Does tinder only show profiles active in the last 7 days

We've been using Tinder for what seems like forever, but it might be shocking to know we don't actually know everything about the dating app. The dream Tinder scenario goes as follows: you download the app, swipe away for a bit, find some cringy boys, laugh at people's awful bios, try out some of your best opening liners, and have a few fun conversations before meeting the love of your life. You both delete the app and live happily ever after. But no. Little did you know just deleting the app isn't enough to remove your profile – you are still visible to other users, which is DANGEROUS. It's only a matter of time before someone tells you they've seen your significant other on Tinder and you're left having to confront them about it. They promise you it must be some sort of mistake, because they definitely deleted the app – but, is this true? Do you still come up on Tinder when you delete the app? Does Tinder show inactive profiles?

Does Tinder show inactive profiles?

Tinder's algorithm is just as confusing as any other dating site algorithm – but one thing's for sure – it does show profiles that aren't active.

The face when you see your best friend's boyfriend on Tinder after he "deleted the app"

For example, if you visit a new place and open the app there – you will be visible to people in that area. Then if you leave the area and don't open the app again, i.e. become inactive, your profile is still shown in there for a while.

As well as this, people who have swiped so much they have run out of the most active profiles will be shown less active ones too.

Inactive profiles are less visible, but they are still there.

Do you still come up on Tinder when you delete the app?

There are so many rumours surrounding whether or not your profile still shows up on Tinder after you have deleted the app. "But I deleted the app!!" is the go-to, get-out clause for boys who have just been caught still talking to other people when they told you things were exclusive.

They might not actually be lying, because even when you have deleted the app, you do show up. Deleting the app does absolutely nothing to your profile. If you want your profile to be completely taken down off the app, then you need to delete it – not just the app.

If you don't actually go on the app much, or if you don't swipe at all – your profile will be viewed by less people, but it will still be there.

So if you want to avoid Tinder horror stories or arguments with your new boyfriend or girlfriend who's been informed you're still on Tinder – just re-download the app and delete your account already.

If you're still struggling, here's a video of how to delete your account:

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Tinder has a secret 'desirability ranking' that's stopping you from seeing fitties

• Tinder and Bumble: The Tab’s guide to using dating apps

• Here are the exact words you need to include in your Tinder bio to get hundreds of matches

• Things boys should not do on Tinder, by disappointed girls

According to Tinder, there are over 50 million users with 10 million active daily users and over 1.6 billion swipes made every day. As the app has apparently been downloaded over 100 million times, some of those users must be inactive, lapsed or deleted. So does Tinder show whether a profile is inactive or not when you’re swiping?

Let’s set the scene. You matched with someone you really liked the look and sound of. You met once in a coffee shop, promised to meet again and then nothing. They don’t message, they don’t call, they don’t contact you in any way. How can you tell whether you have been ghosted or not? What if the person has just dumped Tinder for some reason? How can you tell?

Back in the early days of Tinder there used to be a Last Active marker like on other social networks. You could log in, check the person’s profile and know when they last used the app. This was a blessing and a curse. Knowing the person hadn’t logged on since your date was a good thing. Real life happens after all. But seeing they have logged on since but not contacted you? That’s not such a good thing.

Tinder removed that feature a while ago so now you have to try to work it out yourself.

Can you tell if a Tinder user is inactive or not?

Tinder says that it only shows users in your stack who have been active in the past 7 days. Whether this is actually true or not I do not know. Certainly from other Tinder users I have spoken to, profiles have appeared that allegedly haven’t been used in months. Trouble is, you can never tell whether the person is just denying its use to protect a relationship or whether that’s just a glitch.

I think it safe to assume that in the vast majority of cases, if a Tinder user appears in your stack to swipe, they have been active in the past 7 days. It makes no sense for Tinder to show inactive profiles as you will never hear from them.

Unlike many free dating websites, Tinder is not about the numbers. Their model is built around success. If you don’t have any, you won’t pay for the premium features and won’t use the app. There is no point having 50 million users if all you see are people who haven’t used the site in months. You will never match, you won’t have any success, you will get bored and try another dating app. That would be bad news for Tinder.

So while I think it is far from guaranteed, I think the vast majority of Tinder users you see in your stack will be active ones.

There are two things you can do to check if a Tinder user is inactive or not though. Both are very creepy so think before you check.

Profile watching

The first thing to do is to immediately check the person’s profile and take screenshots. Then check again at regular intervals to see if anything changes. Inactive users will obviously not change anything about their Tinder profile. An active user will regularly change images and their bio to refine their offer and get more matches.

This isn’t guaranteed though as some Tinder users have either got their profile to a point where it is delivering results and don’t mess with it or are just too lazy. If you see the person updating their profile images, it’s a sure sign they are still using Tinder.

Swipe Buster

Swipe Buster is hard to recommend as it suggests trust issues that are even worse than profile watching. However, if you really want to check to see if someone is active on Tinder, this is the way to do it. It’s a premium service that costs $6.99 but can tell you whether someone has an active Tinder profile or not.

You have to provide as much information about the person as possible such as age, location and sex and the people behind the site say they will find people matching those details. They will provide profile images too so you can verify. Reviews of this site are mixed. Some say it works great while others say Swipe Buster failed to find users known to be active on the site.

Tinder may not show whether a profile is inactive or not but it is safe to assume anyone you see on there is active. If you see someone you know, date or share a bed with on Tinder, there are questions to be asked. That’s a whole can of worms just waiting to be opened so I think I’ll leave it there!

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