What Do Verification Badges Mean on Dating Apps?

What does a verification badge actually check?

On the major apps, the usual check is a selfie compared with the person's profile photos. It helps show that the person looks like their pictures. It says nothing about whether they are single or honest about what they want.

What do the badges mean on each app?

• Tinder: Photo Verification is optional and uses a video selfie, a liveness check and facial recognition against the profile photos. ID + Photo Verification adds a government ID check, but Tinder says it is only available to some people in select test markets.
• Bumble: a selfie is checked against the profile photos with automated and human review, and verified members get a blue checkmark. Bumble says this is mandatory in the USA. ID Verification is a separate process with its own badge.
• Hinge: Selfie Verification is voluntary and uses a video selfie, a liveness check and facial recognition. In certain regions Hinge requires a biometric Face Check, and a match there also earns the badge.

Does a badge mean someone is safe or real?

Not by itself. Tinder says the check mark is not a guarantee that a member's information is authentic and does not replace your own judgment. It also says Photo Verification does not guarantee a user's identity or safety. Hinge says its badge does not guarantee a user's safety.

So keep the usual precautions even with a badge. The FTC's advice not to send money or gifts to someone you have not met in person still applies.

What does no badge mean?

Where verification is optional, a missing badge may simply mean the person did not do it. Badges can also change after the check: Tinder says deleting or adding photos may affect verification status, and Hinge says changing photos may result in a loss of verification.

If you are chatting with a match on Bumble, you can ask for one. Open their profile, tap the three dots and select Request Photo Verification. They can choose whether to complete it.

Does a verified profile prove it belongs to your partner?

A badge makes it more likely the account holder looks like the photos, but it is still a lead to verify, not proof of cheating. It does not show when the profile was made, whether it is in use, or whether the person messaged or met anyone. Look through what you can see, then ask if you feel safe doing so. If you are afraid of how they might react, put your safety first. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 800-799-7233 or thehotline.org.

How do badges relate to CheaterExposer ratings?

They are different things. CheaterExposer rates results as confirmed, likely or possible and links to the source, but those ratings are not an app's verification badge. It searches public web results on Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Match, Badoo, MeetMe and Tagged, plus public profiles on major social networks. It does not search Bumble or Hinge, and it cannot see private accounts, messages, deleted accounts or app activity. No result proves nothing.