Why am I seeing people outside my match preferences?
Quick answer: Your match preferences guide who we show you — they are not strict limits, so you will always see some members outside them.
- Preferences shape your results everywhere. They do not hard-filter them.
- Carousel is deliberately broader and includes members outside your preferences.
- Explore shows the members closest to you first and widens as you keep scrolling.
- Liked You shows anyone who liked your profile, whatever their distance or age.
- Search and SmartPick follow your preferences most closely, but they are still guided by them rather than limited to them.
- If few members fit your preferences, you will see more people outside them — and narrowing your preferences makes that happen sooner.
Preferences guide your results, they do not restrict them
Your match preferences, including distance and age, tell us the kind of people you want to meet. We use them to decide who to show you first and most often, but they are not strict filters — you will see some members outside them anywhere on Zoosk. This is what the Match Preferences screen means when it says your preferences are not strict.
Where you will notice it most
- Carousel is built to introduce you to members outside your selected preferences, so profiles there can be farther away or outside your age range. See What is Carousel and how do I use it?
- Explore orders results by distance. The members closest to you appear first, and as you keep scrolling you will see members who are farther away. See What is Explore and how do I use it?
- Liked You shows every member who has liked your profile. Anyone can like you, so these members do not have to match your preferences at all. See How does the Liked You tab work?
- Search and SmartPick follow your preferences most closely, but they are still guided by them rather than limited to them.
A smaller pool means more members outside your preferences
When there are not many members who fit your preferences — because your distance or age range is narrow, or because there are fewer members nearby — we show you people beyond those preferences rather than an empty screen.
This has a result that surprises people: narrowing your preferences can lead to seeing more members outside them, not fewer. A tighter range empties your pool faster. If your results look far away or off the mark, try widening your distance and age range — a bigger pool means more of what you actually asked for.
How to update your preferences
- Go to Search.
- Select Filters in the upper-left corner.
- Update Distance, Age Range, or any other preference.
- Return to Search — your changes apply immediately.
See How do I change my search filters?
If something still looks wrong
If your results are far outside anything you would expect, contact Customer Support with the preferences you have set, roughly how far outside them the profiles are, and whether you are on the app or the website.