Do You Lose Matches If You Delete Tinder?

Are you wondering if you lose matches when you delete your Tinder account? Keep reading to find out.

If you delete your Tinder account you lose matches. If you want to take a break from using Tinder without losing your matches, you might want to consider uninstalling the app from your phone or using Tinder’s ‘Pause’ option. Both of these options will keep your matches in tow.

In 2022 Tinder is mainly good for chit-chatting back and forth but It’s not really a serious dating app anymore. I would recommend Eharmony instead. It arguably remains the number 1 dating website for personality-based matching and more serious relationships. Give it a try.

Below, we’ll explore exactly what happens when you uninstall the Tinder app, use the ‘Pause’ option or delete your Tinder account entirely. 

How Do I Delete My Tinder Account?

• Open the Tinder app on your phone or sign in to your account on Tinder.com;  
• Tap the profile icon;
• Navigate to Settings;
• Press ‘Delete Account’ at the very bottom of the page; 
• You’ll be asked why you want to delete your account, then to confirm the deletion.

Once deleted, you’ll be re-navigated to the app’s login page. The company reportedly keeps hold of your data for three months after you delete your account.  

What Happens When I Delete My Tinder Account? 

Once your account is deleted, you’ll permanently lose all your matches, messages, photos, and all other information.

Important: If you paid for a subscription like Tinder Gold or Tinder Platinum using your Apple or Android account, deleting your Tinder account won’t cancel your subscription. You’ll need to do that manually in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Otherwise, your ongoing payments to Tinder will continue. 

If you subscribed to Tinder using a debit or credit card, deleting your account will automatically cancel your subscription.  

Do You Lose Matches If You ‘Uninstall’ Tinder? 

When you uninstall the Tinder app from your phone, but do nothing else, you won’t lose any matches.

All of your matches, messages, and other account details will still be there should you choose to re-install the app at a later date.

You may even receive new matches while your Tinder app is uninstalled, but you won’t receive any notifications of this on your phone. 

With that said, the Tinder algorithm tends to push inactive accounts to the bottom of the pack, so you shouldn’t expect many people to see your account during this time. 

If you want to guarantee that no one new sees your account, you should turn off ‘Discovery’ before you uninstall. To do that, tap the Profile icon, navigate to Settings, then uncheck ‘Show me on Tinder’.

When you do this, your existing matches will still be able to see your account and send you messages. Again, you’ll receive no notifications about this if the app is uninstalled. 

Do You Lose Matches If You ‘Pause’ From Tinder? 

Pausing your account is essentially the same as unchecking the ‘Show me on Tinder’ option. You’ll keep all your matches and messages, but your profile won’t be shown to potential new matches.

To ‘Pause’ your account: 

• Open the Tinder app on your phone or sign in to your account on Tinder.com; 
• Tap the profile icon;
• Navigate to Settings;
• Press ‘Delete Account’ at the very bottom of the page;
• Tap ‘Pause My Account’.

If you pause your Tinder account and an existing match sends you a message, you’ll still be notified of this, provided the Tinder app is still installed on your phone and push notifications are turned on.   

Can I Create A New Tinder Account With The Same Details?

No, if you delete your account, you’ll only be able to create a new one with different details. If you created your last account using a phone number, you’ll need to use a new phone number or your Facebook account next time. If you used your Facebook account last time, you’ll need to use a phone number or a new Facebook account. 

The exception to this rule is if it has been more than three months since you deleted your account. At this point, Tinder should have deleted your previous data from its database.

The decision to delete your Tinder account shouldn’t be taken lightly, if you feel like you may use it again one day. Although Tinder keeps the details of its algorithm secret, it’s widely believed that it may shadowban users trying to game the system by creating a new account.

So, if you do give Tinder a second try, either reopen a dormant account that you didn’t delete, or make sure your new account includes all-new details not already stored by Tinder (email address, phone number, Facebook, etc). Some online guides even suggest you may need a new IP and new photos to circumvent a shadowban. 

Final Thoughts

When you delete Tinder, you delete all your matches and conversations.

Considering the fact you can ‘pause’ Tinder and keep your matches, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to delete your account, especially when you consider the company’s supposed efforts to shadowban people who appear to be tactically resetting their account.

Unless you’re really uncomfortable with the idea of Tinder keeping hold of your data, you’ll usually be better off pausing your account instead of deleting it.