Does Tinder Show inactive Profiles?

If you’ve been using Tinder for a while, you may have wondered about the status of some of the profiles you come across.

Are they all active, or does Tinder also show inactive ones?

Whether you intend to go offline (hence, inactive), or you have some inactive profiles on your match tab and are wondering, this article should provide you with answers.

Does Tinder Show inactive Profiles?

Tinder doesn’t typically remove inactive profiles unless they violate the app’s guidelines. However, their algorithm is designed to prioritize showing active users more frequently than inactive ones.

Why does it work this way?

Well, Tinder’s success depends on keeping its user base active, engaged, and, most importantly, successful in finding matches. So, it wouldn’t make sense to push profiles that are less likely to respond, would it?

But here’s the catch. While Tinder does its best to promote active users, it doesn’t mean inactive profiles get completely hidden away.

They might still show up in your stack, but much less frequently. You see, every right swipe is an opportunity for a connection.

If a user has stopped using the app but hasn’t deleted their profile, there’s always a chance they might return, see your swipe, and spark up a conversation.

This is the reason it may be difficult to be able to tell if a Tinder profile is active or not.

How Long Will Tinder Keep Showing Active Profiles?

While Tinder doesn’t publicly disclose the specifics of its algorithm, we know from experience and extensive user reports that the app doesn’t readily discard inactive profiles.

But as we discussed earlier, Tinder tends to prioritize showing active users but doesn’t completely eliminate inactive profiles from the stack.

But why does Tinder keep inactive profiles in circulation at all?

The answer is simple: opportunity.

The user might not be active at the moment, but if they decide to return to the app, they’ll have matches waiting for them. It’s a setup designed to re-engage users and make the return worthwhile.

In fact, in general, Tinder doesn’t completely stop showing profiles for any reason, unless profiles get reported or they deliberately pause or delete their account.

However, the frequency with which these profiles are displayed drops significantly over time.

If a user doesn’t log into their account for a lengthy period, the chances of their profile appearing in the stack decrease dramatically.

So, the question isn’t whether Tinder will stop showing inactive profiles altogether, but rather how far they get pushed down the stack.

While there’s no exact timeline, we know that profiles that have been inactive for weeks or even months are shown much less frequently than those in active use or inactive for just a few days.

In a nutshell, as long as a profile exists on Tinder, it remains in the pool but gets deprioritized the longer it stays inactive.

So, if you’re worried about swiping on dormant profiles, remember that the majority of profiles you see belong to people who have been active relatively recently.

Best Way to Go Inactive on Dating Apps

You see, contrary to what some might believe, taking a break from online dating doesn’t necessarily mean you have to disappear entirely.

In fact, certain dating apps, including Tinder, offer unique features to allow users to pause their activities without fully deactivating their accounts.

For instance, on Bumble you can use the snooze feature, while Hinge has the pause button.

For Tinder users specifically, the first and most direct method to go inactive is to utilize their “Pause My Account” feature, just like on Hinge.

This allows you to temporarily hide your profile from Tinder without losing your matches or messages. During the pause, your profile will not appear in the card stack for others to swipe on, but you can still message your existing matches.

If you’re using a different app that doesn’t offer such a feature, there are other ways to go inactive. One of these is by simply halting your usage of the app. This will slowly drop your profile down the stack as the algorithms of most dating apps prioritize active users.

You could turn also off your discovery settings.

This means your profile will be hidden from new potential matches, although you can still interact with your existing matches. This option is helpful if you want to take a break from new matches but still want to continue conversations with existing ones.

Of course, a more drastic measure would be to delete the app from your phone.

However, bear in mind that this will not remove your profile. If you wish to completely erase your profile, you will need to manually delete your account from within the app’s settings.

Conclusion

In essence, while Tinder does prioritize active profiles, it doesn’t entirely exclude the inactive ones from the matchmaking process.

This approach ensures a more dynamic and engaging user experience while leaving room for potentially successful connections with those who might not be as active.