Hinge Lets You Add Astrological Signs and Pets to your Profile

Dating app Hinge announced that users can now add their astrological signs - as well as what kind of pet they have - to their dating app profiles.

Hinge is adding popular features that offer more insight into potential matches, and many singles want to know if their stars align. Astrological signs figure prominently into dating today, with dating apps noticing a surge of interest starting in 2020.

According to The Verge, the new astrology feature lets users add their main “sun” sign to their profiles, along with age and other important information. And while some zodiac-focused singles may only be interested in compatibility with certain signs, for the majority of singles, it provides a way to strike up conversation.

Hinge’s love and connection expert Moe Ari Brown said in a press release about the features: “For anyone looking for love, astrology can offer an insightful and fun way to explore commonalities and strengths that, when utilized well, can support building a lasting healthy relationship.”

Hinge surveyed its users prior to the launch of the new features and found that astrology in general is most popular with LGBTQ+ users, who are 86 percent more likely to add star signs to their profiles than heterosexual users. The company also found that a majority of its users are Virgos, and that Aquarius users were most likely to use voice prompts in their profiles, according to The Verge.

Hinge is not the first to add an astrological feature. This past summer, Bumble added a weekly Zodiac forecast that users could obtain through its platform.

How to use Hinge's Astrological and Pets Features

Image: Hinge

Hinge users also expressed interest in whether their matches have a pet, and what kind of pet it is. The company found that 61 percent of users say it’s a dealbreaker if a potential partner doesn’t get along with their pet. Hinge is allowing five choices that users can add to their profiles: dog, cat, bird, reptile, and fish.

Brown said of this feature in the press release: “For many people, their pet is a central part of their everyday lives and activities — they consider themselves a package deal with their pets.”

The new features are only part of Hinge’s new initiatives. The company also just announced it will be rolling out a new “Selfie Verification” feature, where users can opt to upload a video of themselves for the app to compare to the photos posted in the user’s profile to cut down on fake accounts. When Hinge verifies the photos match the person in the video, the profile is marked as verified.

The astrological and pet features are now available for all Hinge app users.