Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, August 08 2025 @ 02:44 pm
Last modified on Friday, August 08 2025 @ 02:51 pm
Dating app Hinge is taking payment processing for its app into its own hands, and out of the control of the App Store.
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod was recently interviewed on the Decoder podcast and said the company would like to introduce the new payment system by the end of the year.
This is big news for dating apps, and for developers in general who have litigated to bypass the monopoly-like hold Apple and Google have on their payment platforms. To make their apps available on the iOS App Store for users to download, Hinge has had to agree to giving a percentage of every purchase made by its users to Apple.
With its own payment system, Hinge will be able to bypass Apple’s 30 percent commissions on purchases, which McLeod said “changes the equation” for Hinge “on many fronts,” according to The Verge. It will increase revenue by a significant margin, allowing Hinge to invest more in development and new features.
McLeod notes that it could also bring down the cost to consumers.
According to The Verge[*1] , McLeod told Decoder that the move “certainly gives us major opportunities to invest in the core product experience at a time when there’s massive disruption.”
Hinge was able to start developing its own payment system with the iOS app after the landmark ruling Epic Games v. Apple, which prevents Apple from taking fees on purchases made outside of its platform. Epic has its own payment platform and is trying to entice developers to switch to it. Stripe offers an option outside of Apple’s payment platform, too.
Match Group has long been a vocal critic of Apple’s App Store fees, although McLeod said in the interview that the stand-alone payment service Hinge will offer will only be for its app, instead of across other Match Group apps like Tinder, BLK and OkCupid, according to MSN[*2] .
But iOS users like the convenience of using Apple’s platform for payments. In a recent survey, consumers said they would have to see at least a 20 percent reduction in cost for them to switch to another payment method outside of the App Store’s environment, according to MSN.
Apple has become a trusted source for making payments, widely regarded as a secure system where people can easily cancel subscriptions. Plus, users are hesitant to share their financial information directly with individual apps and services, especially considering the likelihood of potential leaks of peoples’ personal data.
Spotify has already launched its own payment platform as an alternative to iOS, so as more notable companies offer their own, people might be more open to using.