Hinge’s latest product rollout represents a big bet on quality over quantity.
The Match Group-owned dating giant is testing a new feature that requires singles with eight or more unanswered messages to either reply to a match or end a conversation before they can make any new connections. This means users with a backlog of conversations won’t be able to send new likes or accept matches from new suitors.
The update is the company’s latest attempt to reduce dating burnout, a complaint echoed more in recent years, causing some users to log off the apps entirely.
Users often feel like they match with someone and never hear from them again, CEO Justin McLeod tells Fast Company. “Oftentimes, that’s because some of our users are creating a lot of matches. And the more matches you have, the less likely you are to respond,” he says.
Hinge conducted a survey recently that found that 44% cite lack of responsiveness as a top dating challenge. Limiting the amount of open chats could cause users to set up more dates, or at least provide clarity to those whose conversations have fizzled out.
The limits on unanswered messages is a rolling test that will run across select markets in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. New markets will be added on an ongoing basis, a spokesperson says.
“We may see a decrease in matches, but we think we’re going to see an increase in conversations and responsiveness and create dates, which is ultimately our measure of success,” McLeod says.
The broader dating app industry has been in a period of transformation following the highs of the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed tons of daters to online meetups. These companies have since been struggling to recreate that same level of growth, and investors are losing interest.
Shares in Match Group, which also owns Tinder and OkCupid, as well as competitor Bumble, are down in the past year.
Still, Hinge has been a bright spot in Match’s portfolio. The company has well over 10 million monthly active users, it said in its first quarter earnings report, and anticipates more than half a billion dollars of direct revenue in 2024. Match Group expects it to become a $1 billion business, it said.
“On Hinge specifically, we’re still growing and we’re still seeing generally positive momentum,” McLeod says, “but we’re definitely still trying to make sure that we’re paying attention to users who are feeling pain points.”
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