Category: Hinge

Match Group’s Latest Acquisition Might Be A Response To Facebook Dating

Posted on June 26, 2018

Match group logo smallMARKETWATCH – June 22 – Hinge has grown popular among young adults because of its focus on "thoughtful" dating. The company brands itself as a relationship app at a time when many young daters are frustrated by the casualness of swipe-driven apps like Tinder. Hinge's product "is highly relevant particularly among urban, educated millennial women looking for relationships," said Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg. Facebook, meanwhile, has said that its forthcoming dating products will be about not just hookups, but "relationships too."

by Emily Bary
See full article at Marketwatch

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Match Group Acquires A Controlling Stake In Hinge

Posted on June 20, 2018

Match Group Hinge LogosBLOOMBERG – June 20 – Match will take a 51% stake with the option to buy the remaining shares over the next year. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Since the redesign in 2016, the app's user base quadrupled, according to Justin McLeod, CEO of Hinge. The company hasn't released concrete data about it user base, but Hinge is the fifth-highest grossing dating iPhone app, according to AppAnnie. Match Group first invested in Hinge in September 2017, taking a seat on it's board.

by Joshua Brustein
See full article at Bloomberg

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

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Hinge Is Ditching The Facebook Login

Posted on June 4, 2018

Hinge without fb screenshotsTECH CRUNCH – June 2 – The change will go into effect today (June 5th) Monday on Android, followed by a June 12th release on iOS. While the option to use Facebook won't be fully removed, users will instead be able to choose to authenticate using their phone number. Hinge isn't the first dating app to go this route. Bumble also recently said it was removing the Facebook requirement, in response to user feedback. Hinge doesn't believe the move away from Facebook will have an ill effect.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Dating Apps Tend To Connect Neighbors And Friends Of Friends

Posted on June 4, 2018

Clover logoBUSINESS INSIDER – June 1 – Dating apps are increasingly connecting people who live or work close by, have the same commute, or went to college together. Match.com data reveals that 69% of active users set their default distance – i.e. how far away a match can live – to five miles. Meanwhile, dating app Clover found that, in New York City, most matches happen between people from the same borough. Still, Hinge reports that less than half of users set a maximum distance, and of those who do, the average maximum distance is 25 miles.

by Shana Lebowitz
See full article at Business Insider

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Hinge Is Hiring An Anti-Retention Specialist To Get Users Off The App & Dating IRL

Posted on May 25, 2018

Hinge logo new 2016BUSTLE – May 25 – Hinge is hiring an Anti-Retention Specialist to get users off of their dating app and help turn more first dates into second dates. "In our eyes, the less time people spend on the app, the better," says Hinge's Director of Communications, Jean-Marie McGrath. Apparently 54% of people who delete the app Hinge currently delete it because they meet someone on Hinge – and Hinge wants to take that number to 80%. Anyone interested in the role needs to have a Ph.D. in sociology (or another related field).

by Lea Rose Emery
See full article at Bustle

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Facebook Dating Looks A Whole Lot Like Hinge

Posted on May 6, 2018

Facebook dating hinge screenshotsWIRED – May 4 – Facebook's matchmaking service, simply called Dating, most closely resembles Hinge. The demo version touted on stage by CEO Mark Zuckerberg looks nearly identical to Hinge. It doesn't have a Tinder-like "hot or not" swiping feature. Instead, users scroll through detailed profiles and post answers to questions on their profiles, like whether they prefer dogs or cats. And in the biggest similarity, singles on both services can start conversations not by saying hello but by commenting on a specific profile item. Hinge and Facebook Dating also share the same ethos. Zuckerberg stressed that Dating focuses on finding meaningful relationships. Hinge advertises itself the same way. "When the Hinge team saw the similarity between our designs, we congratulated each other. It's gratifying to have one of the world's biggest technology companies enter the dating space and draw so much inspiration from Hinge," said Tim MacGougan, Hinge's VP of product. Like most popular dating apps, Hinge also largely relies on Facebook data to operate. "Since the announcement, our team has been in touch with Facebook about what our relationship will look like moving forward," says MacGougan.

by Louise Matsakis
See full article at Wired

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It’s Time For Dating Apps To Move Away From Facebook Sign Ups

Posted on March 22, 2018

Facebook data breachMASHABLE – Mar 22 – Since news broke about Cambridge Analytica's "hijacking" of 50M Facebook users' data in a bid to influence the U.S. election, people are thinking about deleting Facebook. But deleting Facebook will also prevent them from accessing their existing Tinder account. They can sign up for Tinder using phone number. This will, however, create an entirely new profile. With Bumble, it's a little different. Bumble currently requires you to have a Facebook account in order to sign up for the app. But, if users deactivate their Facebook, they can still keep Bumble profile and access it as usual. That access will end, however, if they log out of Bumble. Bumble is less than a couple of weeks away from releasing an update that includes a non-Facebook login. User of The League would need to upgrade to a membership option if they want to cut ties with Facebook. Hinge also insists on users having a Facebook profile. far too many dating apps are tethered to Facebook. It's high time they offered users another way to sign up.

by Rachel Thompson
See full article at Mashable

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Online Personals Watch PR Rankings – The Sites That Got The Most Press In 2017

Posted on February 20, 2018

Press coverage 2017OPW – Feb 20 – Every year we take a look at who scored the most press summaries on Online Personals Watch. We look for top tier news and summarize what we think is most interesting to you, our audience of Internet dating industry leaders, app designers and marketers.

#1 Tinder (123 posts published on OPW last year)
#2 Bumble (48 posts)
#3 eHarmony (42)
#4 Match Group (41)
#5 Match (37)
#6 OKCupid (37)
#7 Grindr (34)
#8 Happn (22)
#9 The League (21)
#10 Matrimony.com (17)

Other companies that did well and got a solid press coverage last year were Hinge, The Meet Group, Zoosk, Hater, Matchpoool and Chappy.

See full article at Courtland Brooks blog

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Dating App Hinge Rolls Out A New Feature To Reduce ‘Ghosting’

Posted on December 21, 2017

Hinge_yourturnTECH CRUNCH – Dec 20 – Dating app Hinge is introducing its own take on how conversations on dating apps should be handled with a new feature calling "Your Turn." "Your Turn" lets users decide – regardless of gender – who makes the first move, and then reminds users when it's their turn to respond. Hinge says it tested the feature last week in London and Washington, D.C. and found that it decreased the number of matches that don't lead to a conversation by 25%.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Hinge Redesigned A Year Ago. Here Is The Impact

Posted on November 16, 2017

Hinge logo new 2016MONYEISH – Nov 15 – A year ago, Hinge redesigned its interface and rebranded itself a "relationship app." Instead of swiping, users are required to answer select prompts (sample Q: "most spontaneous thing I've done?") and like and comment on the responses and images of potential partners. Users get a restricted number of free daily matches, but paying $7 a month opens up more options. And now, Hinge has released data as to the redesign's impact. According to Hinge, downloads of the app have increased by 130% in the past year. Users are liking each other less but engagement after a match is up 50%. A large number of Hinge users now say they're looking for more than a quick fling.

by Katerina Ang
See full article at Moneyish

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team