
// Development
How to Build an Online Dating App Like Tinder
// Development
Even if you have never used the dating services, you probably heard about Tinder. This app has become extremely popular thanks to a simple, but at the same time ingenious approach to the attention of users: you’re looking at random photos of people, and if you like someone, you swipe right, if not, swipe left. With the match of liking, users have the opportunity to socialize and go on a date.
This solution removed the problem of first contact, when people, if they want to meet with someone, have to be the first to make contact, risking immediately or very quickly getting a refusal for one reason or another (which is unpleasant and negatively affects self-esteem). In Tinder, there is no such problem, because users initially know that they like each other. Moreover, if they swiped someone and didn’t get a mutual swipe, then no one will ever know.
However, as the experience of Badoo, Happn, Mico and other dating app shows, this market is still full of space. And if you want to create your own, similar to Tinder, app and do everything right, you can grab a tidbit of this market. Our article will help you with it.
But if you don’t have such feature, create a niche project. A large market is in a state of superaturation by large players, because of which it will be quite difficult to achieve success there, especially if you do not have a lot of money or an information resource. While it is much easier and more profitable to win a separate niche - ROI is bigger.
Examples of niche projects:
The main problem of the new dating services is the user base. An app can have a stunning design, an ideal interface and functionality, but if there are few profiles there, this is a failure, because people won’t communicate with anyone, and therefore they will not register and use the app.
How can a new application recruit 1000 first profiles:
In addition, it is worth thinking about how to deal with (screen out) such categories of users:
Usually, such people are fought with the help of registration through social networks and ban on the basis of appeals and complaints of other people. This should be described in detail in the application policy, otherwise, there may be problems with claims from both parties.
In services targeted at a wide range of users, there is such a term as “critical user base”. This is the number of active participants, sufficient for the normal operation of the system. In the case of Tinder-like app, this is the number that will allow users to constantly meet new people.
If there are not enough people, an “audience burnout” will occur (or “base burnout”): you know everyone, you have communicated or met everyone, and you have no one to communicate with anymore, that is, no more reasons to use this application. It often happens in services oriented to a very narrow niche or a small city.
In order to avoid this, it is necessary the user base is either constantly replenished, or initially was very large. Database updates can be achieved through advertising and/or entering new niches. The second option can be achieved if you focus on multi-million cities (agglomerations) or very large niches.
The above factors are not the only things to look for when creating an app similar to Tinder. No less important is the set of functions and tools of the dating app, since they affect the convenience and reliability of the service, as well as the speed and cost of its development.
To create an app similar to Tinder, you must use an authorization mechanism through social networks: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This is necessary so that users can verify the authenticity of the photo and age. And this is also necessary for the service in order to ban it in the event of inadequate behavior of the participant and make the re-registration as difficult as possible.
Other registration methods are done via a phone number or email. If you use these approaches, then users will have less confidence in the system, since it will not be possible to verify the authenticity of the data: photos, age, region, and so on. Age is very important, as users need to know if another user has come of age.
Just after registration, users need to be navigated to the "Profile" section. Here, new members must indicate their age, location, interests and describe themselves briefly. That is, specify the information that other users will see.
This is the main feature of Tinder, which helps to bring people together with minimal effort for both parties. It is implemented extremely simply: look at the photo, and if you like the person, swipe the photo to the right, if not, to the left. In 2015, Tinder introduced the ability to make Super Like (swipe up).
In this case, the production process will take from 1000 to 25,000 hours and cost between 55 and 110 thousand dollars, depending on the platform and set of functions.