---
title: "Tinder Announces “Panic Button,” Anti-Catfishing Features"
description: "On Thursday, Tinder announced several new app features that could — thankfully — bring the reality of online dating more inline with the ideal."
date: "2020-01-24"
modified: "2020-01-24"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tinder-panic-button-anti-catfishing-features"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "online dating"
  - "safety"
  - "the digest"
  - "tinder"
---

# Tinder Announces “Panic Button,” Anti-Catfishing Features

![On Thursday, Tinder announced several new app features that could — thankfully — bring the reality of online dating more inline with the ideal.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tinder-panic-button-dangerous-dates.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## 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](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/dating-apps-dont-screen-sex-offenders>) of online dating range from being the [victim of catfishing](<https://www.cnet.com/features/the-tinder-catfish-that-devoured-16-women-in-a-single-night/>) to finding oneself in [physical danger](<https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/suspects-charged-in-tinder-murder-how-dangerous-is-app-dating-628429/>).

But on Thursday, Tinder [announced](<https://blog.gotinder.com/tinder-introduces-safety-updates/>) 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](<https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/23/tech/tinder-panic-button-safety-tools/index.html>), 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](<https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/23/tinder-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](<https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/23/tech/tinder-panic-button-safety-tools/index.html>) \[*CNN*\]

**More on Tinder:** *[Tinder and OkCupid Don’t Screen for Sex Offenders](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/dating-apps-dont-screen-sex-offenders>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)