Dating App Hinge Relaunches As the Relationship Finder App
Dating apps are designed to keep you single — or at least, that’s the philosophy Hinge (that dating app that links you up with Facebook friends of friends) is offering as the reason behind its complete revamp. The app is relaunching today as a “relationship app.” Translation: They’re now focused on getting you a relationship, not just a match.
For anyone who has spent hours wading through Tinder profiles in search of something more, this comes as welcome relief. Karen Fein, vice president of marketing at Hinge, told Brit + Cothat the app’s relaunch was inspired by an article entitled “Tinder and the Dawn of the Dating Apocalypse.” The article focused on the “gamification” of dating apps and the endless hole users fell into. More swipes, while they may have led to more hook-ups, did not equal more dates.
The new Hinge, Fein said, is “redesigned for relationships.” It still works on the same basic principles (the algorithm will link you up with people in your extended social network), but how users approach the experience is now vastly different. Instead of swiping, users set up Instagram-like profiles. They are invited to explore their matches’ interests and go deeper. A simple match is not the aim of the game here.
And in beta testing, the new approach already seemed to be working. There were five times more conversations sparked and seven times more numbers exchanged. The new app also saw a big increase in IRL meetings (kinda the whole point of dating apps, right?).
However, nothing worth having comes free: Membership to Hinge will now cost users $7/month. Paying for membership will make it easier to “meet people who want what you want,” Fein said, and keep out those who are more interested in hook-ups than relationships. (People who already had a Hinge account before today will be ushered in with three free months of membership.)
So now feel free to ghost ghosting, swipe left on swiping and even break up with hook-ups. For those looking for something more online: We may have just found your digital match.
Are you signing up for the new Hinge? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photos via Hinge)