Hinge Tests Limiting Unanswered Messages to Reduce Dating Burnout

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May 14, 2024, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hinge is leading the charge against dating burnout by testing Your Turn Limits, a feature designed to increase daters' focus on quality over quantity of matches by limiting unanswered messages. This first-of-its-kind feature encourages daters with eight or more people waiting for a response to either reply or end a conversation before they can start new connections.

Extinguishing Dating Burnout
In a recent study conducted by Hinge researchers, 44% of daters cite lack of responsiveness as a top dating challenge. Inspired by this insight, Hinge is testing a limit on the number of "Your Turn" messages a dater can have with the goal of setting up more dates with conversations that are heating up, and giving daters clarity with those that are cooling down. As a result, Hinge users with eight or more people waiting for their response will have a decision to make: reply, or end the chat in order to continue sending and receiving additional likes.

"With the launch of Your Turn Limits, we're testing a new way to help our users focus on quality over quantity – keeping intentionality at the core of their dating experience," said Justin McLeod, Founder and CEO of Hinge. "We've heard from daters how they're feeling overwhelmed, distracted, and, simply put, burnt out. To help alleviate these challenges and get people on more great dates, we're continuing to identify innovative solutions like Your Turn Limits."

Refocusing On Connections
Hinge's research found that focusing on fewer chats at a time leads to quicker responses, which increases the likelihood of dates. In 2023, Hinge matches where the first message was responded to within 24 hours were 72% more likely to result in a date.

Every feature we test is intended to get daters to a place where connections happen – on great dates," said Stéphane Taine, Chief Product Officer at Hinge. "In today's dating world, it's become far too normalized for people to send likes liberally and leave their conversations sitting, leading to feelings of dating burnout for people seeking relationships. With the Your Turn Limits test, we're encouraging daters to keep the momentum going with their current conversations or properly close out a conversation to give the person on the other side the closure they need to continue their dating journey."

As the dating app designed to be deleted, Hinge is continually exploring research-backed features to get people off of the app and out on great dates. In 2017, Hinge first introduced the 'Your Turn' feature as a way to remind daters when it's their turn to reply to someone and reduce accidental ghosting. In 2023, Hinge reorganized match lists to prioritize chats where the user needed to reply at the top of the screen, resulting in increased responsiveness. Your Turn Limits is an evolution of this feature, highlighting Hinge's commitment to introducing features that help people focus on building connections and improving their overall dating journey.

The Your Turn Limits test will kick off in select global markets this May. During this testing phase, Hinge will assess feedback and innovate on the feature, with the potential to bring it to even more daters later this year.

About Hinge
The Dating App Designed To Be Deleted^®: Hinge is on a mission to create a less lonely world by inspiring intimate, in-person connections. Through in-depth and personalized profiles, daters have unique conversations that get them off the app and out on great dates. And it's resonating. Hinge is setting up a date every two seconds. Hinge was acquired by Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) in 2018.

SOURCE Hinge Inc.