ expanded 20% this year on Tinder profiles, as individuals were more open to genuine dates. Tinder also witnessed a two-fold increase in mentions of ‘long walks’ in bios and requests for date activities from cycling to taking a pottery class in bios.

As the Covid-19 vaccine footprint widened in India, it was reflected on Tinder also. During the period between February and August, notices of ‘vaccinated’ on Tinder profiles grew 40x. This identification had turned into a much sought after a flex among Gen Zs on Tinder. “It is likely that receiving the notification of a match on Tinder indicating that someone ‘likes’ you, or finds you attractive, would enhance feelings of validation or selfworth. Also, users who found it easier to communicate online compared with offline were actually less likely to connect with those they had met on Tinder on a face-to-face date,’’ shared Anushka Bera, a Tinder user.

Interestingly, the side-eye emoji was the most used on Tinder this year with a 40% increase in its usage on bios globally. This emoji, according to Tinder, was used to express the optimism and scepticism that users felt throughout the year.