Locate someone on their dating app

In today's world, you no longer just head over to the bar or public place to meet someone. Now we rely on online apps and services and clever online dating pickup lines to find our perfect matches, casual hookups, or new friends.

The most popular dating app still seems to be Tinder (but there are plenty of free alternatives), which the younger generation loves. Previously, Tinder required Facebook accounts to make a profile, but now any email account may be used.

Still, the easier way is using Facebook Connect, as it's one less password to worry about. But do you ever wonder which Facebook friends also use the service? We dug around and found a few ways to help you find your Facebook friends on Tinder.

Please note that all this is possible because of the data one puts on Tinder themselves, which is considered to be public information.

Use the Facebook Social Graph Search

One of Facebook's best features is the search. With Facebook's search functionality, you'll find anything you want. The search function covers basic searches, such as names of people, places, emails and phone numbers, posts, and much more.

But the real magic here is with the Social Graph Search. This allows you to plug in more interesting searches, such as "my friends who like Donald Trump", "my friends who like Disneyland", and anything else you could think of. You can also search through your own history of posts with terms like "my posts Los Angeles".

For whatever reason, the search term "my friends on Tinder" or something similar doesn't bring up any results. However, we discovered a workaround using this button on Top Romp. You don't link your Tinder account and it won't post on Facebook, in case that worries you.

Top Romp's button utilizes Facebook's Social Graph Search but gets results that a manual search does not. I'm not sure why this is the case, but for now, it still works. You need a desktop computer or tablet to use the button since it won't work on phones.

Also, Social Graph searches depend on the privacy settings of profiles, so your mileage may vary.

Swipebuster

When you're really curious about whether or not a Facebook friend is on Tinder, there's always Swipebuster, though it comes at a cost.

What exactly is Swipebuster? Essentially, it's a paid service that helps someone find out if people they know are actively using Tinder. It displays full Tinder profiles, including photos and the last time the person swiped "Like" on someone else.

I'll be honest: this service is a bit creepy, as it basically lets you stalk someone's Tinder account (learn to protect yourself). But I tested it out, and it seems to work well, as long as you provide the right information and know for sure that the person is on Tinder. All you need is their first name (as it appears on Facebook), age, gender, and approximate location where they use Tinder.

You can also use one of your search credits to update a profile. This means knowing whether or not the profile is still active or closed. Updating the data on a result also means getting new photos and profile information.

The "Super Update" takes two credits and is more extensive. The details for a Super Update include where the user was last active on Tinder within a range of two miles. I suppose if you're super nosey, this can be useful, but honestly, it comes off as incredibly stalker-like.

Swipebuster is a useful, though niche service for those who want to find Facebook friends on Tinder. However, such a convenience comes at a cost, since there's no other way to search for people on Tinder itself.

If you're interested in using Swipebuster, the service starts at $7.49 USD for a package of three searches. You can bump that up to 10 searches for $14.99 if you think you need more. The service used to be $4.99 a search.

Through Mutual Friends on Matches

This method may need a little bit of reverse engineering, but there's always the good old-fashioned going through mutual Facebook friends method.

You see, when you swipe right on someone you're interested in and get a match, Tinder reveals any mutual Facebook friends between the two of you, though they're renamed as "Connections." They're also in two tiers: 1st and 2nd.

When you have a connection in the 1st tier, that means that both you and your match know that person directly. If it's a 2nd level, then it means that your Facebook friend knows someone who's familiar with your match.

This method isn't exactly finding your own Facebook friends on Tinder, but rather the opposite. By knowing mutual connections, you could find out more about someone you like on Tinder through Facebook.

Curiosity Killed the Cat

Since Tinder Social went away, it's become a lot harder to find Facebook friends on Tinder. As we've shown here, it's still possible, but the pickings are slim to none.

I know we all get a little bit curious every now and then, but honestly, perhaps it's a good reason Tinder got rid of Social. I mean, it is a tad creepy, isn't it? But if you must know, then these are the only options for now.

Of course, there's always ways to find people and information about someone online, right?

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