Tinder SMS VERIFICATION Receive the Tinder code on a rented number.

Tinder lets you create an account with a phone number, or with Google or Apple, and it asks for a phone number and a texted code in most cases either way. The number becomes a sign-in method and a check Tinder runs when an account looks suspicious. Starting a dating profile on a number that is not your personal one is a simple privacy step, since that number connects to your messaging apps, contacts and often your name.

Tinder keeps your number hidden from matches. The number leaks later, when a match asks to move to WhatsApp or text, and your real line starts showing your profile photo in another app. Many people keep conversations inside Tinder until a first date, and a separate registration number fits the same habit.

How Tinder uses the number

At sign-up, Tinder texts a code. After that, the phone number works as a login on a new device, and Tinder sends a code again when it wants to confirm the account holder, such as after a long break or a sign-in from a new country. Linking Google or Apple sign-in in the account settings gives the account a second way in that does not rely on SMS.

Tinder refuses many VoIP numbers and numbers from free SMS sites, and it links numbers to past bans. The numbers here come from real mobile carrier ranges and serve one activation.

Privacy on a dating app

Caller-ID and messaging apps show a name and photo for a phone number, so a number shared with a match can reveal your full name, workplace and other profiles. Keeping the registration number separate removes one of the ways a profile connects to your real identity.

Tinder's photo verification adds a blue check once you pose to match your photos, and matches can filter for verified profiles. It proves you are the person in the photos without sharing anything else. Tinder is used widely in the United Kingdom and across Europe, and Hinge and Bumble have similar privacy settings.

Where Tinder draws the line

Tinder allows one account per person, and bans follow the person. When Tinder removes an account for breaking its rules, it blocks the phone number and matches new accounts by device, photos and payment details. A new number does not bring back a banned account, and trying breaks Tinder's terms.

Tinder Passport, a paid feature, lets you swipe in another city. The phone number's country does not decide location. Your phone's location does.