Can you delete a dating app account?

So you’ve found love and need to delete your online dating profile(s). You could just delete your dating apps or stop visiting them. But leaving around an unused online dating profile could cause unnecessary drama if, say, someone who knows you IRL comes across your profile and assumes you’re either: a.) cheating on your significant other, or b.) you’ve broken up. 

Of course, there are varying levels of “still being on a dating app.”

” ‘Your girl or your man actually reached out to me on message’ — that’s one thing,” says Jozen Cummings, creator of the blog UntilIGetMarried.com. “But if it’s ‘I was swiping through Tinder and I just so happened to see this person that you’ve been dating for the past three months,’ that’s something different.”

For some, deactivating their dating profile is kind of a big deal. Julie Spira, chief executive of CyberDatingExpert.com, calls this “the unplugging party,” when a couple who met online ceremoniously get rid of the profiles that brought them together.

Spira, who started online dating more than 20 years ago with Love@AOL, has overseen these unplugging parties for many clients in the past. “It’s a digital moment that you want to sort of savor,” she says.

However, it’s not always so straightforward to figure out how to ditch your dating profiles. Spira cites recent research that about 40 percent of Tinder users aren’t single. She frequently gets emails from daters with subject lines like: “Help! I found my boyfriend on Tinder!” It’s possible these boyfriends are looking for other options. Or they just might be too lazy to properly deactivate their accounts — especially during the happy, honeymoon period of a new relationship.

If you’re ready to ditch your dating profile, here’s an easy guide.

Tinder

Just deleting the Tinder app from your phone is not enough to get rid of your profile.  To take it down, you need to log into the app and visit Settings. Then select “App Settings” and scroll down to “Delete Account.” Once you’ve done this, the app will give you an “Account successfully deleted” message.

This means that you will lose all of your messages and matches. But if you decide to start swiping again, you can easily create another profile by logging in again with your Facebook account.

If you’re a Tinder Plus subscriber, following these steps will delete your account but not your subscription. To do that, you’ll need to go to the App Store, access your subscriptions and select “Manage.” Either move the auto-renewal slider over to “Off” or select “Unsubscribe.”

Match.com

Match.com allows you to deactivate your account with the option to start it up again within six months of deleting. To do so, go to the settings by clicking the little gear in the site’s header to get to the dropdown menu. Once you get to the account settings, select change/cancel membership.

You have to go through a few steps, so be sure to get all the way to the confirmation page, where you will find a “Hide Profile/Deactivate My Account” link. After you click that link, no one will be able to see your account but you — if you decide to start using it again, that is. The site will then send you two emails, first confirming the cancellation of your subscription and then the deactivation of your account.

OkCupid

You can either delete or disable your OkCupid account. If you choose to temporarily disable your account, your profile will be taken off the site and you will stop getting emails, but will be free to easily bring back your profile whenever you choose to do so.

To delete your OkCupid account, visit the Settings page and choose “Delete account.” Your profile will be taken down and your username will no longer be available for anyone to use in the future — including you. If you come back to the site in the future, you’ll need to create another account.

The site makes it clear that this action is “permanent and irreversible,” so if you’re only looking to close out your account for a few months, use the disabling option instead.

Bumble

To get rid of your Bumble account, simply log in and visit the Settings page. Once there, select “delete account.” Although this immediately gets rid of your account, your info will be stored for 30 days in case you have a change of heart. 

JDate

Canceling your JDate account is pretty simple. Just select the profile thumbnail located at the top right-hand corner of the page, go down to Membership Management, click “Remove Profile,” and you’re done.  

Your profile will be down, but the site will store your information, in case you start up another account in the future.

Happn

To deactivate your Happn account, just go to the left-hand menu and hit the Preferences tab. Go to “About” and then select “Deactivate my account.” Easy.

Plenty of Fish

POF allows users to hide their profile — go to “Edit profile” and click the “To hide your profile from others, click here” link in the menu. Or you can permanently delete your accounts by filling out the necessary info on this page.

How About We

Go to settings; scroll down to “Account” to find the deactivation link. This will hide your profile and end any paid subscriptions you might have. Your profile will reappear only if you choose to restore it.

READ MORE:

Does deleting a dating app delete your profile?

What happens when you delete a dating account?

How do I delete my dating app profile?

Do you still show up on Tinder if you delete your account?