You might have noticed a new safety feature in the POF app… selfie verification! If you’re wondering what the heck this is, or why we’re excited about it, here’s everything you need to know:
What is Selfie Verification?
Selfie verification is a new feature we’re rolling out to keep our members feeling safe and comfortable on the app. It’s no secret that some people may not be who they say they are online. We’re trying to make it easier for all you real humans to verify you’re, well…real. Basically, you take a photo of your face when prompted in app, and then we can confirm it’s really you.
Why Should I Verify My Profile?
As much as verification helps us make sure you are who you say you are, the real benefit is for you and the people you’re chatting with. When you verify yourself, you’ll get a badge for your profile that tells anyone looking at it that your photos are real and you’ve taken the time to prove it. That means other members will feel more confident chatting and meeting up with you.
Why I'm I being asked to Selfie Verify my account?
We do this to ensure that an account user is who they say they are. Simply put, the more verified profiles there are, the more comfortable everyone will be, which just makes things better all around. We’re not saying you’ll have a better shot at finding your person… but we’re not not saying that. So we count it as a win-win
How Does Selfie Verification Work?
When you upload a primary profile picture (the main photo on your profile), the selfie verification feature will pop up for you to use. We need this photo first so we have something to compare your video selfie to. One thing to keep in mind is that if you change your primary profile photo, you'll have to quickly go through the steps again to re-verify with the new photo.
Here’s how to verify your profile:
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Head to your profile and under “My Account” tap “Manage Account” menu. From there, you’ll see an option to verify your profile. Once you hit the verify option you’ll be brought to the verification homepage.
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On the verification homepage, hit ‘Verify’ and you’ll be walked through a quick overview of our verification process. Hit ‘Continue,’ then give your consent on the next screen by hitting ‘Verify Me’. If you don’t have camera access enabled for the POF app you’ll be prompted to enable it.
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Once your camera access is good to go, you’ll see a video frame pop up. Focus the camera view on your face and center it in the frame. Hit the ‘Ready’ button when you’re ready to take your selfie video. You’ll see some cues on the screen to help optimize your pose and position. When you’re in the right spot, you’ll see the app take a quick scan of your face.
- The scan of your selfie then gets compared to your profile photo. This could take up to a minute, so hold tight while our system does its thing. If there’s a match between your video selfie and your profile photo, you'll see a screen that says "success!". This means that the photos matched, and we're working behind the scenes to officially add that verified check mark to your profile. Sit tight as this can take a few minutes!
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If we don’t get a match, you’ll probably have to try again. PS - Don’t worry about making yourself date ready for your verification. The scan of your video selfie only gets used to verify who you are and will never live on your profile (if you want to know more, you can check out our Selfie FAQ).
- You can remove your verified badge from your profile by deleting or changing your primary profile photo.
If you need any help verifying your profile, our Customer Success team is always on deck. The quickest way to get in touch with our team is by sending through a support ticket.