Dating & Social Platforms

Hinge

Hinge is a dating app that's been trying to push back against the swipe-right hookup culture since its 2012 relaunch. Instead of endless swiping through photo after photo, Hinge prompts…

Founded 2012 · 14 years on market

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About Hinge

Hinge is a dating app that’s been trying to push back against the swipe-right hookup culture since its 2012 relaunch. Instead of endless swiping through photo after photo, Hinge prompts users to build detailed profiles with personality-revealing answers to conversation starters, the idea being that you’ll actually connect with someone you want to meet in real life. It’s literally branded as “the dating app designed to be deleted” because the whole point is to help you find a relationship and get off the app. Since Match Group acquired it in 2019, Hinge has become one of the fastest-growing dating apps in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, raking in $284 million in revenue by 2022. The app got a major PR boost when Pete Buttigieg revealed he met his husband on it. Hinge has also launched Hinge Labs to study what actually makes matches work, and keeps rolling out features like voice messaging to help people connect more authentically. As we’ve covered in our May dating appdates, Hinge continues experimenting with features like longform love stories to emphasize deeper connections over quick hookups.
Occasional coverageFirst covered
26 articles 2017–2026 Peak: 2023 (7)

Hinge

82%

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Privacy deep-dive

In summary

Hinge provides exceptionally transparent, well-organized privacy documentation with concrete retention periods and clear user rights, but relies on broad bundled consent for sensitive data and heavy sharing with Match Group affiliates and advertising partners. Its dispute resolution terms (mandatory arbitration, class waivers) and lack of adult-industry-specific protections like discreet billing or anonymity weigh against users.

  • Clear data categories disclosed (Section 3)
  • Concrete retention periods stated
  • GDPR rights and SCCs described
  • CCPA opt-out toggle provided
  • Face Data deleted within 30 days

Privacy Concerns

  • Medium Bundled 'consent by providing' for sensitive data rather than granular opt-in
  • Medium US activity may constitute 'selling'/'sharing' of personal data with only a toggle opt-out
  • Medium Mandatory binding arbitration with class action and jury trial waiversUnverified
  • Medium Account can be banned across affiliate services without explanation or refundUnverified
  • Medium Identity verification required, undermining user anonymity

Privacy Positives

  • High Impact Concrete, itemized retention periods disclosed
  • High Impact Self-service access, correction, deletion tools
  • Medium Impact Face Data deleted within 30 days
  • Medium Impact SCCs explained for cross-border transfers
  • Medium Impact Plain-language summaries throughout

Security Overview

100% Security

Security Headers

HTTPS Secure connection
Pass
HSTS HTTP Strict Transport Security
Pass
CSP Content Security Policy
Pass
X-Frame-Options Clickjacking protection
Fail
X-Content-Type MIME type sniffing protection
Pass
Referrer-Policy Controls referrer information
Pass
Permissions-Policy Browser feature controls
Pass
Mozilla Observatory Grade: A+ Scanned: June 4, 2026

From Their Privacy Policy

Direct excerpts from Hinge's published privacy policyVerified June 4, 2026

we keep transaction data for 10 years to comply with tax and accounting legal requirements, credit card information for the duration the user may challenge the transaction, and “traffic data” / logs for one year to comply with legal data retention obligations.

Concrete data retention windows

Face Data (if provided) is deleted within 30 days, unless continued retention is necessary to comply with an applicable legal obligation or to ensure the safety and security of our service and members

Biometric data handling

To opt out, please visit the “Your Privacy Choices” link in the footer of our website and in the Settings menu of the app and adjust the “Sale or Sharing of Personal Information” toggle accordingly.

CCPA opt-out mechanism