Tinder to Use AI to Scan Users Camera Rolls for Better Matches

Tinder is betting big on Artificial Intelligence to revive its fortunes, announcing a new feature that will, with user permission, access and analyze photos directly from a person's camera roll to learn about their personality and hobbies.

The move is part of a major AI push by Tinder's parent company, Match Group, to combat "swipe fatigue" and reverse a nine-quarter streak of declining paid subscribers.

The new feature, named "Chemistry," is currently being piloted in Australia and New Zealand. It is designed to go beyond superficial profile pictures and bios to understand users on a deeper level.

How "Chemistry" Works
According to Match Group, the Chemistry feature will work in two ways:

Interactive Questions: The app will engage users with a series of playful, interactive questions to build a more nuanced personality profile.

Camera Roll Analysis: With the user's explicit consent, the feature will use AI to scan their phone's photo gallery. The system is designed to look for "lifestyle cues" and "interests" in the background of photos.

For example, if a user's camera roll contains many photos of them hiking, at the beach, or with a pet, the AI will infer those interests and prioritize matching them with other users who share similar, AI-detected hobbies.

This data will be used to suggest a small number of "highly relevant" profiles each day, shifting the app's focus from endless swiping to more compatible and meaningful connections. Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff called the feature a "major pillar of Tinder's upcoming 2026 product experience."

Privacy Concerns and Financial Pressures
The decision to request access to a user's entire camera roll—including photos not intended for a public dating profile—is already raising significant privacy concerns. While the feature is opt-in, critics question the trade-off, arguing users are being asked to provide a massive amount of personal data for a still-unproven benefit.

This aggressive AI strategy comes as Tinder faces significant financial headwinds. Match Group reported that this new product testing will result in a $14 million negative impact on Tinder's revenue in the fourth quarter.

Tinder is also deploying AI in other, less-intrusive ways. It already uses AI to help users select their best profile photos and has rolled out a safety feature that uses a large language model to prompt users with an "Are you sure?" warning before they send a potentially offensive message.