Dating platforms Hinge and Meetic recently hosted internal hackathons, showcasing new ideas aimed at transforming in-app connections into meaningful real-world encounters.
Hinge’s event, themed “Build, Improve, Explore,” focused on integrating AI to enhance user experiences beyond the digital sphere. The top proposal, known as “Hinge IRL,” aims to facilitate spontaneous in-person meetups by suggesting activities aligned with users’ interests and schedules immediately after matching. This concept supports Hinge’s ongoing commitment to promoting real-life connections – evident in its broader initiatives that encourage users to “get off the app and foster platonic relationships” or otherwise alter the usual dating experience.
Across the continent, Meetic celebrated the tenth edition of its HackDays with a theme of breaking dating conventions. The winning prototype, “Resonance,” employs AI voice technology to match users based on tone and energy rather than traditional metrics. This approach focuses on triggering micro-conversations that can lead to deeper, authentic connections, and comes at a perfect time to capitalize on the growing popularity of voice notes and their related voice-based dating apps.
These innovations reflect a broader trend within dating platforms: a pivot toward combining AI-powered intelligence with real-world interaction. Hinge’s experiments – such as its “One More Hour” initiative, featuring grants to social groups fostering offline connections – demonstrate a coherent strategy to combat loneliness and emphasize in-person engagement.
According to Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff, a similar hackathon is on the way for Tinder. While details about this may have been feature on Hinge’s blog, the post appears to have been deleted for now, but it’s likely that the Tinder event will aim for similar results.
