We Met

Hinge launched the feature on October 16, 2018, and the launch coverage (opens in a new window) called it the first time a dating app had measured success in the real world. In beta trials, the company said, 90 percent of members reported that their first dates were great, and 72 percent said they wanted a second.

The help page (opens in a new window) sets out the procedure. “A few days after exchanging phone numbers, we’ll ask you if you went on a date and if your date is the type of person you’d like to see again.” The other person is never shown the answer, which goes to the recommendations: “If you indicate that you don’t want a second date, we’ll consider that info when recommending new people to you.” The chief executive described a great date as the strongest signal the company could receive, because it meant the app had “gotten very close to your type of person.”

Under load, the question converts an evening into a rating of the inventory. One party scores the other, the other is not told, and the score adjusts what arrives next. The beta figures describe a market in which 90 percent of first dates were great and 28 percent of the people on them did not want a second. Both numbers came from the same respondents about the same evenings, and the app needed only the second to do its work.