Tinder has announced it's adding a series of new safety features in an attempt to make women feel safer on dates.
The dating app announced this week it's partnering with alarm app Noonlight to include a 'panic button' feature, which can alert the authorities if someone feels dodgy or unsafe during a date.
According to the Wall Street Journal, if the user feels unsafe, they can open the Noonlight app and press a button which discreetly contacts Noonlight dispatchers. The dispatcher will first send them a text the person can subtly reply to without speaking. If that's unanswered, Noonlight will send a code and call them.
If there is still no answer, emergency services will be dispatched.
The feature will initially only be available in the US and there are no plans for the panic button feature to come to New Zealand.
However, following Grace Millane's murder, it would make sense for the Kiwi branch of the app to follow suit.
A spokesperson for Match Group, the company which owns the dating app, says the aim is to let users ask for help without raising suspicions.
"You should run a dating business as if you are a mum," Match Group chief executive Mandy Ginsberg told the Wall Street Journal.
"I think a lot about safety, especially on our platforms, and what we can do to curtail bad behaviour."
Another new safety feature allows users to 'check-in', letting their friends know when and where they're headed on dates, and share their location services with the app.
According to a screenshot of an example conversation, the app will also recognise if you're planning to meet up with someone, and ask if you want to add the date to your timeline - which select friends can see.
