zEveryone has heard of the dating app Tinder. Whether you like to admit it or not. you have found yourself curious about what the app can do for you. With over 50 million users worldwide, the app is one of the most popular dating apps. Looking for love, casual dating or a one night stand, Tinder has something for everyone.

There have been many success stories when using the dating app, but there have also been many nightmares that played out once meeting up with a match. Tinder users feel like once they are matched, they have found someone they were meant to be with, but in reality they may have nothing in common. That is the issue with using technology these days to find love; people are not always who they say they are. Tinder is full of creeps, catfishes and scammers, but these are things you will never hear the people behind Tinder admit, because that would drive users away from the app.

Even though there are many pros and cons to using the app, you might want to reconsider using it because there are a lot of things the founder of Tinder is not telling you. Here are 15 strange things Tinder doesn’t want its users to know about the app.

15. Be Aware of Scam Alerts

Many people who use the Internet are aware of scams and are pretty good at distinguishing what are scams and what are not. However, dating apps such as Tinder make it harder for someone who seek out these scams. Since the app can sometimes strip you of your common sense, users become subject to many money scams. As a user, you want to be trusting towards the person you are talking to, however sometimes the person you are talking to can turn out to be a scam bot. Not all these scam bots try to extort money from users. They sometime guide users to adult webcam sites or gaming apps. Scam bots are so popular that there are even guides that offer tips on how to set up the best scammer profile.

14. Your Information Is Not Actually Safe

In order to use Tinder, the app asks for some personal information that is supposed to be kept private and not for public knowledge. However, it has been discovered that your information is not as private as you thought. Hacking companies have found flaws in Tinder’s privacy settings. A user’s private information can in fact be made public to anyone who is seeking to find out more information about you. To make you even more paranoid, there are apps available for creeping on Tinder users. The apps were designed to show the flaws in Tinder’s security system and that users can find out what other users can actually find out about them when they only know their first and last name and location.

13. Tinder Decides Order Of Potential Matches

Users believe that the order of matches that are shown to them are based of proximity, however this is not the case. Tinder shows you users who have received many right swipes. It is not based off of who you can be potentially matched with or who would swipe right on you, but based on what other users have swiped on. This makes users feel as if there are tons of users who are good looking, but also interested in them. Giving users false information and allowing them to wrongfully come up with a judgment.

12. Spamming Bots Are Everywhere

Many men who are Tinder users are exposed to these spamming bots. Men are often encountered with profiles that are bots. When these users reach out to these robots, they either get no response or they are provided with a link to an escort or hook up sites. When looking into this matter, a researcher found out that there are people behind these profiles who get a commission for every man they have successfully led to these escort websites. This only makes it hard for male users because they believe that they have matched with someone who they want to reach out to, but instead are given a link and no further responses. Tinder does not want users to know about these scammers because it may discourage men to use the app.

11. Attractive People Appear First

When logging on to Tinder, it has been found that the first ten to fifteen people shown are actually not matches, but just extremely good looking people. The people that are usually shown are people who have received many right swipes. The reasoning behind this is so that if you were to see a bunch of good looking people, you are more likely to use the app again. This tactic will encourage users to continue to use the app because you have many attractive people who are waiting for you. These users that you are being shown may not even be a match, which can make matters worst when someone thinks they are a match because they are being shown this user, but they really are not.

10. Hidden Success Rate

Every picture you upload to Tinder has a success rate, however Tinder does not disclose this information to their users. This success rate determines how likely your picture will make someone swipe right. The rate is based on how many times someone has swiped right on your image. This allows Tinder to know what profiles they should show people first. Not only is there a hidden success rate, but profiles are also given a secret rating, Tinder scores people on how attractive they are. This information is also not disclosed to users to avoid people being disappointed on their rating. These rates and scores are used to create perfect matches, but sometimes attractiveness does not always mean users will make a good match.

9. Always Keep Active

It is obvious that if you do not use Tinder, you will not get matched, however the more you do use Tinder, the more likely you are to be shown more profiles. This is because Tinder wants their users to always remain active because Tinder does not want their users to get frustrated when they are not shown any matches. Tinder does not let their users know this because they do not want them to feel like they cannot revisit the app if they have not been active on it lately.  The less you use Tinder, the less your profile will be shown. It may not be at the top of your priority list, but if you want to have a success story through using Tinder, it is suggested that you visit the app on a daily basis.

8. Do Not Be Picky

We all have standards when it comes to picking a significant other, however Tinder does not like picky people. If you are someone who swipes left on almost everyone, you will be less likely to be shown more profiles. This is because Tinder wants their users to make as many connections as they can, and if you are swiping left you are not making any connections. Tinder does not tell their users this information because they do not want their users to feel as if they are telling them to lower their standards just so the app will have more of a success. However, not being picky enough also has its downfall. If you swipe right on every profile, the app might think you are a spammer therefore showing you less profiles. Do not be too picky, but do not be picky at all.

7. Users Have Low Self-Esteem

Studies by the American Psychological Association have shown that Tinder users have a lower level of self-esteem, were are more unsatisfied with their body image and had a preconceived notion when it came to the notion of beauty. Tinder users find themselves more fixated on their appearance and how they are portrayed on social media. How you feel about yourself is based on what others think about you. By putting yourself on Tinder, you are subject to being judged based on how you look. If you do not receive the feedback that you were hoping to receive, it could be damaging to your self-esteem. It is best to not take Tinder too serious.

6. Many Creepy Users

Tinder has over 50 million users worldwide so you are bound to find a creep or two (or many). There are many people who misuse the app and use it for reasons it was not intended to be used. Users create intriguing profiles to lure in people and you never really know who you are talking to. It is important to enter into the conversation with a clear head and weed out the fakers and scammers. You never know you could find yourself the victim of a cyber attack. If you feel like a conversation is making you uncomfortable, it is important to leave the conversation or not answer at all. If the messages keep coming, report the user. Trust me; the Tinder community will thank you. Tinder does not address profiles like these because they do not want the app to get a reputation of being an unsafe place.

5. Tinder Makes Men Misbehave

Manchester Metropolitan University researchers found that if male users felt that if their Tinder dates ended up not looking as attractive as they did on their profile, they would mistreat the women. Those who took part in the study felt that their trust was broken and that the women should do whatever the man wants them to do, since they feel like the women had lied to them. Most men who were unhappy with their Tinder date would just use them for sex. This displays how naive men can be because not everyone is going to look exactly how they do in their pictures since they pick the best pictures to represent themselves online. Plus, have men not heard of filters?

4. Tinder Users Are STI Prone

Tinder does have the reputation of being an app for casual hook ups, so this should not come as a surprise. However, it is not the first thing that Tinder would let their users know. Studies have shown that more than three quarters of Tinder users have or had an STI. The most common STI among those users were genital warts, herpes and chlamydia. With the rise of people who contracted an STI  in America, Tinder has been seen as the reason why. If you plan or intend to use Tinder as a way for casual hook ups, then it is important to be smart about it and play it safe.

3. Invite Only Tinder App

Tinder has an app that is invite only and operates for the rich and famous. The app is called “Tinder Select” and it is only for celebrities and those who perform well on Tinder. However, Tinder has never really opened up about this app, which means that there is no absolute knowledge on the criteria to be invited to use this app. Current users on the app are allowed to nominate people to be invited to use the app, however Tinder has the final say. In order to be considered, the algorithm combines the number of people you match with, how much you use the app and the score of the users you match with. The app has a more desirable design to it than the one everyone else uses. You can only imagine the celebrities you would meet on that app!

2. Tinder Is Highly Addictive

If you are among the users who open the app on the daily, several times a day there is a good chance you are not alone. Tinder can be very addictive, especially if you find yourself very successful using it. People are curious to see who is out there and who they may spark something special with. Sites and apps that are geared towards dating are very popular and outshine the traditional way of finding a significant other, so of course the app can be addictive. There is nothing wrong with actively seeking love, but it is important to not let it take over your life. There is more out there than what you see on an app. Keep your options open.

1. Tinder is Losing Popularity

No one wants the public to know that their app is no longer the cool thing to be using. This is why Tinder will never admit that their once must-have app is no longer the go-to dating app. With all the glitches and unwanted pictures of certain body parts that comes with using Tinder, people are starting to delete the app off their phones and go elsewhere to find romance. Along with the negative side affects of using Tinder, like lower self-esteem, people are questioning if using Tinder is worth it. However, it is still used by many people world wide, but it has lost a lot of users since the launch of the app in 2012.