Hinge has been the go-to app for serious swipers for a while now. Launched in 2015, the app was originally designed to deepen the experience of app-based dating, focusing on users’ long-form answers to questions and prompts rather than just on looks alone.
Hinge has been going strong for a few years, and in 2019 it was purchased by the Match Group, which is best known for Match.com.
The new owners have been making some changes at Hinge HQ, adding a new look and new features, including the Hinge Standouts feature. So, what are they and why should you care about them?
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What Are Hinge Standouts?
Standouts are the best of the best of Hinge. Or at least the best for you personally, whatever you’re looking for.
So what are Hinge Standouts? Your Standouts list is a curated list of the most popular Hinge users, filtered by your own likes, dislikes, and Dealbreakers. It can be reached from the app’s main page by clicking the star icon in the menu bar.
As it’s short and sweet, you can scroll through all ten of your Standouts easily without wasting half your day glued to your phone.
Well, that’s theoretically possible. But phones are just so hypnotic, I’m sure you’ll find some other app to stare at… and there’s always your main Discover feed too.
Your Standouts feed is updated daily with ten fresh users that Hinge feels are a perfect fit for you.
That means you get seventy standouts a week – surely even the pickiest dater would find someone they liked in a list of their seventy best matches?
Are Hinge Standouts Mutual?
Given that your Standouts are hand-picked by a wise Hinge algorithm based on your mutual dealbreakers, you might assume that if someone is a Standout for you then you’ll be in their Standouts tab too.
So are Hinge Standouts mutual? Not necessarily. Hinge has never confirmed that Standouts are mutual and if Hinge doesn’t value your profile highly enough then you won’t be chosen as a Standout for anyone – no matter how well-matched you might be.
That’s the key thing about Hinge Standouts – as well as being a good fit for what you’re looking for, they’re also some of the most popular Hinge users in the area.
If you want to slide into someone’s Standout feed then you’re going to need to level up your Hinge photos and get more attention before Hinge takes notice.
How Does Hinge Choose People For Standouts?
It might sound like Hinge Standouts are just a popularity contest. What the hell, I didn’t sign up on Hinge for the high school flashbacks! Let’s find out how Hinge Standouts work and how Hinge Standouts are chosen.
So how does Hinge choose people for Standouts? Standouts take profiles that are getting the most attention and then filters them for you based on mutual Dealbreakers and your recent activity.
Yup, your Standouts are chosen by… wait for it… an algorithm! This means that, essentially, some very smart data scientists and app developers got their heads together and worked out the best way to predict who swipers are going to like based on previous activity.
So, if you usually go for dark-haired beauties who love hiking, you’ll find a whole load of those in your Standouts.
Of course, I am neither a scientist nor an app developer and probably not smart enough to be either, so that’s a massively simplified explanation.
You won’t find just one type of user, whether based on looks, interests, or prompt answers, in your Standouts. The picks are based on thousands of data points and a variety of activities you’ve carried out on Hinge.
Hinge themselves claim that Standouts are picked for you from all the users with the best prompt answers. And if you’re wondering are Hinge Standouts active, my guess is that yes – Hinge picks active users as Standouts, too.
Why Are Hinge Standouts So Much Better?
While Hinge can probably see how other users are interacting with other users’ profiles it is also true that Standouts are… well… stone-cold hotties.
So why are Hinge Standouts so much better? Because they’re an above-average cross-section of Hinge users, chosen for popularity as well as compatibility.
Hinge doesn’t rank its users with an ELO system like Tinder. Instead, it pairs users based on the Gale-Shapely algorithm. But it still knows which profiles get the most attention.
And without being cynical, I’m pretty sure that tracks with hotness.
So, you won’t get any blindingly boring or empty profiles from those in Standouts, but if we’re realistic I don’t believe that it’s just being incredibly interesting that gets people included in the daily listings!
Are Hinge Standouts The Same For Everyone
Hinge Standouts are obviously the creme de la creme of Hinge users. So if you want to be like the cat that got the cream, you’re wondering if everyone’s seeing the same Standouts!
So are Hinge Standouts the same for everyone? No. The first criteria for someone to be a Standout is that they’re a popular Hinge profile, but the second is that you have matching Dealbreakers. Hinge also picks your Standouts based on your recent activity on the app.
There will be some overlap in Standouts because Hinge only picks profiles that are getting the most attention. But they are filtered based on your interests, so they’re not the same for everyone.
How Do You Know If You’re On Standouts On Hinge?
The dating app game can be hard on the ego sometimes. Wouldn’t it be a nice little confidence boost if you were someone’s Standout?
So how do you know if you’re on Standouts on Hinge? There’s no way to know for sure but since Standouts can only receive roses, if you’re getting roses instead of likes that’s a big clue.
I’m sure you’re a hopeless romantic but don’t stress over whether you’re getting enough roses on Hinge. Focus on your Hinge prompt answers and keep the conversation going with your matches and you’ll do fine.
Do Hinge Standouts Show Up In The Regular Feed?
I hear you. This just sounds like Hinge with extra steps and you’re wondering: can’t I just find these users anyway?
So do Hinge Standouts show up in the regular feed? No. Perplexingly, Standouts are removed from your normal feed and only available through the Standouts tab, at least while they’re in Standouts. Hinge says that Standout users may show up in your regular feed eventually, but there’s no guarantee.
There isn’t yet any information on whether this is permanent or time-limited, so we’ll just have to wait and see and I’ll update readers when I have the info myself.
Presumably, this is an individualized thing, as everyone’s feed is a little different anyway, so Mandy in London might be in your Standouts, yet she might also appear in your mate Jeff’s feed even though he’s sitting beside you.
Theoretically, this isn’t really a problem. It’s nice to have all your most likely picks in one place, and only negatively impacts the poor left-behinds in the normal Hinge feed. But that’s before we get onto the whole Roses thing…
What Are The Roses On Hinge?
Okay, so Standouts are a good idea and I get that the Match group needs to monetize Hinge. But really, roses? The heyday of the Bachelor was at least a decade ago.
So what are Roses on Hinge? Roses are upgraded Likes and they are the unit of currency on Standouts: you can’t send Likes to your Standouts, only Roses.
So a rose is the only way you can contact Mandy in London short of pushing Jeff over and grabbing his phone. But then you’ll have to masquerade as Jeff for the rest of your life!
You can’t like a Standout’s pictures or message them normally, you can only send the rose and then wait (I assume with bated breath, whatever that means) to see if they will get back to you.
And of course, that’s not so bad, it’s not much different to sending a like or a message (apart from the idea of sending a rose being inherently slightly embarrassing to most of Hinge’s Millennial and Gen Z user base).
Except that it is because after that first weekly rose you have to buy any additional roses you want to send and they ain’t cheap.
In fact, one rose costs $3.99, six cost $19.99, and 12 go for $29.99.
I’m not against paid features on a dating app, I know they have to make money, but that’s a little steep. But the other upside of Hinge Roses is that they jump you to the top of your potential match’s Likes You queue, making you much more likely to be seen.
When To Send Your Hinge Rose
The other issue with Roses is that your free one arrives on a Sunday, but you get new Standouts daily. So what are the possible scenarios?
You’re lying in your bed, hungover, eating pizza and swiping through Hinge and your new rose appears.
Screw it, you see someone cute, so you send off the rose. But the next day, with fresh, non-hungover eyes you’re much more interested in someone else and you’re out of roses!
Of course, you can buy a fresh one (and obviously this is what Hinge wants to happen) but you still feel a little stupid. And out of pocket.
Scenario two, you’re a person with self-control, you’re not even a bit hungover on Sunday when your rose appears.
No one is quite perfect all week, but then it’s Saturday night and your Standouts for that day really are not standing out for you, yet you can’t stop thinking about someone from Tuesday’s batch. Your rose can’t help you now, that person’s gone…
Hinge wants you to be in pickle number one, obviously, and maybe pickle number two will push you there in the future. But again, the price of Roses feels a little prohibitive to buying more and it would all feel a lot fairer if Standouts accumulated over the week or you got a couple of Roses to use!
How Do You Send A Like Instead Of A Rose In Standouts On Hinge?
Maybe you haven’t got $3.99 to splurge on virtual Roses. Maybe you’re just a cool customer who doesn’t want to seem over the top. Either way, Roses aren’t to everyone’s taste.
So how do you send a Like instead of a Rose in Standouts? You can’t. Your Standouts can only be contacted by sending a rose.
Since you only get one free rose every week, that’s essentially putting the majority of them behind a tiny paywall. A pay parapet, if you will.
Do People Know If You Send A Rose On Hinge?
Wait, there are roses on Hinge? Why aren’t I getting roses? Okay, maybe you’re not notified if you get one… or are you?
So do people know if you send a rose on Hinge? Yes. Not only will you jump to the front of their Likes You feed but you’ll also appear with a little rose icon rather than a like.
Well, Hinge says you’ll be at the top. But given that your Standouts are already popular profiles, they’re probably getting a few roses on the regular. So we can only say you’ll be somewhere near the top.
The Verdict On Hinge Standouts
Standouts feels like a good idea with a few creases to iron out. The Roses are just too expensive for an app used by younger people, especially with only one free per week.
This could be solved with more free Roses or a lower price per Rose. I mean, I’m the irresponsible Hinge user from Standouts scenario number one above.
I’m buying Roses if they’re 99 cents because that’s not even a dollar and therefore basically free? Maybe the Hinge scientists can check the working on that for me. Standouts themselves are great – from what I’ve seen they’re accurate, with every one of mine being someone I would swipe right on.
If you’re ready to start planting roses and letting love bloom, it’s a good time to fine-tune your Hinge profile. My completely free 6-Step Tinder Tune-Up works for every dating app profile and will take your Hinge prompts and pictures to the next level. Check it out!
