Tinder may not be as zeitgeisty as it once was, but it’s still home to 75 million users, and even 10.4 million paid subscribers. While most consider Tinder the de-facto hookup app for millennials, all kinds of people find flings, long-term lovers, and even marriages with enough swipes. Tinder’s addictive, gamified design focuses on helping swipers meet new people…but what if you’re looking for someone a little more specific?
Like a few Tinder dates gone south, that’s where things get complicated. But don’t give up hope – an effective Tinder search is still possible, and we’ll guide you through it.
Can You Search for Someone On Tinder?
The truth is, running a Tinder search for a specific user isn’t easy. Tinder will tell you straight-up that you can’t search for a specific person on the app itself, and likewise, Tinder profiles won’t appear on Google or any other search engine, even if you use tricks like typing “site: tinder.com” into the search bar.
Who's Calling Me?
Search any phone number to learn more about the owner!
One hit-or-miss option is trying to deduce your target’s Tinder username. Tinder users are encouraged (but not required) to choose a username, which creates a custom profile URL in a format like: “tinder.com/@username.” You can try out different options and plug potential usernames into the URL to your heart’s content, but this method might be a bit of a long shot.
Can you search for someone on Tinder at all, then? Absolutely. If you’re on the hunt for an active swiper – whether you suspect you’re dealing with a cheating partner or otherwise – you have options. Your Tinder search methods basically boil down to two categories: On the app itself, you can tweak your search settings through trial and error to see if you can make the person in question show up. Alternatively, if you want to see if someone specific has a Tinder profile, you can use a third-party tool like Spokeo to get the job done without the need to download Tinder yourself.
Using the App: How to Search Someone on Tinder
The good news is, the more you know about a person, the easier it is to find their Tinder profile in-app, if they do indeed have an account. But you’ll need to download Tinder (or it in-browser at Tinder.com), set up an account, and find their profile through the site’s typical discovery process – which means you’ll need to get to swiping.
Of course, the amount of information you have at your disposal naturally varies pretty widely. If you’re trying to find out whether the person you’re already dating has a side-piece profile, you’re probably well-equipped to search. On the flip side, if you’re looking to connect with a former classmate or flirty coworker, you might have to resign yourself to a lot more attempts. Either way, your on-app Tinder search starts with making an account.
Making a Tinder Account
Off the bat, you can make a Tinder account on iOS or Android using your phone number and connect it to your Google, Apple, or Facebook account for streamlined sign-ins. Now, if you’re looking for a long-lost lover or you’re on the hunt for a meet-cute with a special someone, you’ll of course want your Tinder profile to be visible to other swipers to increase your chances of a match, cue the Netflix rom-com. But if, let’s say, you’re trying to oust a cheater, a little more discretion is in order.
In that case, the first thing you’ll want to do is hit up your profile, go to “Settings,” and then “Discovery.” Find the option “Show me on Tinder” and turn that option off. Now you’ll be able to search, browse, and swipe, but other users won’t be able to see you, no matter their Tinder search parameters. The only way you’ll be seen on Tinder is if you swipe right on a profile and they swipe right on you as well, in which case you’ll match and be able to chat with one another.
How to Search Someone On Tinder? It’s All About Discovery
Once you’re all set up and as private or public as you prefer, the trick to finding a specific person on Tinder is to tweak your settings and preferences so that the person you’re looking for will (hopefully) turn up as a potential match. In official Tinder search terms, these are known as Discovery Settings.
Here’s how to tweak your Discovery Settings to increase your chances of a hit (whether looking for a new match yourself or trying to find out if your significant other is cheating):
- Set your gender preference to match their gender (i.e., if they identify as a man, set your preferences to “interested in men”).
- Set your age preference to match their age, if you know it. If you don’t know it, make a guess and then adjust after every unsuccessful search.
- Change your own settings to match the location of the person(s) you’re interested in, so they’ll be considered “local” to you. For instance, if you know they live 10 miles away or want to match with someone in that radius, set your Tinder search radius to at least 10 miles; if the person you’re looking for (unfortunately) lives in the same house as you, start with a small search radius to narrow down your results.
- Run your search, and swipe your way through the results until you find a Tinder profile for the person you’re interested in. If you don’t find them, tweak your Discovery settings, rinse, and repeat.
As Tinder’s algorithm can be a bit of a mystery, these methods aren’t exactly foolproof, and they may result in plenty of trial and error. It’s difficult to know whether you’re failing to find a person because they don’t have an account, or simply because the app just isn’t matching you with the right people. And of course, your locale makes a huge difference – the difficulty of the search will be proportional to the population size of the area you’re searching.
For these reasons and more, it often makes a lot more sense to use a third-party tool to streamline your Tinder search.
Tinder Search Tips
When you do strike gold with the Tinder search result you’re after, don’t forget to check their “Recently Active” status if you’re sussing out a potential cheater. If the user has this feature enabled, green dots will appear next to their name if they’ve been on the app in the past 24 hours. If you subscribe to Tinder Gold or Platinum, you’ll see those dots in the list of anyone who has swiped right on you under the “Likes You” grid. Especially if you’re tracking down an unfaithful partner, “Recently Active” can be the difference between knowing if they’re currently on the prowl or if their Tinder profile hasn’t been touched since 2015.
If you’re willing to pony up some extra money, subscribing to or using the free trial period for one of the app’s premium subscription options can help make your Tinder search more effective. Ranging from Tinder+ to Tinder Premium, these plans add features such as unlimited Likes, a Passport feature that lets you search for matches in any global location, Boosts and Super Likes that help make you more visible to potential matches, the option to message users before you match, and the ability to see users who have already liked you.
Tinder Search with Third-Party Tools
There are two basic types of third-party tools you can use to run a Tinder search for a specific person, without downloading the Tinder app or swiping at all. The first category includes Tinder- or dating-app-specific apps that attempt to extract the information directly from existing dating profiles, if they exist (you’ll know these tools by their typical “cheat-busting” branding). These apps vary in quality and usually charge by the search. They can get expensive in a hurry, too, especially if you’re using trial and error to find the person you’re looking for. Definitely heed your browser’s malware warnings when seeking them out and do your diligence on user reviews, as some can be a little sketchy.
Often, wider-reaching search tools that focus on searching for people in a way that encompasses many aspects of their online (and offline) presence offer a more reliable option. In that category, Spokeo’s people search allows you to search using whatever information you actually have — a name, a phone number, physical address, or email address — and will provide you with as much additional information as it can find from public sources. This often includes public social media and dating site accounts associated with a given email address, so your search involves a lot less shooting in the dark, and you might even find your quarry on non-Tinder dating apps.
How to Use Spokeo to Perform a Tinder Search
- Start by selecting the right search tool based on the information you already have about the person in question. For example, if you only have their name, type it into the search bar and press “Search.”
- Scroll through the results to find the person you’re seeking. If they have a common name, you may need to include additional identifying factors, like location or age.
- Once you locate their Spokeo profile, select “see results.”
- Browse through the results page to discover information that may help you narrow in on their Tinder username, or more accurately set your profile parameters to encourage Tinder to show them to you organically.
Even if you don’t turn up a Tinder profile by going this route, you might just compile enough additional information to search more effectively using Tinder’s own tools and swipe your way to victory.
Discover more ways to find out if someone has an online dating profile.
Learning More About Your Match
The simple truth is that online dating (or even just hooking up) requires making yourself at least a little vulnerable on some level. Like any other dating platform, the hazards of being on Tinder span the whole spectrum of catfish, romance scammers, serial cheaters, and all sorts of other unsavory characters with grifts that seem to change every week. Even if you’re the one who’s doing the searching, running some basic background checks is plain common sense.
Spokeo’s people search tools can tell you who you’re really dealing with, surfacing everything from their marital status (yep, some married people secretly use Tinder) to their criminal history (additional fees apply) and a whole lot more. Knowing for certain that you’re not dealing with a scammer, a cheater, or someone who’s downright dangerous gives you the peace of mind you need before you take your Tinder match to the next level.
As a freelance writer, small business owner, and consultant with more than a decade of experience, Dan has been fortunate enough to collaborate with leading brands including Microsoft, Fortune, Verizon, Discover, Office Depot, The Motley Fool, and more. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.
