Hinge was launched overseas in 2011, but only reached Australia in 2015. The original premise of the app was very similar to other social dating apps where it integrated with Facebook and showed mutual friends, but Hinge only matched you with people that you were connected to via your social network.
It was almost like simulating old school dating well before internet dating where relationships were formed by people setting their friends up on blind dates with other singles they knew. Hinge believed that keeping the matching to just people who you knew, or to people who knew people you knew, that the matches would be higher quality and more likely to lead to relationships.
But fast forward to 2016 and Hinge has relaunched to respond to criticism of dating apps that they are promoting a hook up only culture. They have analysed the current social dating app market and they believe that 'swiping keeps you single'. Their research indicated that of the people on the apps looking for relationships, only 18% had found even one relationship. Their conclusion was that no service could stay in business with fewer than 1 in 5 customers having a successful experience.
Their new format is more focused on creating engaging profiles to reduce users treating other members just like a ‘playing card’ they flick to the left or right.
But has the relaunch worked?
Signing Up
Getting started is easy as you just need to connect your Facebook profile to the app and it imports details such as your hometown, relationship status, interests, education, workplace and photos to get your profile started.
You are then guided through the rest of the profile creation process completing info about your current location and what you are looking for in a relationship, details about yourself such as your height, your ethnicity, religious beliefs and some prompted questions for conversation starters.
The relaunched Hinge focuses on your Profile being ‘your story’. The question prompts encourage you to provide info that tells the story of your life. For example, explain your family in a nutshell, what’s the best advice your grandparents ever gave you, where would your next holiday be etc.
There are also more standard dating profile questions such as your reading, TV and music interests.
Members connect and start conversations with you by liking the photos and answers you add to your profile, so the more effort you put into this the better.
Your first 5 Facebook profile pics are automatically imported into your Hinge profile, but you can change these at any time.
Before relaunching, Hinge's research showed that users spent twice as long searching and swiping for matches that actually engaging and messaging with their matches. Hinge now hopes that users will linger longer on profiles to find good matches that they actually want to spend time chatting with.
After setting up our profile, Hinge suggests people for you to scroll through their profile to see if you could be a match.
Hinge will review what profiles you liked and use that to learn your tastes to suggest other members that you may be interested in, as well as basic preferences you set in your account settings on the age range and maximum distance away that you wish your matches to be.
When viewing profiles you can click the heart button on a photo or a question answer to show that you like it and add a comment to start a conversation with that person. This is private and only you and that person can view these likes and comments.
Once a conversation is started, you can continue to chat with that person in free text similar to txt messaging.
Sign up, creating profile, viewing member profiles, liking and commenting on other members photos and profile, messaging members
Fee based Services
Everything - after 3 month free trial expires
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Sign up, creating profile, viewing member profiles, liking and commenting on other members photos and profile, messaging members
Payment Options
Via Mobile Phone
The relaunched Hinge is a paid service and Hinge describes the payment as a Community fee that ensures everyone using the app is on the same page and is legitimately there to find a relationship. It also states that it allows the company to continue to build new features for the community.
At just $7 USD per month it is a very reasonable fee compared to other dating sites and you can take advantage of a 3-month free trial to test if the app is worth the investment first.
Unlike many other dating sites and app memberships though, Hinge is an opt-in service that they describe as ‘no catch’. At the end of your 3 month free trial you will be asked to opt-in rather than automatically being migrated to a paid account and there is no auto-renewal of their membership terms.
Payment is made via Apple iTunes or the Google Play store depending on your device.
Hinge is spot on the money with their insights into social dating apps having become a destination for hook ups and superficial dating based on profile pics only. We agree that swiping does keep you single if you are judging people on one picture before swiping left or right. There is definitely more involved to finding a match for a relationship, which is the singles market Hinge is now targeting exclusively, but the new Hinge doesn’t quite solve the problem.
Their new profile format is fun and it is great to engage with users by commenting on their profile pics and interests, but it is still just as easy to scroll quickly through a profile and judge someone just as quickly as other apps. This is probably not the app for you if you are looking for a long-term relationship.
FAQ
Facts
Is Hinge a good dating app?
Since the relaunch in October 16, Hinge's app is a lot slicker and more well presented that it used to be. They have improved the format of the profiles and added some good functionality to be able to interact with other members by liking their profile pics and adding comments to start a conversation with them. They have also repositioned themselves as an app for people seeking long-term relationships rather than hook ups. These factors help to make it one of the better apps, but of you are really seeking a relationship we would recommend a more traditional dating site or matchmaking service.
Is Hinge a hook-up app?
In our experience, on any dating site or app you will find a mix of people that are there to date or find a relationship, as well as people that are looking for more short-term encounters or hook-ups.
Hinge promotes itself as an app for people seeking long-term relationships though and in our test, the people we matched with appeared to be seeking relationships.
Usability
Does Hinge post to Facebook?
Hinge connects to your Facebook profile to understand your background, dating preferences and your interests. It will import your profile pics from Facebook as well, but it does not post back to Facebook on your profile or newsfeed, nor appear to your Facebook friends.
Is Hinge app free?
Since the relaunch in Oct 16 Hinge is now a paid dating service. However if you were previously a member, or are a new members, you can take advantage of a free three month trial.
Security
Is Hinge app safe?
Hinge is an app that has been around since 2011, has a high public profile and robust terms and conditions and privacy policies detailed on it’s website, so we believe it is a reputable and safe app to use.
Of course, always protect your personal information and privacy on any online dating site or app and consider your safety when organising to meet with people you’ve met online.
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