How Does Photo Verification Work?

What is Photo Verification?

How does Photo Verification work?

How is my Photo Verification Information used?

What will you keep after Photo Verification is complete?

How do I delete my Photo Verification Data?

Under what legal authority do you process the Photo Verification information?

How do I find more information about Tinder’s data practices, including my privacy rights? 

What other verification features are available on Tinder?

Trouble with Photo Verification?

What if I have another question?

What is Photo Verification?

Photo Verification is an optional process that allows you to show that the photos on your profile look like you by simply taking a video selfie. When you take a video selfie, your facial geometry, which may be considered “biometric information” in some places will be used and stored to check your profile photos, reduce fraud, and help detect whether other profiles are using your likeness. After successfully completing your video selfie and uploading a clear solo face photo that matches the face in your video selfie, you’ll automatically get a Photo Verified badge.

With Photo Verification, you will also be able to see whether other Tinder profiles have completed the Photo Verification process. That way you can make more informed decisions about who you interact with on Tinder.

It’s important to note that this feature doesn't guarantee the identity or safety of a particular user. Always use your best judgment and review our Dating Safety Tips before meeting or sharing personal details.

How does Photo Verification work?

Photo Verification is as simple as taking a quick video selfie. You will receive a "Photo Verified" badge if you pass the “liveness check” and your profile photos contain a clear solo face photo that matches the face in your video selfie.

We use facial scanning technology to check that the video was taken of a real, live person, and that it was not digitally altered or manipulated (the “liveness check”). This technology also detects your face in your video selfie and your profile photos, and uses your facial geometry (“FaceMap”) to generate a unique number (“FaceVector”). 

The data generated and processed by this feature (“Verification Data”)  is retained for the purposes set out below in “How is my Verification Data used?”.

How is my Photo Verification Information used?

Your video selfie is assessed to ensure that you are a real person, and is then promptly deleted. Your FaceMap is used to help check whether the person in your video selfie appears to be the same person as in your profile photos, and your FaceVector is compared to FaceVectors for other accounts to help detect whether other profiles are using your likeness. As a reminder, Tinder’s Terms and Community Guidelines require users to only operate one account at a time.

You may also opt to use your Verification Data to access additional optional features that also use the same information.

Your original video selfie is not kept or added to your profile. We keep two audit images from your video selfie for the purposes of auditing and managing the Photo Verification feature and confirming your likeness. Audit images may also be used in some regions to help estimate your age (see Age Checks at Tinder).

We may also use Verification Data when necessary to troubleshoot and ensure the smooth operation of our Photo Verification feature, or when necessary to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

What will you keep after Photo Verification is complete?

Your Verification Data is retained so that we can continue to provide the Photo Verification service to you as you change and update your profile photos over time, as well as to help detect whether other accounts are using your likeness.  To do so, FaceMaps and FaceVectors are retained for the lifetime of an account, and are deleted from our systems within 30 days of account closure, unless continued retention is necessary to comply with an applicable legal obligation or to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

As noted above, your original video selfie is not retained or added to your profile, but we keep two audit images from your video selfie. We’ll also keep the results of the Photo Verification process (i.e., successful or not) until 90 days after your account is closed (or 1 year if the account is banned). Audit images are kept for 90 days after account closure, or up to the duration of the account ban, if applicable.

Will third parties receive my data?

Verification Data is only shared with Tinder’s service providers when necessary to manage, troubleshoot, or ensure the smooth operation of our Photo Verification feature. Verification Data is stored securely on Tinder’s AWS servers. 

Tinder is part of the Match Group family of businesses, and we may, solely to the extent permitted by applicable law, share Verification Data between our Affiliates to make all Match Group services safer (e.g. identifying and banning violating accounts). 

US Residents: We do not “sell” or “share” Verification Data, as such terms may be defined by applicable privacy law in your state.

How do I delete my Photo Verification Data?

You can delete your Verification Data by deleting your Tinder account through the app’s settings page or the account portal. Data is then deleted as described above and in accordance with Tinder’s Privacy Policy. To learn more about how to delete your account, please visit Delete Your Tinder Account.

If you reside in the EEA or Switzerland, you can delete your Verification Data within your Tinder account Settings.

Why do I need to delete my account in order to delete my Verification Data?

Tinder’s Photo Verified Badge is a great way to help show potential matches that you really look like your photos. To help ensure that users are not misled or confused about whether their matches are still Photo Verified, we do not allow users to delete their Verification Data(thereby disabling Photo Verification) without also resetting their matches and starting again with a regular, non Photo Verified account. This requirement is intended to prevent abuse of the Photo Verified Badge and to ensure other users can be confident about whether their matches continue to have Photo Verified accounts. 

If you reside in the EEA and delete your Verification Data, we may notify your matches that you no longer have Photo Verified status to minimize confusion and enhance safety, as immediately described above.

Video Selfie Screenshots

You can request deletion of the two screenshots from your video selfie by writing to our Community team here. In any event, this information is deleted upon account closure, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Under what legal authority do you process the Photo Verification Information?

We process Verification Data with your consent.

How do I withdraw my consent?

You can withdraw your consent by deleting your Verification Data as described above in “How do I delete my Verification Data?”.

How do I find more information about Tinder’s data practices, including my privacy rights? 

Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more about our privacy practices, including the Your Rights section.

California residents may also refer to Tinder’s California Privacy Statement.

What other verification features are available on Tinder?

Photo Verification is just one feature in a suite of verification tools Tinder uses to help enhance the safety of our service. Other verification features include, for example:

• ID + Photo Verification is an optional process that allows you to show that the photo on your ID and your profile photos look like you. Learn more.
• Face Check™, in regions where required, asks users to complete a biometric Face Check scan with a video selfie in order to help make Tinder a more authentic place. Learn more.
• Photo Check is an authenticity check, triggered when unusual activity is detected, that prompts users to complete the liveness and Photo Verification process in order to resume normal use of Tinder. Learn more.

Trouble with Photo Verification?

If you’re experiencing trouble with capturing your video selfie, you can exit the Photo Verification flow and start again. See here for more additional instructions for using this feature. If you experience any issues or have feedback about Photo Verification, please feel free to contact us!

What if I have another question?

Contact us anytime!