Tinder is looking to expand beyond its smartphone application, with the announcement of a new web browser version of its dating platform. Called Tinder Online, the new service is currently available in a handful of countries in what Tinder describes as an expansion into territories where unlimited data and high-speed mobile internet are far less common.
Tinder Online has now become available in Italy, Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, and Sweden (thanks Mashable) and offers the same sort of functionality as the mobile application. Users can input their details, a few pictures, and swipe through various profiles of potential matches. Of course, though, this being a PC rather than a touchscreen, you’ll ‘swipe’ to express preferences by dragging your mouse left or right.
There’s a reason for many of these territories being targeted first, as Tinder is hoping to capture new markets comprised of people who don’t have access to high-speed wireless internet, or who may not have unlimited data plans. However it does plan to bring the website to other nations, including the U.S., in the future.
There are benefits to using the web version over the app, as well, and this could help increase Tinder’s popularity and attract users who aren’t as comfortable with smartphones. The benefits of a larger screen means you can view a person’s profile while chatting with them and there are keyboard shortcuts which enable faster profile viewing.
There is also a feature currently being tested where users can create an account with a phone number only and without the need for a Facebook profile. That in itself could lead to many more signups: While Facebook is one of the most popular online services, it is far from ubiquitous. There are billions of people who don’t have Facebook accounts and many people who do may not want to use their account for identification purposes.
