Okay, I admit, the news isn’t that big because, yes, I have come off those dating apps many-a-despairing time before, but this time I have p r o p e r l y deleted my accounts (as opposed to just hiding my profile like the ever hopeful romantic idiot I am).
Before you get too excited; no, I’m not suddenly loved up or taken (the blog will live on, woo! Bless you for believing in me though), but I have found a new love of sorts, in the form of (new-ish) dating app: Hinge.
I was introduced to Hinge by my bestie and I’ve since introduced two more friends to it (Hinge should pay me commission, amirite?). Yes, the name is a little random, I’ll give you that but don’t knock it until you try it (only if you're single, obvs).
Honestly I’m not quite sure why it’s called Hinge, but what kind of name is Tinder or Bumble anyway? You’ll get over it and get used to it once you see how good it is…trust me, babes.
Its full name, I believe, is Hinge: The Relationship App, and they refer to themselves as ‘the dating app made for dating’, and wow, yes pls...gimme.
Tinder is and has always been a hook-up app - even my Mumma knows that. It’s the rare few that use Tinder to find a relationship, and those who do find love on Tinder usually weren’t actively seeking it. But anyway, like many people I’ve grown ridiculously bored of Tinder and the types of men I was coming across on there, so the thought of something new and refreshing that was aimed at relationships and actually dating, had my single heart feeling all optimistic. And it was right to be.
Here are the top reasons why I love and use Hinge, and why I think you should be on the hype too:
NO SWIPING
This was THE selling point for Tinder back in the day, and while it’s convenient and quick, people still misuse the feature. I know Tinder doesn’t allow for unlimited swipe rights (unless you pay?) for this exact reason but I also don’t like swiping because it's just too easy. Swiping is essentially based purely on someone’s appearance, and now that I’m after something a bit more than just the odd hook up, swiping alone won’t cut it.
Hinge encourages you to read someone’s profile and 'like' certain sections (such as the answer to a prompt – more on this below - or a specific picture). You don't even swipe to see more pictures. The profile page is laid out in a way that forces you to scroll down to see more pictures, in between these prompts I've mentioned. Before you know it, you've seen their whole profile, allowing you to make a better judgement and I am here for that. Patience is a virtue, even more so in the dating game.
NO BIO
Usually someone without a bio makes me run a mile (why should I bother getting to know you when you don’t know enough interesting stuff about yourself to fill a few characters? Either that or worse; you’re lazy, and I don’t care for a lazy man), but on Hinge the bio section is replaced with three prompts you have to answer about yourself. I think you have to complete these prompts in order to have a profile - it's not something you can skip, like so many do on Tinder or Bumble.
You still have a section to fill out the basics like height, occupation and whether or not you drink/smoke. But the main bulk of your profile is filled with short answers to prompts. These vary but include things like; what's the best gift you've ever received or given, what star sign are you, what's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done, and I feel from the answers of these prompts alone, I get a better sense of someone's personality.
THE PEOPLE
So far, the Tinder types haven’t migrated to Hinge, so it’s a good place to be in the earlier days if you’re actively seeking something a bit more than just a hook-up. I have had lots of decent conversations, ALL of which have started with more than just “hey” – we have the prompts to thank for that.
So far, I haven’t come across one person who has messaged inappropriately. Not one. To be fair my friend has had one “I’m horny, help me out bbz" message but just one. That’s a huge improvement on Tinder. The people I've spoken to seem to be...normal, for lack of a better word, and not time wasters, which is refreshing.
DESIGN/USABILITY
I can tell I’m getting old when the way an app looks and how easy it is to use affects my judgement on it (dies of embarrassment), but yeah, this is one of the main reasons I enjoy using Hinge. It’s has a sophisticated and modern feel to it, everything is where you would expect it to be, it doesn’t crash like Tinder (or was that just mine, and a sign from the universe that I should get off it?!), and the black and white colour theme is kinder on my eyes than the garish yellow of Bumble.
Essentially the app is easy to use which doesn't make reading messages or checking profiles a bore or chore. Every thing about it is just...right. And it's so refreshing to enjoy using a dating app after so long of online dating being, well, just a little bit shit.
Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a time and place for Tinder, just not for me right now. At the moment, Hinge has my full attention and I hope it grows and becomes more popular for those in the same situation as me.
Swiping is a thing of the past for me now, and who knows maybe I’ll be leaving Singleville sooner than I imagined, with the help of Hinge - probs not but a gal can dream, right?
Bx
The Boy Free Girl
