Continue to slide while the date is only briefly on the toilet? Tinder is now being accused of total dating consumption. Hinge wants to make everything better. The dating app is now also available as a German app in German-speaking countries. It is said to have been one of the fastest growing apps in 2021 in the US, UK, and Australia.
Hinge follows the “designed to be removed” motto, so you want to get rid of users. This should be achieved through more interactions. “There are no rules, timers, or games on Hinge,” as Tinder and other dating apps have posted, “instead, there are real conversations over text, images, and audio.” Anyone who signs up for the app creates a profile. An algorithm must determine the most compatible matches. Potential dates can comment on each other’s so-called directions or photos. The prompts are meant to serve as an icebreaker for asking questions. What is really new is the possibility of exchanging voice messages.
Hinge promotes diversity
Another key aspect that aims to make the dating app different and better is the attempt to create a safe space for users. “Hinge wants to encourage its users to be themselves on every level,” the press release reads. Diversity is not only respected, but also celebrated. There are a variety of options in the profile to specify pronouns, sexual orientation, and non-binary gender. In total there should be 50 options for gender identity. This is probably the crucial point that differs from Tinder and other dating sites.
Checking in, Hinge asks if the singles have met and plan to meet again. This information is evaluated using machine learning, to better understand user preferences and make better suggestions accordingly. Hinge advertises using the Gale-Shapley algorithm, which or its developers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. However, not because the algorithm brings people together so well, but as a contribution to the theory of stable allocations and the design of certain markets. However, it is not clear what happens to the data collected.
Justin McLeod founded Hinge in 2012 and it was relaunched in 2016. The app has been available in Germany since May and now there’s a fresh start with a German version and a large-scale poster campaign. Hinge is part of the Match Group, just like Tinder, OKCupid, and Match.com. There is a free version and paid premium access.
(umw)
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