First off, it is important to differentiate whether you’re getting no matches at all, or getting few, or fewer matches than you used to. If your problem is the latter, I’ve got you covered in the linked post.

The second important distinction we have to make is whether you suddenly stopped getting matches, or you never got any from the start.

Possible reasons for why you aren’t getting any Tinder matches (anymore)

You’ve been right swiping every profile

This is a big one and applies whether you just started out or have been on Tinder for a long time. Swiping right on everyone is a major no-no and Tinder’s algorithm will severely lower your score, rendering you nigh invisible.

If you haven’t gotten any matches since you first signed up for Tinder

Assuming you didn’t sign up today, there are basically two possibilities:

Your profile is unattractive

That doesn’t mean you are, but that you have presented yourself in an unattractive light. Try to improve your profile, especially your pictures, and see if things pick up. Here’s a complete guide. Alternatively, here’s just the ground rules on profile pictures.

Your account is bugged

Something went wrong during the account creation process and now your account is bugged. It happens sometimes, especially if you used a temporary burner number from an online service.

If this is the case and you’ve already tried sprucing things up with more attractive pictures, you may consider resetting your account.

You may be too picky

It is possible you’ve been swiping entirely out of your league and dismissing everyone who swiped right on you. If applicable, try lowering your standards but do not just spam swipe right on everybody.

If all the above fails…

…you may consider trying a different dating service like OkCupid, or eharmony for example.

If you used to get matches and they suddenly stopped coming

It’s very likely you did something to piss off Tinder’s algorithm. Such as:

You tried to reset your account

Something went wrong, and you have been shadow-banned. I.e. The app seems usable to you, you can swipe and send messages to matches, but you have been rendered invisible to everyone else.

Tinder likes to do this if it thinks you’re a bot, and deleting your account to remake it a few minutes later is something bots like to do.

Recently, attempting to reset their account has resulted in a shadowban for many users, though it still works for others if certain steps are followed and one doesn’t overdo it.

You tried to spoof your location, or changed it too often

Using third party apps to change your GPS location to circumvent paying for that Plus feature is something Tinder doesn’t take kindly to, and it may net you a shadowban.

Users have also managed to brick their account by changing their location too often, for example once every few minutes (for whatever reason).

You have been reported (as a spammer) too often

Usually Tinder just deletes your account (and informs you as such) if you have been reported too often, but in some cases -such as suspected bots – they prefer the shadowban hammer.

If you kept getting fewer and fewer matches until there were none

It’s likely you haven’t been shadowbanned per se, but rather your score has gotten so low you might as well be invisible. This could be due to unfortunate profile changes, or just not following Tinder’s rule book.

Generally the further possible reasons and advice from the “Getting Fewer Matches” post apply here, but the decline to zero is a special case.

What can you do to get yourself un-banned?

Whatever the reason may be that landed you in shadowban land, there is not all that much you can do to get out of it. You could try to contact Tinder support, but don’t expect a relevant, or even human answer.

If you are actually certain you don’t just have a low score, and you’ve tried everything feasible to improve your profile to no avail, all you can really still do (apart from giving up on Tinder) is to try to reset your account. Even though a failed attempt is one of the reasons you might be in this situation.

Conclusion

Not getting any matches at all usually means Tinder has punished you for something. Attractiveness in and of itself should only influence what kind of profiles you see and get shown to, and never just render you invisible.

On the other hand, Tinder seems to be doing everything in their power to saw off the branch they’re sitting on, so it might be a good idea to shop around for other dating apps anyway.

In any case, try not to take a lack of matches too personally. If it gets too frustrating, take a break from online dating and work on improving yourself. If you love your life, others will want to be a part of it

What do you think? Have you stopped getting matches for a different reason? Feel free to leave a comment below, or visit the SwipeHelper Subreddit. See you there 🙂