June 20, 2023 Tinder (USA) dating app

blocked users from the Russian Federation

. If specifically, on the website

tinder.com

and in the mobile application it is now not possible to log in from Russian IP addresses.

Here is a perfect example of the benefits of a VPN, because a VPN solves the problem completely and utterly. To bypass the block, you can use a third-party commercial service or host a completely legal VPN server in a foreign data center.

This is a universal option not only for Tinder, but also for all occasions. Nowadays, it is difficult to fully use the Internet without your VPN abroad.

▍ Blocking

The Tinder application belongs to the American company Match Group, which is forced to join the financial sanctions imposed by the US government. According to the legislation, it has the right to accept payments from Russian banks. Accordingly, from May 31, 2023, Tinder users in Russia will not be able to make purchases on the platform, including paying for subscriptions and other features. Those who have paid a subscription for 6 or 12 months are offered

apply for a refund

.

In such a situation, the company had only one option – to provide the service to Russian users for free. She probably decided there was little point. It is not necessary to maintain the audience on the basis of the quick removal of financial restrictions – as history knows, such sanctions are not removed quickly and can persist for decades.

One way or another, Match Group decided not to waste resources on the non-paying public — and simply blocked Russian IP addresses. But the most interesting thing is that it is not the accounts of users in Russia that are blocked, but only traffic from the Russian Federation. And this opens a loophole for a simple and logical blocking bypass.

In principle, you can use any VPN service and any foreign server to bypass blocking. The best fit from our data centers Data center in London (Provided by Equinix).

▍ VPN templates

To install and configure a VPN server, you can use

ready-made from the marketplace

. Then configure your Android/iOS phone to connect to this server.

In this case, two images are suitable: VPN L2TP for Windows Server 2019 and StrongSwan IKEv2/IPSec for Debian 11. The latter was added a few months ago due to the growing demand for VPNs.

The corresponding templates are highlighted in the screenshot:

We already talked about these images in the last article “VPN with permissions…”

In short, VPN L2TP is a Windows Server 2019 template with RRAS and NPS roles installed. It allows you to connect to the VPN server immediately after installing the template. Completely changes the IP address of the connected person. Server management is available via RDP, as in other standard Windows Server templates.

The cost in the London data center is 1367₽ per month, 1094₽ if paid for a year in a standard configuration of 1 CPU 3.4 GHz, 3 GB RAM, 1 IP address and 20 GB HDD.

Alternatively, you can choose an image not through the marketplace, but through the server order menu, in the drop-down list. In this case, you can change its configuration or choose payment for resources instead of monthly:

A clean server with licensed Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019 or 2022 in the same configuration costs the same, that is, the installation of VPN for customers is free, as is the installation of other images.

StrongSwan IKEv2/IPSec is a more accessible image for Linux. It turns out to be a little more profitable, because under Linux there is a line of “Start” tariffs and the ability to choose a weaker and cheaper configuration than under Windows, including 1 GB of RAM instead of 3 GB.

The price of strongSwan in the same DC is 763₽ per month, 610₽ when paid for a year in a standard configuration of 1 CPU 3.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 1 IP address and 20 GB HDD. Three days to test the server is provided free of charge.

▍ Phone settings

▍ VPN L2TP

After installing the image

VPN L2TP

You get a ready and configured VPN server that you can connect to from any computer or phone.

▍ L2TP VPN for Windows 10

On a Windows 10 computer, you need to go to the VPN settings and add a new VPN connection. In the new window, specify the connection name, server address and password.

For full Windows 10 setup instructions, see

We customize Windows 10 because in many cases it is much more convenient to maintain communication with dozens of contacts through a desktop application tinder.com, and not from a mobile phone. Geolocation settings can be overridden at your discretion in the browser. For example, in Chrome, this is done in the “Sensors” panel in the “Developer settings”: here we specify the longitude and latitude for the desired coordinates or select a city from the installed templates:

As an option to override geolocation, you can use the Location Guard extension. There you can choose your location directly on the map.

▍ VPN L2TP for Android

On Android and iOS smartphones, the connection to the L2TP VPN server is configured as follows.

For Android:

1. Open the settings.
   
2. Under Connections and Sharing, under Network and Internet, select VPN or Networks and Connections. The corresponding item can be found through the search in the settings.
   
3. Click “Add VPN connection” or a similar option.
   
4. Select L2TP/IPSec PSK or L2TP connection type.
   
5. Enter the name of the VPN connection (any).
   
6. In the VPN Server field, enter the IP address or domain name of the VPN server. If necessary, you can activate additional settings and specify arbitrary DNS servers, DNS lookup domains and redirect addresses (forwarding routes).
   
7. In the “IPSec Shared Key” field, enter the secret word agreed in advance with the VPN provider.
   
8. Enter your username and password.
   
9. Click the “Save” or “Connect” button.
   
10. After saving the VPN profile, you will see it in the list of available connections. Click on it to establish a VPN connection.

Setting up a connection to an L2TP VPN server on iOS devices:

1. Open the settings.
   
2. Under General, select VPN or VPN and profiles.
   
3. Click Add VPN Configuration.
   
4. Select the L2TP connection type.
   
5. Enter a description of the VPN connection (any name).
   
6. In the Server field, enter the IP address or domain name of the VPN server.
   
7. In the Username and Password fields, enter the credentials from the VPN server.
   
8. In the “Secret” field, enter the secret word previously agreed with the VPN provider.
   
9. Click Save or Done.
   
10. After saving the VPN profile, it will appear in the list of available connections. Enable the VPN connection by clicking the switch next to its name.

After completing these steps, your Android or iOS device will be connected to the L2TP VPN server and Tinder will be up and running immediately.

▍ strongSwan

In the image from the marketplace, the application is installed

strongSwan

(an open and fast IPsec implementation), all the necessary dependencies and plugins, and a small web application to configure the system and get an account without going through SSH. You can download files through the web interface

sswan

and

mobileconfig

to import into the application

strongSwan VPN Client

for Android and iOS/MacOS, respectively.

After that, connect to your VPN at the address https://vps_ip_address:5000 under the same credentials we use for SSH. We enter this information into the mobile client – and you can access the Internet under reliable cryptographic protection, as well as bypass any blocking introduced on the geographical principle.

strongSwan VPN Client for Android

All. After some simple setup, our traffic goes through a secure channel in London, and Tinder’s servers don’t ask us any questions. Everything works except for paid accounts (you’ll have to use a foreign card or other hack to pay for Tinder).

Geolocation of Tinder users is done by GPS/WiFi, therefore the program will work as beforewith all the functions of finding pairs near your real coordinates.

Just kidding, now Russian Tinder has activated an automatic “intelligence filter”, that is, only those girls and boys who managed to turn on the VPN on their smartphone are displayed in the search for couples. It is clear that this is not a particularly high-intellectual task, but at least such a filter is better than none. At the very least, the potential partner has minimal technical skills.

According to Mediascope, in March 2023, Tinder entered the top 5 dating services for reaching Russian users with 1 million users. Probably, no more than half of them will remain now, but the quality of the material will improve.

Finally, we emphasize once again: using your VPN server is completely legal and does not contradict any legislation of the Russian Federation.

UPD. Access to Tinder is not blocked in Belarus.

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