Tinder Announces "Panic Button," Anti-Catfishing Features

Online dating is getting a little less awful.

Online Dating

In a perfect world, the worst thing that could happen on a Tinder date would be that you and your match don't click. In reality, though, the downsides of online dating range from being the victim of catfishing to finding oneself in physical danger.

But on Thursday, Tinder announced several new app features that could — thankfully — bring the reality of online dating more in line with the ideal.

Safety First

One of the new Tinder features is an integration with Noonlight, a personal safety app. The feature will give Tinder users the option of uploading details about an upcoming date prior to meeting up.

They will then be able to press a panic button during the date if necessary, which will prompt the app to contact emergency services with the user's location data and details about the date.

Verified Hottie

Another is a photo verification feature designed to deter catfishing, the term used to describe when a person uses a fake persona online to lure someone into meeting them in person.

That feature will allow Tinder users to submit several real-time selfies that the app will use to verify profile photos. If the appearances match, the user's profile will be updated with a blue checkmark, signaling to matches that the account has been verified.

READ MORE: Tinder adds a panic button for dates that go wrong [CNN]

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