What happens if I joined a dating site from a different region of the world in which I now reside?

I am currently a member of three dating sites. I joined all of them approximately one year ago. At that time, I was living in the U.K. As that was my country of residence, I never encountered any issues in terms of suggested matches and so forth. I have recently moved back to the States. When I log in to my account, all of the accounts display suggested matches from the U.S. My issue is that two of them continue to include suggested matches from the U.K. in addition to the U.S-based ones. Is this due to the fact that I registered on a U.K. version of the site? Should I open a new account creating a U.S. profile from scratch? What should I do?

The majority of online dating and hookup sites are accessible worldwide. While some focus on specific regions of the world, that usually does not limit users from registering from abroad.

The technology behind most modern dating sites will use some sort of geolocation feature to ascertain where you are logging in from. On desktop browser platforms, this will usually rely on your IP address. If you are accessing your account from a smartphone, this will most likely result in the site using your GPS information to determine where you are. In either case, the site will compensate for your location and add search results from your current location.

You must remember, that depending on the sites that are involved, some will also rely on specific search parameters that you selected in addition to your devices physical location. That can often result in a mixture of suggested matches — some from where you currently are, and some from where you used to live. This can be beneficial in situations when you are vacationing. However, in situations such as yours, when you have moved permanently, it is best to adjust the settings of your account to reflect your current location.

We would suggest that you first modify your profile information to reflect your current city of residence. Secondly, we would recommend reviewing the search parameters that you have set for desired matches and make certain that you have selected a search filter that limits search results to a short radius. Depending upon whether you live in a rural or metropolitan area, the ideal distance could be anywhere from five to 25 miles.

We hope this provides you with a functional roadmap to be able to continue enjoying your current dating sites. Welcome back to the States.