Hinge Introduces 'Friend's Take' Feature for Dating Profiles

Dating app Hinge has launched a new feature called Friend's Take, enabling users to invite friends and family to contribute testimonials to their dating profiles. This digital extension of the "wingman" concept allows nominated individuals to provide feedback through text, photos, or videos, responding to prompts about shared memories or the user's best traits.

According to Ben Celebicic, Hinge’s chief product and tech officer, the feature aims to integrate the people who know users best directly into the profile creation process. "Friend’s Take makes room for those who are always alongside you as you date and gives potential matches a richer, more authentic sense of who someone is before they meet," Celebicic stated.

To utilize the feature, users can access an "Edit Profile" option within their Hinge account and generate a unique link to send to selected friends or family members. Up to 10 individuals can contribute testimonials, and they do not need to be Hinge users themselves. Each testimonial is limited to 150 characters, and the profile owner can select up to three contributions to display on their profile.

The introduction of Friend's Take is part of Hinge's broader strategy to appeal to younger demographics, particularly Gen Z, who have shown lower engagement with dating apps compared to millennials, often expressing a preference for more traditional dating methods. This move comes as the dating app industry sees shifts, with Bumble experiencing a decline in paid users and Match Group, Hinge's parent company, undergoing a rebrand to attract younger singles.

Hinge has previously introduced features such as "Date Ideas" for suggesting specific activities and a reward system for users demonstrating "thoughtful" behavior, like thoroughly reading profiles, who are then marked with a purple heart. These additions collectively underscore Hinge's focus on fostering genuine connections and providing a more authentic representation of users to potential matches.