Tinder to get a ‘Lite’ version of its dating app for data-limited areas

One can now easily add Tinder to the growing list of tech giants which are launching lightweight apps to reel in more users. As part of an earnings call, Match Group divulged plans for a Tinder Lite app that would be lighter and more suited to the area where cellular data comes at a premium. The CEO of Match Group, Mandy Ginsberg did not mention about the features or release date (other than “soon”). However, he did point to Southeast Asia as a high priority where there is an influx of young people into packed cities.

As the case with other lightweight apps and scaled-back operating systems like the Android Go, this is more about maintaining the growth that might otherwise taper off. Tinder is still growing at a solid pace. Its paid subscribers jumped from 38 percent year-over-year in early 2019. It knows those numbers won’t be lasting forever. The Tinder Lite app would give it access to millions of people who don’t have high-end smartphones and are happy with only basic smartphones or limited access to data, or both. Even if only a fraction of those newcomers signs up for the app, that is a large potential expansion.