Banned on Tinder?

Tinder's help pages describe a ladder. A warning arrives as an in-app message from Team Tinder and an email. Several warnings for the same kind of violation can lead to a suspension: a temporary block, after which the account comes back on its own unless there are new violations. A ban is the hardest step: you are kept out of the account and from creating new ones, and your profile is removed.

Tinder can also limit what you do. In the EEA, Tinder asks for a video selfie age check. Until you pass it, you can't send likes or messages and your profile is hidden.

Tinder is a dating app, so the loss is personal: matches, chats you never saved, maybe a date you had planned. Tinder's pages don't say what happens to your matches and chats after a ban. They do say a ban can reach other Match Group apps too, such as Hinge and OkCupid.

• Disabled: you can't log in and the profile is gone.
• Suspended: a temporary block that ends on its own.
• Restricted: likes and messages blocked, often until an age check is done.
• Appeal denied: the Appeals Center shows "Denied".
• How long: what Tinder says about timing, and the legal time limits in the EU.
• Permanently banned: what a ban means for your subscription, data and other apps.
• Business account: banned for links, promotion or anything that looked commercial.
• Banned by mistake: a report from a match, mass reports, a wrong age check, a hacked account.

Tinder's terms say users in the EEA contract with MTCH Technology Services Limited in Dublin, Ireland. Tinder is an online platform under the DSA. It is not on the list of very large online platforms, but the core rules still apply.

If you live in the EU:

1. Statement of reasons (DSA Art. 17). Tinder must tell you the facts, the rule, whether automated tools were used, and how to challenge the decision.
2. Internal complaint (DSA Art. 20). Free, open for at least six months, and not decided by automated means alone. The Appeals Center is Tinder's route for this.
3. Out-of-court dispute body (DSA Art. 21). You can go to a certified body, even without appealing first. Platform Control names Tinder on the European Commission's list and on its own site. ADR Center and ADR Point name Tinder on their own sites. Use the dispute body finder.
4. Your data (GDPR Art. 15). A free copy of your data within one month. Tinder's help pages say banned users can still use its Download My Data tool.
5. Court. That right stays open. Tinder's terms say users in the EU may bring claims in their country of residence.

These rules protect people who live in the EU, not Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or the UK. Outside the EU, the Appeals Center is your main route.

• A new account. Tinder's help pages say a ban also covers creating new accounts.
• Paid "unban" services. Nobody outside Tinder can lift a Tinder ban. Never give anyone your login or a code sent to your phone.
• Forgetting the subscription. If you paid through the App Store or Google Play, Tinder's help pages say you must cancel it yourself.
• Angry messages. Keep your appeal short and factual.

Start with the free ban checker to see your dates and next step.