This article first appeared on Vulcan Post Malaysia.
If there’s Spotify for music streaming, and Uber or MyTeksi for getting around, then there’s Tinder Malaysia or Paktor for looking for your other half. Almost all smartphone users are on it — swiping left and right on profiles of other users in the hopes of getting a match.
What Is It And How It Works
To begin, all you have to do is sign up for an account using Facebook. While signing up, you will be able to edit your profile, as well as upload your photos so that other users can discover them.
If you are unfamiliar with Tinder in Malaysia, the concept is simple: Tinder will show you profiles of potential matches, to which you can either swipe left (if he or she is not your cup of tea) or swipe right (if he or she is cute). If both of you swipe right on each other, you will then be able to talk to your match. In other words, the app only connects both of you if, and only if, there is mutual interest.
Another interesting feature which a lot of people are not utilising on Tinder is the Moments feature. Similar to your Facebook feed, Moments allows you to share any updates or new photos, but only with your Matches.
If you are having second thoughts about someone you were just matched with, you can also unmatch (block) him or her. Simply go to his/her profile, hit the icon on the top right hand corner, and select “Unmatch”. You’ll disappear from their Matches so they won’t be able to message you, and they will also disappear from your Matches.
Image Credit: classmagazine.ca
Tinder is free in Malaysia, but there’s a paid option which allows you to undo a swipe if you have accidentally swiped left. The paid option also allows you to set your location to anywhere you want, so you can connect with users around the world.
Getting Matches On Tinder
There have been questions on whether it is easy to get matches on Tinder. From the people we have spoken to, it seems you will generally get matched with other users if you are not too picky, and if you put some effort into your profile. A Reddit thread on this topic can also be found, where users in Malaysia shared that they do get matched on Tinder
Image Credit: Reddit
As Reddit user Shytake mentioned in the thread, the issue with Tinder is that there are a lot of good looking people, so “everyone else looks relatively ugly”, even when they are actually decent-looking. The trick to getting more matches is to be less picky, and keep your profile interesting to stand out from other users.
Another tip for Tinder is that you should never send a message immediately after you’ve been notified about a match; this might send a signal of desperation. Don’t be too persistent and play it cool too. If you are pushy, chances are you might be ignored. If you do get ignored, move on. Cheesy pick-up lines generally do not work, so just be yourself.
One more important thing: you should never release any personal information about yourself to your matches, unless you are really comfortable with him or her. Be careful with who you choose to talk to and if you do meet up with him or her, choose a public place. With the proliferation of scams through online dating, you’ll never know what trouble you might get into for giving out personal information.
If you want to delete your account — which will permanently erase your matches, messages and all other information associated with your account — you can go to the Settings pane, select App Settings, scroll down and select Delete Account.
So there you have it! Have fun swiping; and be safe.
