New Hinge Feature Lets Users Share Information Privately

Hinge has launched a new feature called Match Notes, which allows users to privately share details about themselves that they don’t want to post to their public profiles.

Match Notes instead allows users to share these details only with their potential matches, including important information like if they are non-monogamous, sober, have a disability, or are recently out, according to Mashable.

Now when a user updates their settings, they can add the Match Note, which appears only to users they match with. According to Mashable, If someone has added a Match note, another user must acknowledge it in order to actually match (or they can also choose to not match with the person). The Match Note is automatically shared when two people Like each other (or in other words, when they officially match).

How Match Notes Work

Image: Hinge

The new feature was inspired by conversations Hinge employees had with inclusive organizations, like TransTech Social Enterprises and Disability: IN, according to Mashable. Many young singles were looking for ways of sharing important information about themselves with people they were interested in, but were not so keen to add it to their public profiles where anyone could see and potentially harass them over the app.

In fact, Hinge tested Match Notes before launching and found that 68 percent said the feature “improved their ability to determine compatibility with matches,” according to Mashable. And 66 percent said the feature improves their ability to be more authentic with others on the app.

Hinge remains a bright spot in Match Grorup’s portfolio, even as Tinder, its most popular app, continues to see a decline in users and revenue. The app recently named former CMO Jackie Jantos to the role of President, so founder and CEO Justin McLeod could focus on long-term strategy for the app.

Jantos created the app’s Designed to Be Deleted campaign - and updated it this year with a new set of seven real-life couples’ stories of how they met on the app, dubbed “It’s Funny We Met on Hinge.”

Hinge’s marketing also leans heavily on influencers, since its target Gen Z demographic tends to look to social media influencers for news, products and other information, rather than relying on traditional sources like news outlets or ads.

Jantos joined Hinge in 2021 from Dashlane, and prior to this, had worked with Spotify, Coca-Cola and Ogilvy & Mather.

Hinge has also leaned into AI for developing new features, including Prompt Feedback, where users are encouraged to write more engaging and original answers to other users’ prompts to help them get more matches.