How the Tinder Algorithm works, and how to get more matches

2020 Update: Although Tinder claims that the ELO algorithm is "out-of-date", most users report that the application's behavior is still very similar. In my particular case I haven't noticed any difference in the behavior of the application either, so for practical purposes the text of this article is still valid.

I'm sure many of you have noticed, a few years ago, when Tinder was free for everyone, getting matches was much easier. Then came Tinder Plus and things got a little more complicated for those who decided not to pay and, now, with Tinder GOLD, the thing has become complicated even for those who pay and misuse the app.

Tinder has not revealed how his algorithm works (nor will it), but what he has already admitted is that each of us have a score in the app called ELO score.

The higher your ELO score, the more times your profile will be shown and therefore, the more match options you will have. On the other hand, if your ELO score is very low, your profile will not be shown and you will be like a ghost that nobody will see. Worst of all, Tinder won't warn you about it, and you can spend years swipping out profiles without anyone ever seeing yours.

You'll be like Patrick Swayze in Gosth, invisible.

Before explaining how (we suppose) the ELO score works it is necessary that you know one thing...

Tinder is a business and as such, its purpose is to make money. In other words, it is not an NGO in which some good Samaritans are trying to get us all to flirt, no. What they are trying to do is to get men to spend as much money as possible, which, of course, is totally legal.

Ever since Tinder Plus appeared, I always thought that the only people who would pay to use the app would be the average men and the ugly ones, because I thought that if the handsome ones could flirt without paying, why would they spend money?

I was wrong. Apparently it is easier for a man who is already getting results to spend money than an ugly man who has never even had a match. And is that a man who is already flirting without paying, knows that if he spends money will have greater and better results, sure. The ugly man who hasn't even seen Tinder's chat yet, tends to think that he's being cheated.

In other words, in Tinder we pay all kinds of men, the handsome, the average and even some of the ugly test to see if he rings the bell.

So, if all kinds of men will always pay, what will be the best way to make us pay? Exactly, making many more women active.

And how do you get women to be delighted with the app and always be active?

Very easy, showing a good number of handsome women who are also active, and that's what the ELO score was invented for.

How the ELO score works

We repeat: The higher your ELO score, the more times your profile will be shown and, therefore, the more options you will have to get matches.

Here's how to have and maintain a high ELO score:

You should always have the best possible photos. This is obvious, but as still today there are men who try to flirt with a photo in the room made with the webcam and with the glasses on ... well we repeat it once again. The better your photos are, the more likes you will get and your ELO score will increase.

If you give like to everything, your ELO score will go down, and this is one of the most important reasons why Tinder could leave you almost invisible. Seriously, from one time to the next, Tinder doesn't like that you like everything.

But don't give like only to the hot chicks you meet, especially if you're an average man or a man of a lot. If you give like only to girls who don't give you back the like, your ELO score will go down. That's why the ideal is to give like only to girls you consider from your league.

But there is still a better option, which is to pay the Tinder Gold (with a new account) and not give likes. If you do this, when you open the account you will see that the girls are giving you likes, and if you hit the BOOST, there will still be many more. Then you will give like to the girls you like and dislike to the ones you don't. Rejecting some girls and giving like only to girls who have given it to you before will increase your ELO score.

You should start a conversation with ALL the girls with whom you have had a match. Tinder doesn't like that you have a match and don't open conversation and above all, that you make them a match without even talking to them. This makes the girls unhappy and for that, they will penalize you by lowering your ELO score. From now on you already know, talk to them always, even if it's a little.

You must be an active user, if you enter Tinder every 5 days, your ELO score will go down.

Tinder will always try to show you women from the same league, so if you want to see attractive women, you will have to try to keep your ELO score as high as possible.

Doing the Tinder GOLD trick and following the other sections as far as possible, I kept a very good ELO score, having matches with real good aunts. However, during the last week that I was in Ukraine I started to give like to everything like a madman to burn the ships and yes, I got about 200 matches, but after that came nothing.

Does Tinder Boost Work?

Tinder claims that the Boost gives you up to ten times more visits to your profile. In my opinion, it is useful if your ELO score is not too low.

Where I've noticed it's most effective is in large cities, or heavily populated areas, as there's a lot of competition. In sparsely populated areas the difference is not so noticeable, since the competition is lower.

Can Tinder shadowban me?

It's not very clear if there's such a thing as a shadowban in Tinder. If you read other articles or forums on the Internet, you will see that some people argue that it is a problem with your ELO score, while others claim that it is not.

In my opinion, it's possible that it exists for people who sign up twice and things like that. I'm not very clear about the criteria for this to happen, and unless Tinder explains it himself, we'll never know.

From what I've been able to read, the people who have managed to get out of this supposed shadowban, changed the profile picture, the biography, and in some cases have even mentioned changing their phone number. The problem with the latter is that not everyone is willing to change numbers.

How do you change your age on tinder?

Apparently, you can't. You have to change your age in Facebook, then go to Tinder, delete your profiles (settings), delete the app, then login again with FB. That's the only way. There's no in-app way to do it.

How to fake or change your GPS location in Tinder

One way to do this is through services like Fake GPS, which you can find in Google Play, if you have Android, and if you have iPhone, Location Faker or LocationHandle.

The operation of these tools is simple and usually allow other options beyond changing the location, such as adding favorite sites or creating virtual routes.

In any case, you should know that Tinder uses some tricks to prevent you from doing this. Ususally apps with some anti-cheat system for geolocation also use the WIFI network to which you are connected and the name of the operator that gives you service to know where you are with precision.

So, you should deactivate WIFI, and maybe trick Tinder with the GPS location will be possible as long as your operator's name is not inconsistent with the new location.

For example, it probably wouldn't work if you set London as your location and your mobile operator is Vodafone Spain. Although Vodafone exists in both countries, the name your mobile phone detects is not the same in both countries (Vodafone ES - Vodafone UK), giving Tinder a clue that something is wrong.

Alternatives to tinder

Maybe you're considering trying other alternatives to Tinder. In my experience, the list below contains the only ones that are worthwhile.

You may find more dating sites in other comparisons, but many of them have a high number of fake profiles, spam, and the feeling is that they try to trick the user to get money out of him.

I've tried all the apps in the list below, and I think they all play fair. You will find, however, that they also have some false profiles and some spam, but they are not attributable to the direct action of the staff, but to the inevitable imperfection and slowness of moderation.