How to 'hack' Tinder in under two minutes so you can browse for matches anywhere in the world

This is how you fake the GPS Location on your phone to tell Tinder you're somewhere else!

Tinder should really be spelled T - R - O - U - B - L - E because one of these days that's what this popular dating app is going to get me into! I love Tinder. I can't help it. It's not that I'm browsing for hook-ups or dating partners or anything like that. I'm in a relationship. I'm happy. I just find it really entertaining to swipe through photos of real people. Some people spend all day looking at photos of cats. Personally, I'd rather look at photos of women. To each their own. No judging. I have a few friends who do the same thing as me, so I know I'm not totally alone in this behavior.

The trouble with Tinder of course is that in order to browse Tinder, you need to put yourself on Tinder. And with Tinder showing matches based on your preferences of sex, age and distance from your location — up to a max of 100 mile radius — it's highly possible that somebody you know will see you on Tinder. Depending on your relationship status... well... like I said... that could spell TROUBLE when you get spotted by somebody who doesn't think you should be on Tinder. For that reason, I've only ever fired up Tinder when I'm traveling and am far away from home and those odds of being recognized are minimal.

The quest of wanting to Tinder from home had me contemplating two solutions. The first solution was to setup a fake Facebook account. That seemed liked too much work though. Creating a new profile, adding photos, signing in and out all of the time as I juggled between my real and fake Facebook accounts. Too much work. And at that point, my Tinder-lurking would cross the line from guy's entertainment into creepiness. A fake persona may be an easy thing for some people to justify, but not for most people. The second solution, if possible, was more logical. I just needed to find a way to tell Tinder I was somewhere other than where I was. I needed to be traveling, without traveling. As it turns out, on Android it's easy to "hack" Tinder into thinking you're somewhere else! In under two minutes you can be traveling the Tinder-world without needing to pack a bag.

Mock Locations FTW!

Within the Developer Options settings on your Android phone's operating system, under the Debugging section there is an option that will allow you to enable Mock Locations, which third party apps can then take advantage of. Leveraging this functionality, you can you totally make Tinder think you're in another part of the world, thus enabling you to browse for potential matches from everywhere, regardless of where you are (and at the same time, not show up in results for local people around you).

Step 1: Head into Google Play, and download a GPS Faking app. I found a bunch of free ones. I triedFake GPS and it worked perfectly.

Step 2: Install the Fake GPS app. During the installation process you will be taken to the Dev Tools page on the Android OS, where you'll be prompted to enable Mock Locations.

Step 3: Open the Fake GPS app. Do a search for wherever in the world you want to be browsing Tinder. For example, type in South Beach, Florida. The map will load, and you can place the PIN on the exact location you that you'd like to tell Tinder you're at.

Step 4: Hit the "Play" button within the Fake GPS app. This will now enable the Fake GPS signal. As far as Tinder is concerned, that's now where you're located. The Fake GPS app makes it very clear that you have a Mock Location running. The icon is present at top of your home screen, and on the drop down notifications menu you will see your mock location coordinates.

Step 5: Open the Tinder App. The matches that begin loading will be from the GPS location you are faking. It's as easy as that. You can now change up your locations at will and browse for Tinder matches anywhere in the world.

I've confirmed this works - I can be sitting on my couch and browsing for Tinder matches on the other side of the world. Beyond Tinder-lurking, there are real benefits for "normal" Tinder users as well. For example, if you're living in a rural area a couple hours away from your nearest BIG CITY, you could use this functionality to help you extend your Tinder search beyond 100 miles. Or if you are a single, frequent flier and want to browse ahead for potential matches in that next city you're visiting, this tip will no doubt help you out.

Be careful not to get yourself into too much Tinder trouble!