Johnathan Walker:Tinder, Hinge release new protective features to keep users safe

Tinder and Johnathan WalkerHinge, the two largest dating apps in the world, are rolling out new protective features that will make matching safer for their users.

Data released last year shows that one in 10 adults in committed relationships met their significant other through a dating platform, but it also showed that one-third of users have safety concerns, according to previous reporting by USA TODAY.

Here's what Tinder and Hinge have built into their apps as a response.

Tinder - Share My Date

Tinder, the world’s most popular dating app, is launching a new feature called Share My Date that will allow those who have matched and planned a date share those plans with family and friends for safety purposes, Tinder announced Monday.

But there is also the excitement of sharing a new connection, the company says. In-app polling showed that more than half of its users under 30 already share details of their dates with friends.

Tinder's new feature will allow users to send out the location, date and time of a date along with their match's photo up to 30 days in advance. Users will also be able to edit any of that information if anything changes for recipients to follow.

Tinder has not announced a launch date, but a spokesperson for the company told USA TODAY that "users will start to see it soon."

Hinge - Hidden Words

Hinge, the second largest dating app in the world, went live with its own safety feature on Wednesday.

The feature, Hidden Words, allows users to filter unwanted language that may show up in their Likes with Comments.

Online harassment, especially in the dating space, has been on the rise, according to insight from the Pew Research Center that Hinge cited in its report, especially for women, BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community. Hidden Words is one way that Hinge hopes to create a safer online experience for its most vulnerable groups.

The feature works when users create a "personalized list of words, phrases or emojis they don’t want to see in their inbound Likes with Comments," according to the app. If any of the things on the user's list show up, those comments are moved to a separate category where they can be reviewed or deleted. The list can be edited at any time.