Tinder to use AI to get to know users, tap into their Camera Roll photos

Tinder is looking to AI to revive its dating app, which has now reported nine straight quarters of declines in paying subscribers as of the third quarter of this year. The dating app maker, Match Group, told investors during its earnings call Tuesday that Tinder is testing a feature called Chemistry, which gets to know users through questions and, with permission, accesses camera roll photos on users’ phones to learn more about their interests and personalities.

The feature is already being tested in New Zealand and Australia and will be a “key pillar of Tinder’s upcoming product experience in 2026,” according to Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff.

Match isn’t alone in requesting access to users’ private camera roll photos. Meta also launched a feature last month that asks to use the AI ​​on photos on your phone that you haven’t shared yet, to suggest AI edits.

In either case, the end-user benefits of allowing this type of expanded access are negligible.

In the case of Match, the company says it will ask users interactive questions and learn more about them using AI technology so it can recommend better, more compatible matches. Presumably it would look something like this: If you had photos of yourself outside hiking or climbing, you could be matched with someone who shared the same outdoor hobbies.

While the company experiments with Tinder, Match’s results take a hit.

Fourth-quarter expectations include a $14 million negative impact on Tinder’s direct revenue due to the product testing, Match said. This, among other trends in the dating industry, has lowered Match’s fourth-quarter expectations to somewhere between $865 million and $875 million, while analysts had expected $884.2 million.

The company is also using AI in other areas, including in an LLM-powered system where Tinder nudges users before sending potentially offensive messages and asks them, “Are you sure?” It also uses AI to help users choose their best photos.

AI isn’t the only thing Tinder is looking to use to increase subscriber numbers and engagement. The company has introduced other features such as dating modes, double dates, facial verification and redesigned profiles, with bio information on the first photo card and prompts integrated into the photo carousel.

Despite the product changes, Tinder is facing a difficult market Where some young people are leaning away from online dating in favor of more real world experienceswhile online daters in the US may spend less as their disposable income shrinks country flirts with recession.

Match reported in the third quarter that Tinder revenue fell 3% year-over-year, and the number of paying users fell 7%.

Overall, Match’s revenues and profits were largely in line with expectations, with revenue up 2% to $914.2 million, versus an expected $915 million, and earnings per share of 62 cents (earnings of $160.8 million), versus an expected 63 cents.