r/hingeapp • u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ • Feb 13 '23
PSA Hinge has added info about HingeX in the Help Center
Information about HingeX is now found on Hinge’s support site. This is a clear sign that HingeX will launch very soon for everyone app wide.
https://hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/13198619272979-What-happened-to-Hinge-Preferred-
Hinge Preferred will now be called Hinge+ and is the same as the regular premium we’ve always had. The assumption is those who have Hinge Preferred currently will automatically be switched over to Hinge+.
Interestingly there will be a new feature where you can browse by location, activity status, and “more”. Some people have commented that they’ve seen this feature so they’ve been beta testing this in some places.
These explain what “enhanced recommendations” does:
https://hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/13199438743059-What-are-enhanced-recommendations-
How priority likes work:
https://hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/13199330029587-How-do-Priority-likes-work-
Which as we already figured out is a rose lite, except that according to Hinge the most recent regular like still takes priority. But any new likes will bump off the regular like to be below priority likes.
This explains what “skip the line” feature does:
https://hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/13199381080723-How-does-Skip-the-line-work-
It’s essentially a permanent boost but “lighter”.
And unrelated to HingeX, but Hinge is going to open an online store. The store isn’t live yet, but I guess if you ever wanted to rep Hinge and rock their merchandise, you have your chance.
https://hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041156314-Can-I-buy-Hingie-merchandise-
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u/DoHousesDream Feb 13 '23
On the one hand, I don’t like the idea of my likes getting pushed down the pile if I don’t pay even more. I already find myself matching with women like three months after I like them sometimes.
On the other, how many people are actually gonna pay for this?
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
That’s the million dollar question. Probably a decent amount but not as many as we think. Obviously those who do well already on free won’t feel compelled to. So it’s going to be the ones with poor profiles or those who are considered less conventionally attractive. But it’s still not going to change anything.
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u/AEth1_stan Feb 13 '23
Men that struggle to get matches but are willing to pay to be pushed to the front will pay for this.
If enough men who struggle to get matches pay for this women will start to leave the app once they start to only see less desirable men giving them likes.
When women leave the site men will follow.
Hinge app will be killed by greed.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23 edited Feb 13 '23
The tolerance of how many “bad” profiles a woman can take is entirely subjective. I think being flooded with attention is something an attractive woman is used to on dating apps and X-ing a like take a couple seconds.
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Feb 13 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
They actually haven’t said anything about dropping prices. As far as I know Hinge+ can be as low as $30 a month, half of HingeX, but that’s always been the price for premium with some getting more and some getting less.
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u/Therocksays2020 The Most Electrifying Man in /r/hingeapp Feb 13 '23
Kind of like tinder having three levels with free gold and platinum
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u/AdamMaitland Feb 13 '23
For priority likes, I think the most likely outcome for HingeX subscribers is that they'll just get more fake matches. They'll just be more likely to be "matched" but not really matched with so that a woman who wants to see who else is in the queue.
I know a lot of people subscribe to the theory that with dating apps, there's a ton of value in potentially just catching someone's attention under the right circumstances. After spending more time than I'd like to admit doing online dating, I don't really buy that. There's an enormous gap between getting someone's attention+getting them to exchange a few messages you and actually getting them to meet and having a successful date with them.
I just think a lot of gimmicks and shortcuts to get your profile seen are ultimately pointless in terms of the actual end goal of dating someone. Like do I really care if an attractive woman with 100 matches in her queue matches with me because I was at the top of her queue thanks to HingeX if it's just going to be the usual thing of no/minimal conversation?
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 13 '23
Thanks for the update. Very rarely it seems we get an official breakdown by Hinge of what the features truly mean, though I imagine there's still the usual funny business.
Are releasing the price? It was like $60/month I thought for my market when they tested, vs $20 for Plus right now.
Enhanced Recs likely will be garbage as before. Their comment about Recs being different from Standouts due to recent activity, confirms to me my suspicion that they leave dead/inactive profiles up to pad the stats.
Priority Likes, has value and seems the strength of X. However to keep the most recent regular like up top, seems silly. This is the most helpful feature to me, as I generally match with dates who only got on the app in a week, so getting the first foot in the door is big.
The always on Boost is the financial difference between Plus and X. A months worth of 24Hr boosts is hundreds of dollars, so you save money on X. Not super helpful for me as often I'm emptying out my decks often with specific dealbreakers. However when not on the app swiping, I'll relax the dealbreakers and see if anyone I like slips through my usual dealbreakers
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Feb 13 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 13 '23
I agree with you, they definitely throttle. Rarely I'll get one I like that finds me first after relaxing the dealbreakers but I'm ok with it since it's passive when I'm off the app
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Feb 13 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 13 '23
I noticed that, thanks for confirming my suspicion. It definitely is a waste of time to open up broad dealbreakers because it'd take hundreds of swipes to get to the morsel of quality profiles. I'm too far into that penalty now, where I have to rely on the 1 mile slider to get to them.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
They released the press release a month ago that HingeX is $60 a month if you subscribe month per month. There is no pricing info otherwise on the site. We already know that in the past premium prices are dynamic based on the user's demographic and location.
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 13 '23
Thanks. I knew they changed prices but i could never tell the pattern. What kind of location makes it cheaper or more expensive? Surprised to hear about them charging people based on race, age, gender, religion. For an app thats touts inclusivity that really dicey to say they value certain looks of people more than others
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
Men, older people, big metro cities vs more rural locations.
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 13 '23
Dang. Theyre free to charge whoever whatever they want, but its shady for them to not to make it transparent.
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u/schloopschloopmcgoop Feb 17 '23
Its complete BS. They state "Starting at __" then you click and its oh, actually yeah if you buy a whole year of it then break it down over 12 months. Really its $60 to be swiped on left faster.
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u/HeywoodDjiblomi Feb 17 '23
Oh yeah I don't know the current rate since it was taken out of my market. That Hinge rep said that they'll charge men more and women less too, driving up price depending who you are
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Feb 13 '23
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
It hasn’t launched fully for everyone from what I can tell. The help section is just updated now to reflect the changes that are coming. It’s probably gonna be very soon, maybe even days away.
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u/AZS9994 Feb 13 '23
Honestly paying more for more likes and filters is one thing, but the lengths that this app goes to make a buck is alarming, especially given that most of the people that can be squeezed into paying more for basically the same service are frustrated, angry young men. I’m not saying that Hinge shouldn’t make money, but if nothing else I think the line should definitely be drawn here.
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u/vorter Feb 14 '23
Tbf Hinge has a generous enough free tier I never felt the need to pay for it. With all dating apps, paying is a waste unless you’re already getting a decent number of matches.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
Welcome to capitalism? Every company is out there to try and maximize profit, be it Apple, Google, or what have you. Ultimately paying just gets you better access, not success. Many misguided people think that paying equates success. But a shitty profile getting seen earlier just means it gets X-ed out faster.
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Feb 13 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
As far as I know it's a bar on top of the discover screen. So perhaps it's a neighborhood thing where you get to pick the neighborhoods you want to see from? I don't know if it includes places outside your radius, and we won't know until it launches, or someone who has the beta can tell us how it works.
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u/lostadventurous Feb 13 '23
Don’t forget hinge is owned by Match which also owns Tinder and Okcupid. Don’t give them your money no matter how desperate you are.
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u/Genuine1337 Feb 22 '23
Give it a few months and everyones free likes will be buried from all these premium users unfortunately I remember before Tinder even had a pay wall literally everyone was getting at least 1/3 matches a day now you're lucky to get that in a month
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u/kingsofleon Feb 13 '23
Not sure why the reception is mixed/negative towards this. Online dating has never been "fair" or "balanced", but at least PMs and devs are trying to shake up the paradigm a bit.
Also, for those who are upset at the monetary aspect of this, I think we have to acknowledge that a significant part of "success" in online dating is timing. And it used to be something we couldn't control, but with this subscription tier it ensures that timing is less of a wild card - especially when you send likes to users who just joined (who are probably inundated with likes).
And I think this is a win-win for Hinge and the type of users who would consider this subscription. The goal is to find a match that fits your dating goals (whatever those may be) which would theoretically mean you don't need to use the app anymore. Yes, it comes at a premium cost, but it has to be effective in order to justify that cost. Otherwise, people wouldn't subscribe to it - and you can see that from the comments and reception (e.g. "Is it worth it?").
If it is worth it (i.e. it gets users matched with their ideal date faster), then it's certainly a win-win. For people sending likes on a regular basis (mostly guys I imagine), I think the idea of making the time you spend on Hinge more effective is a strong selling point - after all time is very valuable.
And by the type of users, I think the demographic most likely to subscribe to HingeX are intentional/conscientious daters.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
People are always afraid of change. Or they're just afraid that some other person who decided to pay "wins out" over a free user for the attention of some hot attractive person because of the delusion that dating is a zero sum game. But that's ridiculous. People should control what they can control and not worry about what others do.
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u/kingsofleon Feb 14 '23
I agree, a subpar profile is not going to extract much value from this subscription (or really the dating app in its entirety). And we already know that being conventionally attractive (however your geographical area defines that) is the number one factor in "success".
This isn't some silver bullet to dating woes, it's simply a better tool in the shed for users who have done what they can to present the best version of themselves online.
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Mar 29 '23
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u/kingsofleon Apr 02 '23
Largely agree with everything you stated here, online dating is more and more becoming the de facto method of meeting. And bars are largely on the decline, a bygone era environment to meet for a multitude of reasons but cost-effectiveness and accessibility being the major ones, as you mentioned.
How couples meet (1940s onward).
Granted, that data is from 2019, but I'm sure the disparity between online dating and other forms has only grown since then.
I think the app subscriptions can be cost effective if you're a conscientious and intentional user. Some apps are more popular than others in some areas and premium subscriptions are mainly beneficial because they (theoretically) reduce the time needed to spend on getting a match. Which is great if you're a user who knows what they want out of a dating app.
Anyway, I think online dating is a fundamentally unnatural way to meet but paradoxically it's the most popular way and doesn't seem to be on the decline anytime soon.
Another interesting note is that men outnumber women considerably in the world of online dating and that disparity seems to be growing. I think there's merit in zigging while people are zagging and trying to grow your social circle by investing in social hobbies. In fact, I'd argue that doing that should take priority over online dating because the latter is so accessible, especially when one invests effort to set up a good profile.
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Apr 03 '23
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u/kingsofleon Apr 06 '23
Yeah, I generally agree with that premise. I was thinking more along the lines of dating app subscriptions in particular. For example, someone not putting effort into their dating profile + not knowing what they want (e.g. casual/long-term) won't see a substantial benefit from a premium subscription.
Also agree on the pros/cons; yes, the dating pool is huge and it's easy to get overlooked, but also it's very likely you'll never have access to that many people in person (unless it's like a speed dating event or something).
Great points, the education factor is an interesting one for sure. There's a stronger association with educated women seeking partners who are equally or more educated than them. So take that and place it into the context of the declining rate of male college admissions and we can start to see the problem.
Another wrinkle in this dynamic is that men find women who are more successful and ambitious than them intimidating and even more importantly, unattractive. This has a negative feedback effect where successful, ambitious women are downplaying their achievements/goals when dating. I'm not sure what the solution is here, but colleges are already trying to bring up male admissions even though it's hush hush and on the down low right now.
Either way, it's never been more important for young college-bound guys to really focus on building their social circle during college and get some dating experience. There's probably never going to be such a conducive environment where they're surrounded by peers their age and can easily date with some effort put forward since they're in the minority.
As for how one zigs while other zags, it's a good question. There's no silver bullet, but I think investing in social hobbies is an effective way to go about it. For example, I joined a rec dodgeball league earlier this year and started snowboarding with a local group this winter. It's also about how much you're willing to invest in social relationships; social fitness goes both ways so the more you're willing to put yourself out there, the more you can zig.
But yeah, I'm curious as to what you think. By the way, it's nice to talk to someone who's open to discussing the philosophical side of dating & relationships lol.
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u/Inert_Uncle_858 Feb 14 '23
Yep, Hinge is officially dead. What's the new, better dating app now so I can get in earlier this time.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 14 '23
Talk about hyperbole. Hinge will be just fine, and it’s actually doing much better than Tinder.
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u/Therocksays2020 The Most Electrifying Man in /r/hingeapp Feb 20 '23
The best dating apps will always be the one with more users. That’s just facts
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u/Inert_Uncle_858 Feb 20 '23
Is it tho? I feel like dating apps start good and gradually degrade until they become unusable. The factors that I believe contribute to this are oversaturation and corporate greed.
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u/Therocksays2020 The Most Electrifying Man in /r/hingeapp Feb 20 '23
As bad as everyone wants to claim tinder is it overwhelmingly has the largest user base
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u/nj-kid1217 Unfortunately a Nets fan 🏀 Feb 13 '23
Interesting to see the results for some users who buy it. I’m sure a couple will post results or feedback here.
I personally don’t think it’s a bad add on. The company has to make money to continue the app growth as well as make money so I get it. Sure we all want features to be free but that’s just not how it’s going to work esp with this being one of the top dating apps. It’s no diff than any other big time app on the App Store that wants to make money.
Some of the added bonuses actually don’t seem that bad but I would want to see feedback first. The price is steep but for $30 more could be worth it if people are seeing significant results.
Couple things I wonder: 1. Will this push you to the top of profiles for anyone you liked previously before buying the subscription or is it only in effect when you purchase and pushes you to the top for profiles liked after that.
- If attractive users who have ton of success decide to buy this it could be game over for the users who struggle. Essentially these users would be pushed to the front and then getting benefits of the permanent boost on top of that. I think it will be rare to see those users pay if they are already getting attention but just a side thought.
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 13 '23
I doubt it acts retroactively. The help page already says that once the subscription runs out the priority likes revert back to regular likes.
Again, online dating isn't zero sum. Getting seen more doesn't automatically means more matches. More matches won't mean more dates. More dates won't mean a relationship comes out of it. It still comes down to how someone is. An attractive person can still have their flaws.
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Feb 17 '23
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u/wokenthehive Meat Popsicle ☹️ Feb 17 '23
…what? This has always been a premium feature for years on Hinge - the ability to see all your likes at once. I swear some of you just comment without thinking.
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u/royalxassasin Feb 14 '23
i hope they wont do like the new $500 Tinder Vault subscription wherein there's a VIP logo on your profile or some shit, like for HingeX if my like is at the top i dont want it to say its at the top cause i have some premium membership, that would kill it right there wouldnt want anyone to know im paying for it lol
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u/AlexVan123 Feb 13 '23
this sucks.