Relief for Tinder users as dating app is 'back up and running' after mystery outage caused worldwide crash and 'deleted matches'

  • Singletons complained of being unable to log in and receive or send messages 
  • Tinder users have been seeing a 'Error 5000' message instead of profiles 
  • 41 per cent reported issues relating to sending and receiving messages
  • 32 per cent are for login issues and 26 per cent are to do with server connection

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline and Victoria Bell For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Tinder is back online after the love lives of hundreds of users was thrown into disarray amidst reports they were unable to access the site for several hours.

The app is the most popular dating platform in the world and users took to social media to seek an explanation for the mystery outage. 

Singletons complained of being unable to log in and receive or send messages. 

A peak of more than 800 complaints flooded social media as people scrabbled for an explanation.  

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Users in the UK and Europe as well as parts of the US were having difficulty with the app and found they were unable to swipe left or right

Users in the UK and Europe as well as parts of the US were having difficulty with the app and found they were unable to swipe left or right

Users in the UK and Europe as well as parts of the US were having difficulty with the app and found they were unable to swipe left or right. 

Instead of profiles of a potential date appearing the Tinder users saw a 'Error 5000' message.  

According to outage detector site Down Detector, 41 per cent of reported issues with Tinder related to sending and receiving messages.

Almost a third of users (32 per cent) are complaining of issues logging in and 26 per cent of problems are to do with server connection.

Others even bemoaned the loss of some of their hard earned matches.  

A peak of more than 800 complaints has flooded social media as people scrabble for an explanation. According to outage detector site Down Detector, 41 per cent of reported issues with Tinder relate to sending and receiving messages 

Twitter user Rachel Armstong tweeted: 'The most stressful part of 2019 so far has been when for 67 minutes all 300+ of my tinder matches got deleted. 'I haven’t worked on that portfolio for almost a year just for it to get deleted one Tuesday morning'

Twitter user Rachel Armstong tweeted: 'The most stressful part of 2019 so far has been when for 67 minutes all 300+ of my tinder matches got deleted. 'I haven’t worked on that portfolio for almost a year just for it to get deleted one Tuesday morning'

When the app came back online the disgruntled users again took to Twitter to complain about the sudden culling of their matches

When the app came back online the disgruntled users again took to Twitter to complain about the sudden culling of their matches

A Twitter and Tinder user, who goes by the name @NickyBrizzle, said: 'i made a new tinder account two days ago, got 7 matches with 7 baddies in 24 hours and then tinder decided to have a breakdown and deleted all of them so that’s how my day is going'

A Twitter and Tinder user, who goes by the name @NickyBrizzle, said: 'i made a new tinder account two days ago, got 7 matches with 7 baddies in 24 hours and then tinder decided to have a breakdown and deleted all of them so that’s how my day is going'

When the app came back online the disgruntled users again took to Twitter to complain about the sudden culling of their matches. 

Twitter user Rachel Armstong tweeted: 'The most stressful part of 2019 so far has been when for 67 minutes all 300+ of my tinder matches got deleted.

'I haven’t worked on that portfolio for almost a year just for it to get deleted one Tuesday morning.'

Another user, who goes by the name @NickyBrizzle, said: 'i made a new tinder account two days ago, got 7 matches with 7 baddies in 24 hours and then tinder decided to have a breakdown and deleted all of them so that’s how my day is going'

This added to the initial outpouring of displeasure from users on twitter earlier in the day when the app was offline. 

Dominic Bernaudo tweeted at the time: '@Tinder I was having trouble sending and recieving messages. I restarted my phone, and now I can't log in - getting error code 5000. Any ideas on what's going on, or what I can do?' 

Wrathie said: 'Seriously!!! Can’t even bloody log in now to message Steve! Had to grow a pair and ask for his number via psn messenger.'

Many users chose to share memes to express themselves, among them Declan Doyle who posted a GIF of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory hyperventilating into a brown paper bag.

Finch wrote: ' tinder is down how the hell am i supposed to get my daily validation now?'

Finch wrote: ' tinder is down how the hell am i supposed to get my daily validation now?'

Disa Edralyn @eddralyn Tinder is down people. Just when you’re about to talk to someone nice. They go and mess it up. Always

Disa Edralyn @eddralyn Tinder is down people. Just when you’re about to talk to someone nice. They go and mess it up. Always

Not everyone was as annoyed at being cut off from the app, with many choosing to see the funny side of the outage.

William Olive said: 'Tinder is down, so I’ve gone from being unable to set up dates with women, to being unable to set up dates with women. This outage is still probably the most success I’ve had to be honest.'  

Finch added: 'Tinder is down how the hell am i supposed to get my daily validation now.' 

On a similar note, Calvaryn said: 'Tinder is down... How am I meant to momentarily boost my ego with a false and shallow sense of self worth? Please fix.'

HOW DID ONLINE DATING BECOME SO POPULAR?

The first ever incarnation of a dating app can be traced back to 1995 when Match.com was first launched.

The website allowed single people to upload a profile, a picture and chat to people online.

The app was intended to allow people looking for long-term relationships to meet.

eHarmony was developed in 2000 and two years later Ashley Madison, a site dedicated to infidelity and cheating, was first launched.

A plethora of other dating sites with a unique target demographic were set up in the next 10-15 years including: OKCupid (2004), Plenty of Fish (2006), Grindr (2009) and Happn (2013).

In 2012, Tinder was launched and was the first 'swipe' based dating platform. 

After its initial launch it's usage snowballed and by March 2014 there were one billion matches a day, worldwide.

In 2014, co-founder of Tinder, Whitney Wolfe Herd launched Bumble, a dating app that empowered women by only allowing females to send the first message.

The popularity of mobile dating apps such as Tinder, Badoo and more recently Bumble is attributable to a growing amount of younger users with a busy schedule.

In the 1990s, there was a stigma attached to online dating as it was considered a last-ditch and desperate attempt to find love.

This belief has dissipated and now around one third of marriages are between couples who met online.

A survey from 2014 found that 84 per cent of dating app users were using online dating services to look for a romantic relationship.

Twenty-four per cent stated that that they used online dating apps explicitly for sexual encounters.

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