Deleting a Tinder account permanently is easier than you might think. Follow the steps listed below to delete your Tinder account using the mobile app:
- Open the Tinder app.
- Click on the profile icon in the bar at the bottom.
- Tap the “Gear” icon to open the Setting menu.
- Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the menu.
- Click “Delete account.”
- Choose “Delete my account” again on the next screen.
- Provide a reason for deleting your account.
- Confirm that you want to delete your account once more and you’re done!
You can also delete your Tinder account through a web browser using these steps.
If you choose to keep using Tinder, it’s important to do so in a secure and private way. A VPN helps you remain safe online by hiding important details like your location and IP address from malicious actors online. We recommend using NordVPN to secure your privacy online, including apps like Tinder.
Read the rest of the article for more details about how to delete your account and other privacy concerns on Tinder.
Tinder is the world’s most popular online dating app, with close to 75 million active users. It’s the app of choice for people looking for relationships, hook-ups, and friendships worldwide. Despite this, there are several reasons why you’d want to permanently delete a Tinder account.
Indeed, you may have found the one you’re looking for! Or you’re a little worried by all the news surrounding Tinder’s privacy protection and overall safety.
Either way, deleting a Tinder account is pretty straightforward. In this article, we explain how to delete your Tinder account on mobile devices and PCs/laptops.
How to Delete Your Tinder Account
You can delete your Tinder account by using the app or the Tinder website. We’ll show you the steps involved in deleting your account on both below.
How to delete Tinder account on iOS or Android
- Open the Tinder app.
- Click on the profile icon located at the bottom right of the screen.
- Open up the settings by clicking on the “Gear” icon below your display picture.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings menu and click on the “Delete account” option.
- Now, you can choose to hide discovery by pausing or deactivating your account. However, if you want to delete Tinder permanently, tap “Delete my account.”
- You will then be asked to provide a reason for deleting Tinder. You can add any reason you deem acceptable.
- The app will once again whether you want to pause or delete your Tinder account. Click on “Delete My Account,” and that’s it: your Tinder profile is now permanently deleted!
How to delete Tinder account using a web browser
Go to the Tinder website and log in to your account.- Click on the profile icon in the top left corner of the screen. It should feature your name and display picture.
- Scroll to the bottom of the menu pane that opens up on the left-hand side of your screen.
- Click on the “Delete Account” button.
- Select “Delete My Account” when you get the option to hide or delete your profile.
- Confirm your selection on the next window as well.
Note: Deleting your account does not automatically cancel your Tinder Gold, Premium, or Plus subscription. You will have to cancel your subscription separately, depending on where you purchased it from — usually the App Store or Google Play Store.
Tinder’s Past Privacy Concerns
While Tinder is great if you want to meet new people, it’s definitely not the best if you’re serious about your privacy on Tinder. To effectively match you with others on the app, Tinder stores and processes a lot of your data.
More worryingly, this data is stored for up to three months, even after you’ve deleted your account. Another concern is that personal information collected by Tinder can be shared with up to 45 other Match Group (Tinder’s holding company) entities.
Such widespread sharing of data across a group company puts it at treating risk of being compromised in a leak.
The Match Group’s overall history of protecting user privacy isn’t great, as these examples illustrate:
- Tinder’s 2018 photo hack: security researchers discovered Tinder lacked basic encryption for user photos and that the Android and iOS apps did not use HTTPS encryption. The lax encryption policies led to photos of nearly 70,000 users being leaked online.
- Accusations of illegal data selling in 2020: a Norwegian consumer protection council published a report accusing Tinder and other dating apps of illegally selling user data to third parties.
- 2017 happn Facebook Leak: happn is another popular app by the Match Group. A WIRED investigation in 2017 discovered that happn leaked users’ full Facebook profiles, allowing them to be easily identified.
Some of these privacy concerns may prompt to delete your Tinder account. However, if you’d rather not delete Tinder, there are a few steps you can take secure your privacy instead.
Protecting Your Privacy on Tinder
The first step in protecting your privacy on Tinder is limiting what you share in the first place. Try and use pictures and information that don’t reveal too much about your personal life.
You should also limit the social media accounts your Tinder account is connected to. Stalkers often use Tinder profiles to find and target people’s social media profiles.
Given the Match Group’s chequered history of protecting privacy, it’s also important to know how much of your data Tinder has actually collected. Luckily, Tinder’s “Download my Data” tool allows you to download all the personal data you’ve shared with the app.
Log in with your phone, email address, or social media accounts and make a request for your data, which is sent via email. Interestingly, you can’t download your data after deleting your account even though Tinder retains this information for three months.
In addition to limiting the data you share with Tinder, you should use a VPN to improve your online security further. A VPN will keep important personal details, such as your IP address and browsing history, hidden from prying eyes online.
We recommend using NordVPN as it’s a fantastic choice that excels on all fronts, including changing your IP address. NordVPN also provides additional security features, such as servers with double encryption and dedicated IPs.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
Final Thoughts on Permanently Deleting Tinder
Even though Tinder is the dating app of choice for millions of users around the world, there are compelling reasons to delete it. Perhaps the best reason to delete Tinder is that you’ve found someone and no longer need it, or perhaps you’re bored of online dating.
In any case, deleting Tinder is a straightforward process on mobile devices or desktops. However, do remember that deleting your account does not automatically cancel your Tinder subscription.
If you’d prefer staying on Tinder, you can make your experience more private by following the tips listed in this article. We’ve also curated similar tips for other apps like Happn or Grindr.
Do you have specific questions about how to delete your Tinder account? Our frequently asked questions below might help you find the answer. Click on a question to see the answer.
You can delete your Tinder account permanently using the mobile app or a web browser. Follow the steps below to delete your Tinder account permanently:
- Open the Tinder app.
- Log in to your account.
- Click on the profile icon.
- Scroll down and find the “Delete My Account” option.
- Tap on the delete account option and provide a reason for deletion when prompted.
- Confirm that you want to delete, and not hide/pause, your Tinder account.
- Done! Your account, including likes, matches, and messages, is now permanently deleted.
Deleting your Tinder account is a fairly simple process and should not take longer than five to seven minutes. However, Tinder retains your data for three months after account deletion to comply with law enforcement requests.
No, deleting the Tinder app does not delete your profile, likes, messages, and matches. You can delete your profile using the Tinder app menu.
