Tinder testing height filter, short kings worried
Tinder is testing a feature that would allow paid subscribers filter other users according to their height preferences.
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Tinder is testing a feature that would allow paid subscribers filter other users according to their height preferences.
“Trust fund, 6 '5, blue eyes” may be the lyrics of the viral TikTok song that took the world by storm last year, but it could soon also be a Tinder filter.
The dating app is reportedly tapping into pop culture’s fixation on tallness by testing a feature that would let users set their “height preferences.”
Only Tinder Gold and Premium subscribers in the test group can access the feature, according to TechCrunch, which first reported the development.
However, the company said that it was just that – a preference – rather than a “hard filter.” It means that it will only inform recommendations rather than block or exclude profiles.
A screenshot shared on Reddit shows a new preference bar in settings allowing users to select the preferred height of their matches, similar to an age filter.
It notes that “preferences show you people who match your vibe, but won’t limit what you see,” adding that “you’ll still be able to match with people outside your selection.”
While Tinder said in a statement to TechCrunch that height preference will not necessarily become a permanent feature, the fact that it’s been thrown out there has caused some concern among users.
“I 1000% wouldn’t have met my wife if this filter existed,” one Reddit user posted, adding that they “would have been filtered out immediately” as someone at 5 '5. “God speed to my fellow short kings. Glad to be out of it,” they added.
Another quipped that Tinder “might as well add a penis size and income filter as well and just get it over with.”
Many pointed out that shorter people are unfairly targeted because it’s socially acceptable to discriminate based on height, but not on features such as weight. Others argued the feature is a cash grab aimed at getting more women to pay for the app – especially since users can easily lie about their height anyway.
“I would never pay for this feature specifically because almost every man I've met off the apps has lied about his height to some extent,” one Redditor wrote. “A filter only works if we're verifying men's heights. I don't even care about height, but if I did I would still consider this filter useless.”
While most of the criticism came from men, some women noted that height discrimination affects them too – a fact that often gets overlooked. One woman said several men she met on dating apps “seemed weirdly hostile to my not very tall height.”