Tinder tests new feature in India where woman make first move to make them feel safe

The aim of the feature is to make women feel more secure when using the dating app

Tinder is currently trialling a new feature in the app in India that allows its female users to decide whether or not they want to be the ones to start the conversation when they match with a man.

The feature, called “My Move”, gives women the option in their settings on the app to decide if they want to let either party send the first message or if they want to be the ones to take control.

The aim of the feature is to make women feel more secure when using dating apps.

Tinder has been testing the "My Move" feature over the past few months in India.

If the initial tests prove successful, the dating app may then make the feature available to its millions of users worldwide.

While the function may be new to Tinder, the concept of encouraging women to make the first move when matched with a man on dating apps isn’t a new phenomenon.

Bumble has been employing the same technique ever since the dating app was launched in December 2014 by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd.

The online dating platform, which has been described as “feminist” for its focus on its female users, was created by Wolfe Herd after she left Tinder and sued the company for sexual discrimination and harassment.

The fact that the "My Move" function has been launched in India in order to make women feel safe when using dating apps is very significant.

A few days ago, it was announced that India had launched a sex offenders register in an effort to tackle the country's "rape epidemic".

Official figures state that there are around 40,000 cases of rape in India every year.

According to Taru Kapoor, general manager for Match Group, the company that owns Tinder, giving female Tinder users in India the option to take control of the conversation may make them feel more safe when dating.

“We’re a platform based on mutual respect, consent, and choice,” she told Reuters. “We are focused on making the experience of women safer.”

One male Tinder user praised the use of the feature, saying: "I know the kind of creeps out there on Tinder and other dating apps.

"One extra layer of security doesn't do much harm to men apart from slimming their chances of striking up a conversation."

While some may approve of the "My Move" feature, others remain doubtful that it will change the way in which men and women converse with one another on dating apps.

"Even after carefully picking someone, if they turn out to be nothing like you imagined, there is always an unmatch option," said a 25-year-old woman in Bengaluru.