There’s nothing like the smell of a fresh Tinder ban in the morning. The ban always comes when you least expect it, and all your date leads instantly go down the drain. The worst part is all you’ll see is Tinder Error 40303, 40316, 5000 (and the lesser-seen 40120). They don’t even have the courtesy to tell you straight that you’ve been banned.
In today’s lesson, I’ll explain how to get unbanned from Tinder and other options you can use to get back in the Tinder game.
I’m assuming if you’re here right now, then you’ve been banned.
Don’t worry, I’ve been you on several occasions, and I’m still in the Tinder game.
How to Get Unbanned from Tinder
I’ve been banned several times on Tinder and have had my account successfully unbanned at least twice – who’s counting, right?
What you need to do once Tinder won’t let you log in is open a Tinder ban appeal with support.
Follow this link to go directly to the Tinder contact support page.
Once there, you’ll find the options to choose “Trouble with account login” first and “Can’t login, my account was banned” second.
At this point, you fill in the remaining sections of the form to explain why you should be unbanned.
Tip: Wait at least 24 hours after being banned to submit your appeal.
You have a better chance of getting your account back if you’re polite and a paying member.
After all, they don’t want to lose too much money since paying members are the people who often get banned.
If you’re not a paying member and sent dirty messages to girls, don’t expect to get your account back.
I’ve sent moderately naughty messages and got reported enough times to get banned.
Tinder allows users to self-police its dating app, which means if you rub enough people the wrong way, you are destined get banned.
Girls are quick to report men since Tinder basically urges its users to report profiles.
Keep in mind, the person reporting you doesn’t have to match with you to report you.
After you message Tinder support, the reps won’t immediately reply.
One of my mentors once advised me to “never send an email or message while you’re angry.”
This advice is especially useful when submitting your appeal.
On the occasions that I did get my account reinstated, it took at least several days.
Also, Tinder won’t tell you that you’ve been unbanned.
One time I waited a couple of months, and when I signed in, my account was magically back in business.
While waiting to find out if you’ll get your account back, it’s a good idea to open a temporary account with a phone number or alternate Facebook account. More on that below…
What are Tinder Error 40303 and other Tinder error codes?
Error 40303 and its variables are the worst messages you can get on Tinder.
It means you’ve been banned due to other users reporting you (one recent email I received, a girl noted that Tinder now removes photos and will ban you if you try to upload the same photo).
Later in the article, I give you tips on how to avoid getting banned in the first place and how to set up a new account without getting banned again.
As I already mentioned, the worst part is Tinder doesn’t tell you directly that you’ve been banned.
Instead, it hides behind its error codes that actually all mean the same thing.
What happens is once you try to log into Tinder after you’ve been banned, the app shoots you back to the sign-in screen.
It displays its error message and says “something went wrong.”
Yup, what’s gone wrong is that you’ve been kicked off Tinder.
I have no clue why they hide behind their messages, though, this type of activity does fall right in line with how they tend to treat paying customers.
Is there a 40303 Tinder fix?
The answer to this question is no.
The only fix is to appeal to Tinder support.
These days, it’s harder to get an account unbanned compared to a couple of years ago.
Once I got hit with my latest ban, I opened up a new account with a new phone number.
Alternate Solutions to Get Back on Tinder
One of the problems you may run into is getting around the Apple iPhone subscription.
Once you use an Apple ID to pay for Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold, Apple saves your login.
You can create a new account with your phone number, but then you can’t sign back up for Tinder Plus or Gold.
And as most men know, it’s a lot harder to score without at least a Plus subscription.
I don’t recommend paying extra for Gold.
I went months with a Tinder free subscription in Manila and still had success.
Eventually, I bought a cheap Huawei phone (not just for Tinder) and installed the Tinder app for Android.
This way, I could sign up for a new Tinder Plus subscription through the Google Play store. If you get banned on Android, you could always use an alternate iPhone to sign up through Apple. If you manage to get banned on both, you will need to appeal to Tinder or wait months before you can sign up for Tinder Plus again. OR use the workaround below.
It’s super easy to get fresh SIM cards around Asia, and since Tinder allows you to sign up with your phone number, you should take advantage of this option.
If you can’t get your hands on a fresh phone number to open a new account, there are ways to get SMS messages online to verify your account.
Although, Tinder periodically makes you sign in, which could lead to trouble with this method.
I’d seek out a friend or family member who isn’t using a phone number for Tinder and ask one of them if you can use theirs.
Trust me, I’ve had stretches of no Tinder due to getting banned at inopportune moments and had to get creative to get my account back.
Another solution is to use a private IP or proxy to create a new Facebook account. You can then get around the Apple ID situation by creating a fresh ID. I’ve used this method with success. Make sure to line up your IP addresses because if you cross-contaminate so to speak, Tinder could ban you again.
The main point is that it’s possible to get back on, but it’s hard to find posts online that give you instructions on how to do it.
Now you know exactly how to do it with the help of 199flags.
How to Avoid Getting Banned
The best way to get unbanned is to avoid getting banned in the first place.
Tinder has tightened up security by making it easier to report users, and the “no hookups” phenomenon has made girls quicker to report men than ever before.
Here are several tips to follow:
- Don’t mention anything political in your profile. Something as simple as writing that you support a politician or political party can lead to opposers reporting you.
- Avoid writing anything sexual or sexist in your profile
- Don’t post offensive photos or comments
- Avoid vulgar language or overtly cocky behavior
Here’s another important rule I follow:
Once you start chatting with a girl, and you want to heat up the conversation, get her number to chat on Whatsapp, Viber or Line.
Another option is to move the conversation to Instagram.
Once you begin chatting with her outside of the app, go back to Tinder and unmatch her before you say anything sexual.
This way, she can’t go back and report you if she doesn’t agree with what you have to say.
Once you unmatch her, your profile disappears from her phone and desktop account.
One last factor to consider is that if you’re fishing in the same pond with a new account, the girls who reported you before will see you again.
However, there is a way to get around this, listen closely:
- Once you have your new account set up, check the setting to hide your account in the Tinder settings screen
- Subscribe to Tinder Plus
- Go in your Tinder Plus settings and choose the option to only be shown to people you’ve liked
- Only like girls who you know for sure didn’t report you
- Mission accomplished
Uncheck “Show me on Tinder” setting
My Tinder Plus settings
Choose “Only People I’ve Liked” in “Control Who Sees You” in Plus settings
Final Thoughts
If you take the time to read this entire article, you can recover from Error 40303 and the other Tinder error codes no matter what the cause is.
I’ve laid out every possible scenario and solution.
Unless Tinder makes drastic changes, these solutions will work for years to come.
Final notes:
- If you’re using Tinder abroad, pick up a cheap SIM card and create a phone number account to protect your identity.
- Always consider everything you write before hitting send and move conversations to other chat apps as quickly as possible.
- Use the “Only People I’ve liked” option to your advantage.
Cheers and good luck.
If you still can’t figure out a fix, post your situation in the comments section (reopening soon), and I will do my best to help you.
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Hi, I am a Tinder user from China and I am a girl. I just used this app for a few days and this morning, I found myself banned by Tinder. It writes that my personal files violate certain regulations of Tinder. But the thing is I just write something about my personality, my job and my opinions towards finding an interesting and meaningful connection here. And it has been ok for a few days. What’s more, I just couldn’t find any way to convey this message to Tinder. Could you please tell me how to solve this problem? Thank you so much.
It sounds like you may have been reported, and Tinder banned you. Once they ban you, they don’t give you much of a chance to get back on using the same Facebook account or phone number. Is there any chance that a jealous ex-bf or another guy could have seen your profile and reported you? The only other things I can think of is if you wrote something political that could have offended someone. Did you post sexy photos? Or normal ones?
Your best chance to get back on is by creating a new account because Tinder is very unforgiving. You may also want to wait a few weeks and see if your account starts working again if you’ve already contacted them.
Best of luck 🙂 I know how annoying it can be to get banned for no reason. It’s happened to me too.
can i contact u in private?
very important,
thanx,
I
Sure, my contact email is at the bottom of the page, email me there.
I right swiped for a while and then noticed I got practically no matches I bought tinder plus but still not great I even bought boosts which helped but not a long term solution..
Question: I created a tinder account bought gold and a week later I got the “Check back later” notification with no cards loading. Fearing I tripped their alarms I deleted that account, made another with a separate email address and new FB account and reactivated Gold through “Restore Purchases” via itunes. You think the reactivation is now cross contaminated?
If you’re experiencing the same problem, it’s highly likely that it’s cross contamination. I once had that happen to me accidentally because my phone auto-restored the purchase. After the restore, my like rate dropped. Also, once they identify you as a paying member, they’ll lessen your exposure since they already know you’re paying.
Hi, I recently got my new phone yesterday and I got a new number sim card Google play account even email. As I tried to make a new tinder account with my new everything it somehow and I dont know how but told me that I’ve been banned from tinder due to being reported too many times and it was because of things I’d say in my bio but that was for my old account & I dont knows how it recognized me after i changed literally EVERYTHING & I just need you to help me get back my throne because I used to be Tinder King. ( :
I think they might have recently upgraded their system to include facial recognition, but I haven’t had time to confirm this quite yet. One thing I noticed is I have better luck starting a fresh account on IOS than Android. A fresh Apple ID seems to work better. Once I’ve created the fresh account with my iPhone, I move to Android after a few days. Now that they have your new phone number, you’ll have to try a new number.
Oh okay I see and yeah you have a point there because I was thinking about just asking a friend with an iPhone and who doesn’t have tinder to make me one on theirs and then I’ll just log in on my phone after it’s created on his phone. I truly appreciate your help my man!
Hello, even when making new acount with facebook, tinder asks to verify phone number. I have been banned for literally NO reason, tbh. So I guess, that is the end.. Thank you all. Goodbye.
Yes, it’s better to avoid Facebook altogether… if you can. And bans for no reason are very common since Tinder makes it easy for anyone to report you. You could always try Bumble if you have no desire to deal with Tinder. I know a lot of people are switching. Good luck!
I’ve banned due to unknown reasons. I’m a photographer and I had 3 pictures of me on there but i also had other pictures of female friends that i MYSELF took. and I have a feeling that a chick or maybe a few were just being haters and prob reported me? I never harassed anyone nor do i ever do so. I don’t press too hard for anything onto anyone..never said out of the world things to make others feel uncomfortable.. What do I do?
Yes, the haters are always out on Tinder. A lot of times, people get reported without knowing what they did “wrong.” It sounds like someone didn’t like the pictures of your female friends to me. Follow the guide in my Tinder shadow ban article to start a fresh account. Good luck!
Hello, have been using my tinder plus account for some months now, and just few days ago, I got a notification and when I clicked, it took me to a sign in page, I entered my number and the code sent to me, and when logging in I figured tinder had banned my account and I keep getting notifications, my fear is that if I create another account will I be able to restore purchase because I’m still getting notification from the banned account, they might said my purchase is tied to another account, please is there a solution on how to delete a tinder banned account?
Greetings David, deleting a banned Tinder account yourself is impossible since you can’t sign in. The only option is to email the Tinder team, but that’s not a good idea these days since they are very unforgiving. Your best bet is to start everything 100% fresh.
I’ve been able to restore purchases on new accounts before using multiple phones and new phone numbers, but they always catch up to me eventually with that method with a shadow ban. It’s better to create a new Apple ID or Google Play account with a new phone number. That’s why I recommend having a backup phone because creating a new ID on your primary phone is a hassle. Good luck!
I recently got banned. I am very concerned about trying to log in. I am going to try to make a new account.
I have another iPhone. New number. I have a new apple Id. New email and I will not turn wi-fi on. I will use different pics. Can I leave my first name the same for the profile page under the pic? Also, will facial recognition pic up my face in a different pic as I log in? Is there anything else I am needing to do? Thank you so much.
Hello Lindy, no problem, I’m glad to help.
To answer your questions:
Change your name slightly or use a new name such as your middle name (both have worked for me)
Use fresh pictures that look different than your previous ones (e.g. different haircut, wearing glasses/sunglasses)
Instead of turning wifi off, try to sign up over a different wifi connection than the one you used to sign up with your banned account. At a friend’s or family member’s house. Tinder links the IP address you use to sign up to your account so once you sign up on a different IP, you should be okay to use your home IP, but you can never be 100% certain. The reason I say this is that I’ve signed up using a cellular network instead of wifi, and it didn’t work properly until I connected to wifi. You can also unplug your home router for at least 5 minutes to get a new IP after you’ve already signed up over a different network.
The hardest part is avoiding the people who may have reported you that led to the ban
Good luck 🙂
Thank you so much.
just a few more questions if that is ok. Once my account is functioning ok, if I was to add pics without sunglasses that are newer would they be picked up? Also, does it matter if your phone account name is the same? What are the odds of the account not being flagged?
Finally something odd happened. I was just driving along, and received a tinder like, however, im banned and logged out? How could that happen?
Hey, no problem 🙂
I’m still not 100% sure if they have facial recognition, so I think you’re okay as long as the photos look different than before, even without sunglasses.
What do you mean by “phone account name”? Apple ID and Google play ID? If that’s what you mean, yes, they can pick that up, and it can lead to a shadowban with your new account.
The “odd thing” you mentioned has happened to me before with the like notification after being banned. I think it’s some kind of glitch in the system. People may still see your profile even though you’ve been banned. I call those ghost notifications. They can happen with a shadowban as well. Where Tinder tells you that you received a like or message, yet when you open the app, nothing is there.
Hey,
I have used tinder for around 2 years now and have been fairly successful on it. All the girls I have met from it, have either ended on good terms or I still talk to them regularly now. I never post any ‘sexual’ messages on tinder and my pictures are all of myself and are clean. My bio also just says the city that I live in and that’s it. This is why I’m so confused why I’ve been banned. There’s not a single reason why I can think as to why I’ve been banned.
Can you help advise me on this please? I’ve also submitted a support ticket with tinder a few days ago. One last thing, I’m also a tinder gold member. Thanks!
Sadly, your case is common. Here’s what happens. Tinder relies heavily on its self-policing system, which means you can get banned if someone reports you just once. What I’ve learned from all my years of Tindering is that it’s easy to get reported, even when you’ve done nothing wrong.
Secondly, Tinder doesn’t care about paying members because they can take your money with the no-refund policy and put the next standard member (potential sale) in line higher up in the stack. A support ticket most likely won’t work, but you can try to sign in again in a few weeks minimum to see if they reinstated you. They won’t tell you if they do, at least that was my case.
Cheat Codes is the best way to learn how to successfully Tinder in 2019 without getting banned and to get the most exposure. Good luck.
Hi there,
I got banned on Tinder for no reason. I was paid member there. Can u plz share the email id I can write to wht went n requesting them to unbanned me.
If I get new pH and new no, can I have another account.
And if I buy second hand phone n with new no, and he was also using Tinder. Would I be able to create an account, as i think it links account with device.
Plzz help….thanks in advance
I wouldn’t bother emailing them if you have access to a second-hand phone and new phone number. They don’t link the account to the device, but they can link to an existing Apple ID or Google Play account. I know this for sure because I started a new account a few weeks ago on my backup phone with a new #. The same phone had been banned, shadowbanned, you name it. I recommend purchasing Cheat Codes to avoid getting banned in the future.
Thanks for your help…
If I get new phone n use new sim, hope I will be able to create new account. Plz suggest if I need anything else too…
Earlier I was paid member there , can I use same credit card to buy subscription.
Even I feel most of people who had been banned were paid members. Do u feel not to become paid member is gud way to avoid ban. As I can’t afford all that procedure again if they block me again.
I have no idea how to use cheat codes n wht are they to avoid ban. Can u share any link for information.
guys( don’t knw for sure who they are but I assume as they are known to me , but I never swiped right them) who had earlier reported me, will also report again if they see me again. How could I escape from it.
Can anyone report, I mean irrespective of where I swiped them??
Can u plz help in this…. thanks!!!
1.) The post for a shadowban and how to make a fresh Tinder account will help you do it the right way
2.) You can use the same credit card, and I do think it’s a good idea to start as a standard member for at least the first 2-3 weeks (that’s what I do)
3.) The Cheat Codes is for men. You don’t need it 🙂
4.) Guys who reported you before can report you again. Anyone who sees your profile card can report you. The best way to avoid it is to buy Tinder Plus then select the option to only be shown to people you’ve swiped right on
So I didn’t know you can only have 1 acct linked to a phone # & started a new acct (w a different profile name). Hadn’t had it 15 mins, didn’t even upload any pics & decided to delete it. I was in the process of deleting it when the notification from Tinder popped up saying I was banned. I haven’t been a paying member, but I have had a Tinder acct since January 2018 & have never had any issues or been banned before. Now I want to appeal but can’t figure out how to message Tinder support. They say they can be contacted via email but there’s no email address to be found. Changing my # is not an option. Maybe starting another FB, but that’s stupid to have to do just because Tinder can’t provide an email for customer support. Help.
Hey Alison, try this link https://www.gotinder.com/help and be polite. Good luck!
Hi,
Thanks for your thoughtful and thorough writing here (and elsewhere on your site). I really appreciate it!
I’ve run into what I think might be a shadowban … but: I can’t tell! I can still message with my matches without a problem (ie. 2-way sending and replying) … but I haven’t gotten a new match in an unusually long while.
(To be clear, I definitely acknowledge that, maybe, my wavelength is just … off … lately … but it seems kinda curious as even Super Likes aren’t turning into matches anymore.)
Is it possible that my Elo score just got so, so low suddenly that I’m buried? Or could I be shadowbanned though still able to message old matches? Or do I just need a dang haircut?
Thanks again for your help & info,
Well, don’t get down on yourself! How many matches were you accustomed to getting before? It’s important to remember that there’s a massive amount of people on Tinder.
it was usually like 4 or 5 a week … so, for it to have, quite suddenly, gone to 0 for the past two or three weeks, i thought to myself … “hmm, i wonder.” do you think it could be a shadowban if i can still message?
thanks a ton,
– nick
Hey Nick, it’s really hard to tell in your case. Have you already swiped through everyone in your area?
hey, thanks again (and sorry if this comment posts twice). i think i’m going to try a Boost and see what happens.
my only hesitation is: this is a second account. i never purchased anything with my first account … but do you think Tinder might recognize the Apple ID, all the same?
thanks again,
In my opinion, Tinder only identifies the Apple ID once you make a purchase. A few months ago, I had an account immediately get shadowbanned because I got lazy and started it with an Android phone connected to a Google Play account I had previously used to make a purchase. Once I used an old iPhone with a fresh Apple ID, IP, and phone number, the account has worked fine, 100s of matches compared to 0 with a shadowban.
It’s quite obvious when a shadowban occurs, that’s why I’m hesitant to say whether it’s happened to you. A Boost is a good idea to test. If it fails, you may need to take a break and get back in the game again once some time has passed.
Hi there
I did everything suggested.
Used glasses, new phone email. Wifi Apple ID, name, new pic.
I have a few matches but not many. The ones I have I can message and one I know and they are getting my messages.
I did a boost and got a few likes in the circle.
I messaged with them.
I then changed location to Los Angeles for the night with tinder gold. Not a single person clicked on me.
The yellow flame is still there with +3
I heard if u are shadow banned that dissappears.
I’ve been live for ten days.
Do you think I’ve been shadow banned ?
Thanks a lot for your help.
It doesn’t sound like it, but I think there’s a new factor at play where it depends how much time you take off before creating a new account after you’ve been banned or shadowbanned. It also depends on how many people are using Tinder in your area, if you’re swiping in the same area (people will remember you), and level of competition. Also, LA is most likely highly competitive and changing location to there may lead to minimal exposure, if any, in an overnight timeframe.
Hi again :).
So I’ve been using my account without a lot of success. probably because my pic isn’t as good as my old one.
I used a different name, but I’ve seen several guys on there that would know me. I would prefer to just use “L”
Currently I have Lisa. To change my name do I have to do a whole new account? If my account is up and running will tinder punishing me for deleting it and doing a new one?
Also, what is the most obvious way to know you have been shadow banned as I don’t seem to have many matches at all?
One more thing. If you are shadow banned does the gold circle and the gold flame with the plus symbol disappear?
Hi, my account has been banned and I have no idea why. I contacted tinder support via email in a very polite manner and they said they are “not investigating any appeals at this time”. After signing in, my page shows “your account has been banned” with a caution triangle that has an exclamation mark inside it. There is no error 40303 message. Any ideas on my next move? I’d rather not make a new Facebook account or use a friends number just to get a new tinder account. Thanks
Read this post or get this book. Cheers.
Hello, I haven’t been able to log in into my Tinder account for the last two days. I’ve put my phone number but I never receive a code or anything ….why is that and how could I fix it? I didn’t insult anyone neither did anything…last guy I spoke with he gave me his Facebook but I simply said ‘ I don’t know you and won’t add you in there’ or something like that but that’s it. I don’t receive any messages when I try to log in …nothing happens and never receive the code.
What should I do? Should I wait a few days to give it a rest or any other solution?
I tried over my mum’s phone but doesn’t work either and never received any code.
Thanks in advance