Tinder: age checks in the UK
Whole service gated for UK users. Tinder’s help page: a face photo analysed by Match Group’s own technology, a Face Check video selfie rolling out for new users, and a secondary ID check that can be required in the UK. Results kept 1 year; photos and audit images for the life of the account.
Check required for listed access Dating Match Group verified 18 October 2026
Facts panel
Published statements are shown with their sources and the dates we checked them. Missing information and availability limits remain explicit.
- Domain
- tinder.com
- Age check
- Check required for listed access, first recorded 25 July 2025
- Triggered by
- the whole service
- Applies to
- all UK users
- Notes
- Tinder’s page (updated 13 August 2026): “If you are presented with an age check, you must complete it to fully access Tinder. You won’t be able to send likes or messages, and your profile won’t be visible to others, until you successfully complete the age check.” Hinge has its own record on this site.
- Methods
- Face scanPhoto ID
- Vendor
- Other recorded providers for face scan (Match Group in-house (Tinder Age Check)), photo id (Tinder in-house (ID Verification Check))
- Overall record checked
- 18 October 2026. Individual methods may have later checks, shown below.
Methods and retention, one row per method
| Method | Provider | Retention, as published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) | Match Group in-house (Tinder Age Check) |
“The results from your Age Check will be stored in a secure format for 1 year.” Quoted from help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Results 1 year; audit images and photos for the life of the account. Notes: Tinder’s page, under “Age Check: Face Photo Upload” with “Applicable Region(s): Australia, UK”: “Our automated technology analyzes your uploaded face photo(s) to estimate whether or not you’re 18 or over.” A Face Check video selfie is described as “rolling out” for new users in Australia, Brazil and the UK; it captures two audit images for age estimation. Retention: “Tinder will keep your audit images and photos for the life of the account (plus the applicable retention period following account closure or ban)”. “The technology used to estimate age is proprietary to Match Group.” Age-check results “may be used to help train certain machine learning models that support our trust and safety tools”. Press in February 2026 named FaceTec for liveness; Tinder’s page does not name FaceTec. |
help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026 Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Photo ID | Tinder in-house (ID Verification Check) |
“We keep a redacted copy of your ID for 30 days to help audit and troubleshoot the ID verification check process.” Quoted from help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Redacted ID copy 30 days; ID photo and date of birth for the life of the account; result until 90 days after closure (1 year if banned). Notes: Tinder’s page: “In some regions, including the UK, you may also be required to complete a secondary ID verification check.” Automated review matches the stored FaceMap to the ID photo; manual review (up to 24 hours) sends a redacted ID to a human agent. “The results of the ID verification check (i.e., successful or not) are saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 1 year if the account is banned).” and “We also keep the photo and date of birth from your ID for the lifetime of your account”. |
help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026 Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
What you will see
- What happens
- Tinder asks for a clear solo face photo (and, for new users, a Face Check video selfie); its automated technology estimates whether you are 18 or over. In the UK a secondary ID check may follow.
- How long it takes
- Not stated by the service.
- If you decline
- Tinder’s page: likes, messages and profile visibility are unavailable until the age check is completed; an ID check, if required, must be completed to access Tinder.
- Official help page
- help.tinder.com
Questions people ask about Tinder
Does Tinder require age verification in the UK?
Yes. As of 18 October 2026, Tinder requires an age check for the whole service, applying to all UK users. First recorded 25 July 2025.
Is the Tinder age check a face scan?
A face scan (facial age estimation) is one of 2 recorded methods: Facial age estimation (face scan) and Photo ID. Providers named: Match Group in-house (Tinder Age Check) and Tinder in-house (ID Verification Check). Which methods a service offers can change; the date each was checked is shown on the page.
What does Tinder keep after the age check?
Facial age estimation (face scan) via Match Group in-house (Tinder Age Check): "The results from your Age Check will be stored in a secure format for 1 year." (help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026; checked 18 October 2026). Photo ID via Tinder in-house (ID Verification Check): "We keep a redacted copy of your ID for 30 days to help audit and troubleshoot the ID verification check process." (help.tinder.com, dated 13 August 2026; checked 18 October 2026).
What if the Tinder age check is not working?
This site records what the service publishes; it does not troubleshoot or offer workarounds. Tinder's own help page is https://www.help.tinder.com/hc/en-us/articles/41083211035917-Age-Checks-at-Tinder. The record lists 2 methods; availability depends on the service and account: Facial age estimation (face scan) and Photo ID. If you do not complete the check, the service states: Tinder’s page: likes, messages and profile visibility are unavailable until the age check is completed; an ID check, if required, must be completed to access Tinder.
Regulator actions
No Ofcom or ICO action naming this service is recorded as of 18 October 2026.
Sources for this entry
- Tinder Help: Age Checks at Tinder service help 13 August 2026
- Biometric Update press February 2026
Changes to this record
- — name, gate.notes, open_questions: Hinge now has its own record built from Hinge’s help pages (data/services/hinge.json); this record covers Tinder only. (was: Record named “Tinder and Hinge (Match Group)”, with Hinge’s February 2026 rollout noted from press and an open question that Hinge’s own page had not been read.) manual
- — methods, summary, retention, user_facing, open_questions: Tinder’s own help page “Age Checks at Tinder” (updated 13 August 2026) read 18 October 2026. Facial row upgraded to primary with Tinder’s retention wording (results 1 year; photos and audit images for the life of the account); ID Verification Check added with its 30-day redacted-copy wording. The three-month and hashed-photo figures were Hinge’s terms as reported by press and have been removed from the Tinder facts. (was: Whole service gated for UK users: facial estimation with FaceTec liveness using Match's in-house model. Match states photos are kept up to three months, then a hashed photo and result for one year; Hinge audit images may train models.) manual
- — seed: record created from research/01 and research/02 seed
Correct this entry
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