Here’s How Hinge Makes Sure You’re Getting Active Matches

Dating apps can be tricky terrain. If you're using Hinge, you’re likely in search of some kind of romance, be it casual dating, hookups, or (what the app is best known for) a relationship. After all, Hinge calls itself the "dating app designed to be deleted.” Unfortunately, though, some people forget about the “delete” part even after they stop using the app. When you’re on the opposite end, it doesn’t feel great if you match with someone, feel fireworks, never hear from them, and don’t know why. Knowing whether people are active on the app can be a challenge, which might make you wonder: Does Hinge have read receipts?

As of now, Hinge does not have read receipts. The app does, however, have other ways of helping you find active matches. According to Jean-Marie McGrath, director of communications at Hinge, "75% of the people you see on Hinge were active in the last three days," which means that three out of four of the possible matches you’re given belong to people who actively use the app. Hinge also has a feature that notes "just joined" on users’ profiles to indicate if someone is new (and therefore likely active) on Hinge.

However, if you’re someone who checks the app often, chances are you’re going to come across an inactive profile at some point. Since Hinge matches never expire, it’s also possible that some of the people you’ve already matched with have since started dating someone else. That’s why the best way to figure out if a match is active (whether you just matched with them or matched with them months ago) is to shoot them a message. You should note, however, that even though you’ll receive a notification saying your message was sent, it doesn’t mean your match actually saw it.

In an effort to reduce ghosting, Hinge created the Your Turn notification, which provides a reminder to let you know you have a pending message you haven’t replied to yet. Once you send your message, your match will be prompted to read and respond — unless they aren’t actually active, that is. If you don’t receive a reply within three days, it’s probably safe to assume your match is either inactive or uninterested. Chats that remain inactive for 14 days get collapsed down into a Hidden Chats section, allowing you to focus on chats you’re invested in.

Hinge doesn’t have an "active" feature like Instagram (those little green dots by your name show users you're online), but there’s another way you can tell you whether an old match is active without having to wait for them to respond to a message. You can also look for any changes in their bio or photo selection (though this only works if you remember their bio and pics from before). If you no longer see the profile, this likely means the account has been deleted.

There’s no way to know with 100% accuracy whether someone is active on Hinge, but these tips can help you suss things out.

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Jean-Marie McGrath, director of communications at Hinge