Tinder uses artificial intelligence to identify users and click their camera roll photos

Tinder is looking to artificial intelligence to revitalize its dating app, which has now reported nine consecutive quarters of declining paying subscribers, as of the third quarter of this year. Dating app maker Match Group told investors in an earnings call Tuesday that Tinder is testing a feature called Chemistry that will get to know users through questions and, with permission, access Camera Roll photos on users’ phones to learn more about their interests and personality.

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

Match doesn’t just ask for access to users’ Camera Roll photos. Meta also launched a feature last month that asks to use its AI on photos on your phone that you haven’t shared yet in order to suggest AI edits.

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

In the case of Match, the company says it will engage users with interactive questions and learn more about them using AI technology so it can recommend better, more compatible matches. It should look like this: If you have photos of yourself outside walking or climbing, you might be a match with someone who shares the same outdoor hobbies.

As the company experiments with Tinder, Match’s bottom line is taking a hit.

Match said its guidance for the fourth quarter includes a $14 million negative impact on Tinder’s direct revenue as a result of product testing. This, along with other dating industry trends, lowered Match’s Q4 guidance to between $865 million and $875 million, when analysts had expected $884.2 million.

The company is using AI in other areas as well, including a system powered by LLM where Tinder nudges users before they send potentially offensive messages, asking them, “Are you sure?” It also uses artificial intelligence to help users choose their best photos.

AI isn’t the only thing Tinder is trying to boost subscribers and engagement with. The company has introduced other features, such as dating “modes,” dual dates, face verification, and redesigned profiles, which feature biometric information on the first photo card and prompts embedded in the photo carousel.

Despite the product changes, Tinder faces a tough market as some young people lean away from online dating in favor of more real-world experiences, while online daters in the US may be spending less due to their shrinking disposable income as the country enters a recession.

Match reported in the third quarter that Tinder’s revenue fell 3% year-over-year, and it saw a 7% decline in paying users.

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