Tinder is making it easier for you to block an ex or avoid friends, relatives, co-workers, and others you don't want to see on the dating app.

Tinder users have long wanted the ability to use the app without having to face someone they simply don't want to see for whatever reason. Now, they're finally getting that wish. The company has announced it will now allow users to block phone contacts as a preventative measure.

"Want to try to avoid seeing someone on Tinder? With Block Contacts, you can do just that," Tinder announced through its online help hub. "Share your device’s contact list with Tinder, select a contact you want to block, and we’ll do our best to prevent you from seeing each other."

How to block phone contacts on Tinder so you can avoid your ex and relatives photo 2
Tinder

How to block phone contacts on Tinder

To block specific phone contacts, you have two options available. See below for details on how to block contacts using either method.

Share contacts with Tinder to block them

You can share the contact list from your mobile device to Tinder directly, and then you just select the contacts you want to block.

  1. Open the Tinder app
  2. Tap the profile icon
  3. Go to “Settings”
  4. Scroll down and select “Block Contacts”
  5. Grant Tinder permission to access your contacts
  6. Under the “Contacts” tab, select people you want to avoid from your contacts
  7. Tap "Block Contacts"

Manually add contacts to Tinder to block them

If you’d rather not share your contacts with Tinder, or if you want to block someone not in your contact list, you can manually add the contact info.

  1. Open the Tinder app
  2. Tap the profile icon
  3. Go to “Settings”
  4. Scroll down and select “Block Contacts”
  5. Tap the + icon at the top of the screen
  6. Input this person’s contact info
  7. Tap “Done”

Note: Tinder said it won’t store everyone’s contacts - only ones you've chosen to block. Blocked contacts also won’t be notified they’ve been blocked. And if a blocked person later changes their phone number and joins Tinder, their Tinder account could still surface for you.

How to unblock contacts on Tinder

If you change your mind later and want to unblock someone, it's easy.

  1. Open the Tinder app
  2. Tap the profile icon
  3. Go to “Settings”
  4. Scroll down and select “Block Contacts”
  5. Navigate to the “Blocked” tab
  6. Tap “Unblock” next to each blocked contact you wish to unblock,
    • Or tap the menu icon in the corner and select “Unblock All” 

Want to know more?

Check out our in-depth guide on Tinder to learn more about the dating app. We also have a comparison of alternative datings apps worth trying.