You must be this tall to swipe.
Is the reign of the short king over on Tinder? The platform has been accused of superficiality after testing out a new feature that allows users to screen potential matches based on height.
“This is part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally on Tinder,” a rep for the dating platform told Mashable of the controversial new measure.
The new vetting function, which came to light via Reddit and other platforms, is located in the Discovery section of the digital romance service and lets users specify the minimum and maximum heights of their matches.
The function will only be available to users who subscribe to Tinder Platinum, a premier subscription tier that starts at $39.99 per month. Along with the new height option, the tier also includes prioritized likes, a specific interest filter, a message before you match function, and more.
Meanwhile, regular tier users can already customize several search preferences within the Discovery Settings, including age range, sexual orientation and distance.
Reps for the platform, which is owned by Match Group, assure users that this height screener is being trialed as a paid preference rather than a set-in-stone filter.
The idea is that paid preferences such as height allow the user greater autonomy without completely cutting off certain matches, Mashable reported.
“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,” the Tinder spokesperson said. “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.
However, this digital yardstick didn’t sit well with many critics on social media, some of whom accused the app of height supremacy.
“Justice for all us short kings!” declared one.
“Tinder is implementing a height filter and it will allow women to filter out men below their preferred height,” fumed one detractor on X. “It’s so hypocritical that men are demonized for having preferences but it’s ok for women, often about things men can’t change. Imagine if Tinder added a weight filter.”
However, some defenders thought people were making a mountain out of a molehill.
“Big fan of the Tinder height filter for no reason other than it pisses grown men off,” quipped one woman.
Another snarked, “Omg no way.. Tinder added a height filter? Wow.. We should talk about this for the next 30 days and 30 nights despite the fact that literally every other dating app already did it.”
Indeed, fellow dating app Hinge, another Match Group subsidiary, already has a height filter in place for premium users.
Interestingly, the new dry run ironically comes amid efforts by incoming Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff — who took over after Faye Iosotaluno announced her resignation after less than two years on the job — to help the platform shed its stigma as a superficial hook-up app in an effort to woo disillusioned Zoomers.
Gen Z users have reportedly been fleeing the platform in droves in search of dating apps that could lead to more lasting relationships.
Among 500 dating app users, about 85% said they didn’t use Tinder because of its association with “hookups,” according to a 2023 Wells Fargo survey.
Rascoff — who also helms the entire Match Group — hopes to reverse this max exodus by accelerating product changes, employing artificial intelligence and improving user safety, among other measures.
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