Thanks to Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin, we’re increasingly visible online – our public, professional, and rather more unfortunate 4 am-on-a-Saturday morning identities are out there for all to see.
And now we’re supposed to put our hearts on our sleeves on a dating profile that just anyone could stumble on?
Figuring out how Tinder works can be confusing, and there are a lot of reasons why you might be wondering, how can I stop someone from seeing me on Tinder? Your tough guy work persona could end up in tatters if your colleagues get their hands on those puppy pics.
And more seriously, you might be lying low from an ex, or have had a bad interaction with another app user. You might be keeping your sexual orientation a secret from a family member.
So can you stop someone from seeing you on Tinder? Yes, you can. Tinder is serious about helping you protect your online identity so you can block your contacts on Tinder to stop specific people from seeing you. You can also report users through the app to prevent them from seeing you.
There are a few ways to do it – so let’s dive into the options.
Can You Hide Your Profile From Someone Specific On Tinder?
When your 4 am-on-a-Saturday morning self wakes up around noon, the first thing they probably want to do is disappear. Unfortunately, you’re gonna have to face this hangover head-on – but when it comes to Tinder there are a few ways you can disappear altogether.
So can you hide your profile from someone specific on Tinder? The answer is yes – Tinder lets you block your contacts, and through unmatching and reporting app users you’ll be able to stop them from seeing you again.
Unfortunately, all these features require you to have interacted with the Tinder user you’re reporting or to have their contact details in advance. If you don’t know your boss’s secret Tinder email address, then you’re outta luck.
Five Options To Stop Someone From Finding You On Tinder
So how can you stop someone from seeing you on Tinder? There are ways and means, my friend – and four, to be exact. We’ll go into detail on how to do it below.
- Blocking All Contacts
Tinder’s ‘Block Contacts’ function lets you block your whole, phone-stored contacts list from finding your Tinder profile.
- Blocking Someone Specific
You can also choose to block someone specific, whether or not their contact details are stored in your phone. You’ll still need their email address or phone number to block them, though.
- Unmatching Profiles
When you unmatch a profile on Tinder, they’re gone for good. They’ll disappear from your messages and feed, but more importantly, you’ll disappear from their feed too so they won’t see you on Tinder anymore.
- Reporting Someone
You can also block someone you haven’t matched with if you don’t like the look of them in Discover. You can do this by using the Report function – and it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Simply tell Tinder “I’m not interested in this person” and you’ll be hidden from their feed.
- Using Tinder Plus To Control Who Sees You
With Tinder Plus, Tinder’s cheapest paid tier, you can restrict your visibility on Tinder to people who you’ve swiped right on. That means you’re hidden from everyone on Tinder until you give them a Like.
How To Use Block Contacts On Tinder
A lot of people are wondering: how can I stop people from seeing me on Tinder? If your online dating identity is NSFW or shows a side you don’t want your mates uncovering, then you can block them using their contact information on your phone.
Tinder has been helping you avoid awkward encounters since 2021, but you’re going to have to hand over your phone contacts to Tinder – but since you’ve trusted them with a most-intimate collection of selfies, a list of your friends’ and family’s email addresses is nothing.
Here’s how to block people on Tinder:
- Navigate to Settings on Tinder. Click on the gear symbol in the upper left corner of the app.
- Scroll down to find the “Block Contacts” feature.
- Give Tinder access to your contacts.
- Enter the “Contacts” tab and tap on everyone you want to stop from seeing you on Tinder.
- Tap “Block Contacts”. Now you can safely get vulnerable in your Tinder bio!
This is a surefire way to restrict who sees you on Tinder but don’t forget: Tinder can only prevent profiles with this contact information from seeing you. If your ex signed up with a burner phone or your Dad has a secret email address, they could still stumble across you in Discover.
Blocking Specific People Manually
So you’re signing up to Tinder and you think it would be a bright move to stop your ex from seeing you there.
And then you remember – you deleted her phone number from your contacts!
In usual times I’d say, wise move my friend. Otherwise, our old nemesis 4 am-on-a-Saturday-morning-me might strike when we least expect it.
Unfortunately, it also means you can’t block her using Tinder’s Import Contacts feature. But you can stop someone specific from seeing you on Tinder by manually adding their contact info.
So go hunt out the old napkin that she noted down her number on when you first met. To be honest, you should have thrown that out too – but I’ll let you off with the sentimental move of keeping it.
Here’s how to block a contact manually on Tinder:
- Navigate to Settings on Tinder. Click on the gear symbol in the upper left corner of the app.
- Scroll down to find the “Block Contacts” feature.
3. Tap on the + icon found at the top of the screen.
4. Input the contact details of the person you want to block, and hit “Done”.
5. Throw that napkin in the trash – you’re on Tinder now, it’s time to move on.
And remember: you can unblock contacts in your Tinder settings at any time. So if you start to feel like an office romance could spice up your work life, there’s always the option of letting Tinder do the matchmaking.
Blocking Tinder Users You’ve Matched With
Any online dating career is inevitably going to feature some awkward encounters and conversations that fizzle out amongst all the Tinder wins. If a first date ends in an argument about the bill, you might want to stop them from seeing you on Tinder.
Fortunately, on Tinder, a match doesn’t mean commitment. You’re free to unmatch someone at any time, whether that’s when the red flags start waving or a date that didn’t reveal a connection.
That’s where blocking someone comes in. When you unmatch someone on Tinder, they’re gone. They’ll disappear from your feed, won’t show up in Discover and, more importantly, you’ll disappear from their feed too.
To unmatch a Tinder user, open up the chat and click on the blue shield “Safety Toolkit” icon. Tinder gives you two options: “Unmatch Only” or “Report”. If a user has made you uncomfortable, don’t be shy about using that Report function. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with Tinder’s Safety Centre which is an incredible toolkit for your online safety needs.
Blocking Tinder Users Without Matching Them
As we’ve seen, you can report someone on Tinder at the same time as unmatching them. But sometimes you don’t need to start a conversation to know that you want to stop someone from seeing your profile!
If you stumble on an uncomfortably familiar face in the Discover feed, it’s not too late to stop them from seeing you. Whether it’s a haunting face from your past or just an off-putting Nickleback anthem, you can stop someone from seeing you on Tinder with a couple of quick clicks.
Simply scroll down past their profile information, and hit the Report button – or you can click on the “three dots” in the top right corner, beside their profile picture. This will give you a number of options to choose from.
You can identify a fake profile, inappropriate information, or simply tell Tinder “I’m not interested in this person” – no questions asked.
By the way, you might be wondering: if I block someone on Tinder can they see me? While this method will stop someone from seeing you on Tinder if they haven’t already, there’s no guarantee your profile won’t have been in their Discover feed previously. But don’t lose any sleep over it – they won’t see you again.
Using Tinder Plus To Control Who Sees You
Tinder Plus is Tinder’s most affordable paid tier and alongside unlimited Likes and Rewinds, you also can also access this handy little feature. Control Who Sees You lets you restrict your visibility on Tinder to only those who you have Liked already. That’s great if you want to be sure nobody sees you on Tinder without your say-so, but it also restricts the Likes you might get.
Can You Go Invisible On Tinder?
So you’ve suddenly come across the hot dog vendor you chat with every morning on Tinder and you’ve thought, yikes, who else is out there? Yes, Tinder is truly a diverse world and you can stumble across familiar faces in this unlikely setting. Maybe you want to just go invisible from everyone for a while this news sinks in!
So can you go invisible on Tinder? You can hide from everyone by going invisible on Tinder. To do this, toggle off the “Show Me On Discover” button in your settings. Unfortunately, being invisible on Tinder massively reduces the functionality of the app – and there’ll be no swiping or new matching until you’re ready to be seen again.
Why Do People Want To Be Invisible On Tinder?
Tinder is a great way to meet new people, but sometimes we need a break. Going invisible on Tinder is like hitting pause – and there are lots of reasons why you might want to do that.
- To take a break from swiping and matching – these things can get as addictive as any other app!
- To hide from an ex-partner or someone else you want to avoid on the app.
- Hiding a secret account from snooping current partners.
- Keeping your cringy profile private from nosy colleagues or family members.
- Worrying about digital privacy and online safety.
- To focus on your current matches – it takes effort to keep the conversation going, after all!
Why Did My Tinder Match Disappear?
So you’ve nailed the opener, the conversation’s moving fast and you’re gearing up to seal the deal with a date…. And then, your match is gone!
Is it time to call in Liam Neeson? Or should you just move on?
So why did your Tinder match disappear? There are a few reasons. If you accidentally unmatched them (it happens!) then the conversation will disappear. They could have unmatched you or deleted their account. They could also have been banned – or simply Tinder glitched up.
It sucks to see your hard work down the drain. Try logging out of the app and then back in to see if it’s simply a glitch. But if they’re gone, they’re gone. Time to warm up your good ol’ swiping thumb again.
7 Reasons Your Tinder Match Disappeared
There are a lot of reasons why a Tinder match might disappear – and if you think you’ve been unmatched it’s a good opportunity to sharpen your conversation skills for next time. Here are the reasons why your Tinder match may have vanished into the good night.
- They Unmatched You Deliberately
I know it’s hard to hear – but sometimes a risque joke just doesn’t hit home, or something happens in real life to get in the way.
- They Unmatched You By Accident
Oops! And if you can’t think of anything that could have gone wrong in the convo, then this is an ego-saving option. Blame their clumsy thumbs!
- You Unmatched Them
If a match has disappeared, it’s possible you might have accidentally unmatched them. Maybe you had a Tinder purge after a few too many drinks!
- They Deleted Their Account
When a user deletes their Tinder account, they disappear altogether. Don’t take it personally – they may have found love in real life. Or joined a monastery.
- They Got Banned
Tinder bans users for breaching a wide range of guidelines and no matter how pleasant they seem in conversation, you never know what’s happening behind the scenes. If your Tinder match got banned, consider it a bullet dodged!
- They Were A Bot
So your match had supermodel looks, a surprisingly vague bio, and an exceptionally generic set of responses to your opening? I’m gonna throw it out there – if it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
- It’s A Glitch
Any app glitches occasionally. Try rebooting the app to see if the conversation reappears. If it’s a problem on Tinder’s end, they’ll be fixing it soon.
Can I Find Someone On Tinder If They Have Turned Off ‘Show Me On Discover’?
Turning off “Show Me On Discover” is the closest thing to turning invisible on Tinder and, no surprise – if someone has done that, you can’t find them in the Discover feed.
But they’re not completely hidden. If you had previously matched with them, you’ll still see them in your matches. And if they gave you a Like before disappearing, you’ll be able to like them back for a match.
But if you haven’t had a like or a match, you won’t be able to find them on Tinder at all. But how did you know they were there in the first place, hmm? It’s Schrödinger’s Tinder match!
Famous Last Words
Tinder is totally committed to every user’s online safety so of course, they have a few ways to stop someone from seeing you on Tinder.
If you have their contact details, you can block anyone in advance and swipe in peace. If someone pops up in your feed, block or report them to stop them from seeing you.
Tinder is a great place to meet new faces, have fun and, just maybe, find love. But if you’re not sure it’s right for you, try my dating app quiz to find the perfect match.
Regardless, stopping someone from seeing you on Tinder provides a little bit more privacy, and frees you from reservations about what your friends, family, or colleagues might say if they saw your profile. There’s no judgment here!
