Tinder Launches Group Hangouts Feature to Connect Friend Groups for In-Person Activities
Groups of 3 to 15 can select an activity, invite friends, and appear in Tinder’s main card stack for other groups to discover. A mutual like opens a shared chat; the feature is rolling out in phases across the U.S. and select markets.
Tinder announced the launch of “Group Hangouts” in September 2026, a new feature that allows groups of friends to discover, match, and make plans with other groups around shared activities.
To use the feature, users select an activity and invite at least two friends to join. Once a group reaches a minimum of three members — with a maximum of 15 — its profile becomes visible in Tinder’s main card stack, where other groups can discover it. If at least one person from each group likes the other, both groups are connected in a shared group chat to coordinate plans. The feature appears at the top of Tinder’s main home screen and is rolling out in phases in the U.S. and select markets.
Users retain some individual control within the experience. Members can leave a conversation without exiting the friend group, and can block or report other participants if needed.
Claire Watanabe, VP of product management at Tinder, cited real-world user behavior as part of the inspiration. “One inspiration was seeing a college women’s volleyball team make a Tinder profile while traveling for away games, so they could explore a new town and meet locals,” she told TechCrunch. “In practice, we’re seeing groups stay pretty tight, most people are hanging out with their close circle of friends, not organizing something huge.”
Group Hangouts builds on Tinder’s earlier “Double Date” feature, which let two users pair up and browse other pairs. The new feature expands that concept to larger groups and shifts the focus toward more casual social outings rather than traditional one-on-one dates.
The launch is part of a broader push by Tinder toward real-world experiences. In March 2026, the company introduced an Events tab for discovering local activities, which it expanded to additional cities this month. Competitor Bumble has also moved in a similar direction with its “Plans” feature, aimed at connecting users in casual, group-oriented, in-person settings.
The moves come as Tinder faces user and revenue declines. Monthly active users fell 7% in the second quarter of 2026, following an 8% drop the prior quarter, while revenue also declined in the latest quarter.