Why You Should Declare Tinder Zero

At the beginning of this year I declared Tinder Zero. It’s just like Inbox Zero, except with Tinder instead of your email account.

I was starting to get overwhelmed by the number of matches I had — especially the number of matches that were in different countries or where the conversations weren’t going anywhere — so starting again with a fresh profile seemed like a clever idea. Online dating might be harder for girls but even guys like me don’t have it easy.

Pushing the button to delete my account was surprisingly difficult but in the end it turned out to be a great decision, here’s why you should do it too.

You Have Too Many Matches

After almost two years of using Tinder on and off I had close to a thousand matches, many of whom I’d never really talked to. It was just unmanageable. The thought of trying to find someone really interesting to start a conversation with was just ridiculous. Like emails, my matches had just built up to the point where I wasn’t prepared to look through all the dead conversations, inactive profiles, and mismatches to find the right people to talk to.

MAMA I MADE IT….1000 TINDER MATCHES pic.twitter.com/Q6sXKcOCXd

— alex (@murleyalex) January 11, 2016

If you use Tinder for any length of time in a major city you’ll find yourself in the same situation as me. There are just so many potential matches that even if you only get two or three a day, they quickly add up. Unless you stay on top of things, getting 100 matches a month is impossible to deal with. You’d need to devote a few hours a day to all the potential conversations.

If you find that your number of matches is just ridiculous, it’s probably time to declare Tinder Zero. Delete your profile, start from scratch and you have some hope of using Tinder and maintaining an active real-world social life.

You Have Matches All Over the World

Another big problem I found was that I was more likely to use Tinder when I travelled. Even when I used the app in my home city (Dublin, Ireland), I’d often match with people who were just visiting here for a short time. This meant that I had countless matches all over the world.

*arrived in a different country **immediately whips out Tinder

— Gillroy Benet (@g_benet) January 7, 2016

While it can be cool to chat to people from different countries, when you’re using a dating app that’s designed to find people near by you feel a little embarrassed when you realise the person you just spent the last hour messaging is 3500 kilometres away. The chances of you two meeting up in real life are slim!

Even when you have a manageable number of matches, if two thirds of them are no where nearby, then sorting through them all is just more hassle than it’s worth. Far better to declare Tinder Zero, lose the pen-pals and look for matches who you don’t need a Boeing 747 to visit.

You Get a Chance to Match With People Who Said No

On Tinder, a “No” is pretty permanent. If someone swiped left on your profile two years ago, it doesn’t matter what happens, you’re not going to pop up for them again.

A lot can change in just a few months. Maybe you’ve lost weight, got an awesome new haircut, totally changed your personal style, or are just in a better place mentally. All these things have a huge effect on whether someone swipes left or right — but as far as Tinder is concerned nothing has changed. The person who swiped left back when you were still using awkward emo pictures for your profile might love who you are now but Tinder won’t give them a chance to find out.

If you’ve changed as a person since you set up your Tinder profile, just updating your pictures probably isn’t enough. Instead, you should declare Tinder Zero, create a whole new profile that shows the awesome person you are now, and start things off on a fresh foot. By declaring Tinder Zero it’s possible to get a second chance at a first impression!

You Can Restart Dead Conversations

Deleting your profile is also a great way to restart conversations that have died out.

Before I deleted my account, I looked back through my matches and found some people I’d been having a great chat with but, for whatever reason, the conversation had just fizzled out. I dropped them a message saying something along the lines of, “Hey, you seemed really cool when we chatted. I’m deleting my profile but if you want to stay in touch my number is XXXXXXXXX.” A few of the people I reached out to like this have sent me messages on WhatsApp and we’ve reconnected.

There’s also nothing to say you can’t match with the same people again with your new Tinder profile. Even if they remember you, it’s a great chance to start the conversation again from scratch. It might feel like you’re losing all your matches, but really it’s just a chance to rediscover them.

How to Get to Tinder Zero

While you could go through and delete all your matches manually, that would take ages and you’d never be able to match with them again. Instead, the best way to get to Tinder Zero is to delete your profile and then create a new one.

To delete your profile, go to the Settings Screen, tap on App Settings, scroll down to the bottom and then select Delete Account. You’ll get a pop up asking if you’re sure. Choose yes and your old account with all your matches will be tossed into the digital void. Starting again is easy, just sign in with Facebook, fill in your profile and you’ll be ready to go.

Closing Out

I declared Tinder Zero to start off the new year but there’s no reason you can’t do it on a random Tuesday. If you’ve found your Tinder account has just got unmanageable or you don’t have any matches going anywhere, starting over can really help. It gives you a chance to show off your improved Tinder game and get a whole load of awesome new matches.

Are you going to declare Tinder Zero or are you better at managing matches than me? If so, how do you do it? Let us know in the comments.