Dating apps that don use phone number

The short answer is “No.”

The long answer is “No, not anymore (again).” For a brief period of time, between the introduction of Tinder Online (web version) and June 2018, Tinder let you choose between using a phone number or a Facebook account to sign up. And while it’s still possible to use Tinder without Facebook, a phone number is once again required to create an account for-, or log into Tinder.

Just as there was no official explanation as to why users would now have a choice between the two authentication methods with the introduction of Tinder Online, there has been no announcement regarding the reinstitution of the phone number requirement.

All of this may leave you with two questions:

“What do I do if I signed up for Tinder without a phone number while it was possible?”

A: Try not to get logged out.

There have been many reports recently of people getting logged out of Tinder and the app now asking them for the phone number they supposedly used to sign up. The lucky ones just have to verify their number now to get back to their account, but some people apparently get locked out, or get a fresh account created instead getting back to their old one. Which leads us to –

“Why is this not just a part of your Unofficial Tinder F.A.Q.?”

A: It actually is!

There have – understandably – been so many questions popping up about this issue, that I thought the answer deserved to be its own post. Especially with all the confusion about Tinder changing the rules back and forth.

Bonus Question:

“What can I do if I don’t want to give Tinder my phone number?”

There are two answers to this.

a) Just like the Facebook requirement of old, you can accept the requirements or opt out of Tinder.

b) At your own risk, you may try to sign up using an online burner number like Google Voice. Reports on the results are mixed, but it seems to work for some people.

And there you have it, folks. Happy swiping 🙂