Tinder launches Snapchat-like disappearing photos called Moments

LOS ANGELES, June 5 (UPI) -- Tinder launched a new ephemeral photo feature Thursday, similar to Snapchat, called Moments that will help users get to know each other better.

Moments is designed to help users who may not have the right words to use the photo feature to get to know their matches better. Tinder users can click a photo of them doing something fun, add filters, draw on it and then send them to all their matches at one go.

"Moments are the perfect excuse to say more than just 'hello,'" Tinder said. "With Moments you can swipe through fun Moments share by matches and get a glimpse into each other's lives."

In the same way that users swipe right to like or swipe left to "nope" a potential match, users can also swipe left or right on these pictures. If liked, users can then take the conversation forward by using the text messaging feature of the app.

"You can see who is interested in you based on liking content," said Tinder CEO Sean Rad. "And people love using Tinder for the joy of swiping, so we wanted to use the same experience to help people get to know each other."

Rad said that the team was looking for ways to help people to get to know each other in an effective way, which could be a challenge once users pile up multiple matches on their profile. He said Moments would help such users make more meaningful connections with people they like.

Unlike Snapchat, where pictures can be seen for a maximum of 10 seconds, photos on Moments will have a 24-hour extinction date and matches will not be able to see them beyond that time period.

"It's about sharing these moments, and just because you match, doesn't mean you need to date that person; you could match with a friend who you want to share a moment with." added Rad.

Another new feature is the ability for a user to go dark in discover mode, which will not match them with any other users but will let them continue to message their existing matches.