Weirdly, Hinge actually began as a desktop application called ‘Secret Agent Cupid’. The aim? Connecting people who had mutual Facebook friends. In 2013, this became Hinge Dating, the app we all now know and (mostly) love.
Hinge was DC-focused early, with a launch party there in 2013. Maybe that’s why Pete Buttigieg met his husband on the app! Anyway, from 2017 The Match Group was some of Hinge’s biggest funders. This continued as the app gained popularity, and became ‘the app that’s designed to be deleted’.
In June 2018, the Match Group became a majority shareholder of Hinge. In 2019 they acquired 100% of the business. So, The Match Group owns Hinge Dating.
Who Are The Match Group?
The Match Group is a huge name in online dating! This behemoth of a dating corp owns:
- Tinder
- Match
- Meetic
- OkCupid
- Hinge
- Pairs
- PlentyOfFish
- OurTime
Among others. Basically, if a dating app is doing well, The Match Group is likely to take an interest in snapping it up. You probably all know how Tinder works, as well as OkCupid if you have been on the scene a while. The Match Group know what they’re doing with a dating app, so Hinge is probably in safe hands! Even if it has changed a bit in the last year or so.
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Was Hinge Owned By Facebook?
HInge was never owned by Facebook, but the apps did work in tandem. If you had mutual connections on Facebook, you were shown one another on Hinge. This was meant to inspire deeper connections, but in actual fact often led to awkward encounters (like flirting with a friend’s ex)!
The apps decoupled a couple of years ago, (and Facebook also tried their own less-than-successful dating service). Moral of the story? Maybe just meeting strangers is better than going on loose online connections.
All the same, Hinge’s other more personal features like prompts and mandatory photos have made the app a hit and it is one of the premium dating apps of 2023. You don’t need Facebook friends in common, but everyone likes a decently full profile and an algorithm so intelligent it can almost tell how hot you are.
Hinge works on the assumption that more info is good, so you have to include:
- Six photos
- The answers to three prompts
- A few filters for your potential matches
It may not seem like a lot, but it’s more than some apps ask for.
Who Founded Hinge?
Hinge was founded by Justin Mcleod, who openly admits he invented the app to solve his own dating problems!
He started with the unsuccessful desktop app Secret Agent Cupid and tried time and again to make something that worked before settling on an early version of Hinge in 2015.
Mcleod was fighting his own demons, overcoming addiction, and getting over a bad relationship, and he claims that is what pushed him to perfect Hinge.
Whatever his motivation, it worked eventually! People of all ages now love the app, and it is the seventh most popular dating app in the USA, with a 20% market share. It’s considered a little more serious than, say, Tinder, but still swiping fun!
It goes to show, perseverance pays off.
Final Thoughts
Hinge is a great option for online dating, whether you’re new to the whole thing or a seasoned pro. The necessity to fill out a profile with plenty of info means you get to know matches and makes swiping fun. That being said, you only get 8 swipes a day as a free user. If that puts you off (or you want something more niche) try out Dude Hack’s dating app quiz to see what fits your dating needs.
