Hinge’s new Signals feature might be a sign to change your dating style

Dating app veterans who have struggled to find a romantic partner could be in luck: Hinge has released a new feature meant to show just how thoughtful you really are.

Jilted lovers could now be offered purple hearts for valor, as Hinge releases its new Signals feature.

Signals show how thoughtful a dater has been over a 30-day period and award them a purple heart, which is then displayed on their profile.

However, daters will have to jump through hoops to get this seal of approval, meaning that Hinge users might have to change their dating style if they want a purple heart.

The first thing users must do is complete a selfie verification, which verifies their identity so others know who they’re talking to.

Users will also need a properly established profile to help prospective lovers understand who they’re interacting with.

New Hinge users who have been on the platform for under a week will not be given a badge, even if they’ve been thoughtfully interacting with potential romantic partners.

Hinge users should also not violate trust and safety guidelines, and their profiles should “reflect behavior that supports a safe, authentic, and respectful community,” Hinge said.

This purple heart scheme seems to promote users who are willing to engage meaningfully with others, as liking profiles for looks alone, mass-liking profiles, and ghosting people won’t earn them their badge of honor.

Instead, if users like prospective partners mindfully, send comments, review their likes, message matches, and confirm dates, then they’re likely to be awarded a purple heart.

Signals badges can’t be purchased and are only given to those who follow the rules.

“When a dater’s Signals badge is active, it means their recent activity on Hinge reflects thoughtful participation and follow-through, and that their profile meets the baseline requirements for the feature,” says Hinge.

This new badge is a dynamic feature that changes based on user behavior, suggesting that Hinge will monitor users’ behavior in its app to determine whether they’re eligible.

While it’s dynamic and updates daily, the Signals feature doesn’t reflect users real time activity.

Hinge is sending mixed signals

As per Hinge’s Help Center, the Signals page was updated at the end of April, 2026.

However, the dating site released a blog post on May 18th, which presents itself as a “guide to dating without the pressure to be perfect.”

Hinge cites statistics which show that in 2026, the “desire for deep connection remains high,” but this comes with mounting “pressure to appear perfect.”

Research suggests that 63% of Gen Z daters feel pressure to appear “more put-together than they really are,” and many think that “they have to have it all figured out before they’re worthy of connection.”

In conversation with Logan Ury, the lead relationship scientist at Hinge, the dating site asked why letting go of perfection might actually lead to something more meaningful.

The desire for authenticity is paramount as “people are tired of the pressure to show up a certain way,” Ury told Hinge.

When a person is too polished, “there’s no edge or crack for someone else to grab onto,” which is why users should stop adding pictures of themselves as bridesmaids with “heavy eyeliner,” Ury added.

However, the Signals feature is arguably promoting a new type of perfectionism, where users need to adhere to a set of rules in order to show that they’re worth taking a chance on.

This feels counterintuitive, as users may begin projecting a certain version of themselves to ensure they get the purple heart.

Is my data safe on Hinge?

Hinge has previously suffered cybersecurity issues, allowing bad actors to conceal malware in profile pictures and prompts.

A security researcher showed just how Hinge could quietly be repurposed as a command-and-control (C2) server for malware, turning profile photos, prompts, and public APIs into a covert communications channel.

The proof was shared publicly on GitHub, demonstrating how an attacker could exploit Hinge’s infrastructure to store and retrieve malicious payloads by hiding data within user-uploaded images and profile content.

Hinge has also suffered through various cyberattacks. One alleged attack targeted Hinge’s parent company, Match Group.

The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen 10 million records, which included data samples revealing user IDs, transactions, IP addresses, and other sensitive information.

“Over 10 million records of Hinge, Match, and OkCupid usage data from Appsflyer and hundreds of internal documents,” the attackers claimed via their blog.

The answer to whether your data is safe with Hinge depends massively on what data you’re comfortable sharing with the app.

When signing up for any online service that collects sensitive data about your location or purchases (as Hinge does), you must be aware that any app or website could be a potential target.

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.