Tinder's New Feature Lets You Show Off Your Personality In 2-Second Video Clips

Although many dating apps may seem the same, they all have differentiating characteristics, too, which makes it fun to try out different ones. For instance, with dating app Happn, you can leave a voice recording for a match, and, on Bumble, you can send photos to a match. Tinder, too, is always upping its dating game, and as of today, Tinder is testing “Loops,” a video feature. So instead of just looking at pictures of potential matches, you can look at two-second video clips, aka "Loops", to see a more three-dimensional version of somebody.

As it is, you probably learn a lot about people through their photos and they become natural conversation-starters on apps. Among my profile pictures, I have one standing next to the Chicago Cubs bear mascot; as you can imagine, this is fodder for many messaging conversations. In another photo, I am sipping from a *huge* coffee cup, which also spawns lots of initial messages, from coffee jokes to asking where I found such a big cup. Suffice it to say, with Tinder’s new “Loops” feature, you may get a really good read on potential matches.

“Loops represents the next step in the evolution of our classic profile,” Brian Norgard, Chief Product Officer at Tinder, says in a statement shared with Bustle. “With the addition of video, users have a new way to express themselves while also gaining key insights into the lives of potential matches. Whether it’s dancing at a concert, doing cartwheels on the beach, or clinking glasses with friends, Loops makes profiles come alive. We anticipate Tinder Loops will lead to even more matches and conversations and look forward to seeing how our users creatively adopt the feature.”

It'll be interesting to see how Tinder users will use the “Loops” feature, as the possibilities seem endless.

How To Set Up A Loop On Your Tinder Profile:

Thankfully, "Loops" are super easy to create. First, go to your Tinder profile and hit "Add Media". Then, scroll through your camera roll and upload an existing video you want to turn into a "Loop". Once you select the part of the video you want for your "Loop", drag the time strip to select your desired clip inside the app. After that, you can preview it and post it right to your profile.

As Tinder mentions on their blog, there are some genius pro-tips to make your "Loops" really stand out:

"If you love roller skating let’s see you killing it in the rink—forward and back, forward and back. Pro tip: increase your video speed and you just went from slow skate to roller disco. (Right on.) If you love shooting hoops let’s see you slam-dunk it over and over again. Pro tip: start your Loop mid-air and your feet will never touch the ground. (You da real MVP.) And if you love cliff jumping let’s see you making that splash—one foot in, one foot out—like you can walk on water."

Instead of having a limit of six photos in your Tinder profile, with “Loops” in the mix, the limit will go up to nine, and you can have a combo of “Loops” and photos in your profile to really show off your personality to your Tinder matches. The only bad news? The feature is first testing among iOS users in Sweden and Canada, but hopefully it’ll expand to other countries, too. A Tinder dater can only hope…

Until then, if you want to add video to your dating game ASAP, dating apps Hinge, Match, and Luvr all have video options.

But personally, I’m curious how Tinder “Loops” will do, as it seems like a cool new feature, and two seconds long seems very manageable and watchable.

Editor's Note: This article was updated from its original version on April 4, 2018.