Tinder is testing Missed Connections and text-based Search feature

Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff announced during the company's Q2 2026 earnings call that Tinder is testing a Missed Connections feature in Canada and Australia, which surfaces a weekly curated set of profiles based on users' real-world paths crossed in the prior week. Rascoff also said AI was used to develop the feature, reducing the timeline from months to weeks, as part of Tinder's broader strategy to facilitate in-person connections among Gen Z singles.

Tinder is testing Missed Connections and text-based Search feature Anna Iovine /author/anna-iovine Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/annaroseiovine.bsky.social . Read Full Bio /author/anna-iovine During its Q2 2026 earnings call yesterday, Tinder https://mashable.com/category/tinder owner Match Group announced that the dating app https://mashable.com/roundup/best-dating-apps-2026-hands-on is testing even more new features — after just expanding Events https://mashable.com/life/tinder-events-feature-launches last month and launching a suite of new features https://mashable.com/article/tinder-updates-ai-chemistry-astrology-irl-events in March. In Match Group's prepared remarks https://s203.q4cdn.com/993464185/files/doc financials/2026/q2/Match-Group-2Q-2026-Prepared-Remarks vF.pdf for the call, Match and Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff announced that Tinder is testing a Missed Connections feature, with Canada and Australia the first to try it. Details are scarce at this point, but Rascoff said, "Missed Connections brings the in-app and real-world experiences together by surfacing a weekly curated set of profiles in a dedicated tab based on who users crossed paths with in the prior week." Missed Connections is part of Tinder's strategy to bring singles together in-person https://mashable.com/article/dating-app-fatigue-has-led-to-a-flurry-of-irl-singles-events , hence the expansion of the Events tab into nine additional cities in the U.S. and Europe after an initial test in Los Angeles. Internal data showed that Gen Z singles want a way to "share in-person experiences" with people who can "become closer connections," but it's difficult to transition from online to IRL. Tinder is trying to ease that transition. AdultFriendFinder https://cc.mashable.com/v1/otc/03bCs1jQxEftXGkZ7A6Km1e?merchant=03vbrF3dt0eHolWvTfpJFy4&url=https%3A%2F%2Fadultfriendfinder.com%2F&template=article&module=offer-group&element=offer-group&item=offer-title&position=1&element label=AdultFriendFinder&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle-route-prefix%2Flife%2Ftinder-testing-missed-connections-text-based-search&group uuid=06PfgJzmas37I1KxqZcmq3N&product uuid=0785xyRmCGmZr9jOKTCrb47&object type=article&object uuid=00n5qJAq4hLt1shQZgbkn5G — readers’ pick for casual connections Tinder https://cc.mashable.com/v1/otc/03bCs1jQxEftXGkZ7A6Km1e?merchant=042gDENelxmeb6yAh5SuxS0&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.money.com%2Fpr%2Fs25205135e63&template=article&module=offer-group&element=offer-group&item=offer-title&position=2&element label=Tinder&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle-route-prefix%2Flife%2Ftinder-testing-missed-connections-text-based-search&group uuid=06PfgJzmas37I1KxqZcmq3N&product uuid=05s8DoZEeORPCFUsPF8yGg0&object type=article&object uuid=00n5qJAq4hLt1shQZgbkn5G — top pick for finding hookups Hinge https://cc.mashable.com/v1/otc/03bCs1jQxEftXGkZ7A6Km1e?merchant=07mPN5vpLDMQbGwckjsU885&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.money.com%2Fpr%2Fvdf634353f62&template=article&module=offer-group&element=offer-group&item=offer-title&position=3&element label=Hinge&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle-route-prefix%2Flife%2Ftinder-testing-missed-connections-text-based-search&group uuid=06PfgJzmas37I1KxqZcmq3N&product uuid=07wpyCYVWeKD1xbKGgyV5pM&object type=article&object uuid=00n5qJAq4hLt1shQZgbkn5G — popular choice for regular meetups Rascoff also said that AI https://mashable.com/category/artificial-intelligence was used in the creation of Missed Connections, from idea to final product in weeks instead of months. When the CEO joined the brand last year, his product principles https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-we-build-tinder-our-product-principles-spencer-rascoff-4w8nc/ included speed and urgency, using AI to build tools faster, and "failing fast." Terms of Use https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use and Privacy Policy https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy . We asked you to predict what Apple will do next. See the results and find out how to get a shot at winning an Apple Watch Tinder is also testing a text-based Search feature in Canada "to help users find people they are interested in more efficiently." Around 10 percent of testing users have submitted a search, and tens of thousands of searches have been generated in the first few weeks. The app has also updated its recommendation algorithm for straight women, which apparently drove gains in Sparks https://mashable.com/article/tinder-updates-ai-chemistry-astrology-irl-events the number of users engaging in six-way conversations on Tinder in a given week and Sparks Coverage the percentage of active users who experience a Spark in a given time . Rascoff said recently that he wants more women on the platform https://mashable.com/article/tinder-wants-more-women-says-ceo-spencer-rascoff , so that might be why the team started there. Tinder rolled out these updates in mid-July and is now expanding the updates to the algorithms for straight men and LGBTQ users. The updates come as Tinder's direct revenue and paid users https://s203.q4cdn.com/993464185/files/doc financials/2026/q2/v2/Q2-2026-Supplemental-Materials-vF.pdf continue to decline year-over-year one percent and five percent, respectfully , but the gap is narrowing. In the press release https://ir.mtch.com/investor-relations/news-events/news-events/news-details/2026/Match-Group-Announces-Second-Quarter-Results/default.aspx for the earnings, Match Group stated that year-over-year daily active user decline is four percent, which is the best result in 10 quarters, and year-over-year monthly active user declines improved too. While Hinge continues to soar in direct revenue 22 percent YOY and paying users 17 percent YOY , Barron's reported that Match Group focuses on Tinder https://www.barrons.com/articles/match-group-earnings-stock-price-d7fb0fba because it brings in over half of Match Group's overall revenue, despite the portfolio including 45 apps. Topics Tinder https://mashable.com/category/tinder Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/annaroseiovine.bsky.social .