Have you ever wondered how your dating apps work? How can these little apps help you find the love of your life with just a few clicks of a button? And are some dating apps with better algorithms than others, or are they all using the same computer system with a different layout?
We know that the algorithms that dating apps use are super successful, and they, more often than not, help all kinds of users find the type of love that they’ve spent years looking for, but there are very few people who know how these apps actually work, they just know that they do work.
Thankfully, most dating apps operate off of a fundamental algorithm. They match people up with other users who share their age or location. And when a user chooses to add extra search filters to their swipe deck, the dating app accommodates that.
But that’s all that dating apps can do, right? It’s not like these apps share the same algorithm as TikTok and have some superpower where they know exactly what kind of a person their users want to find, and they can bring that person right to their swipe deck, right?
If you have used an algorithm-driven dating app, you’ll know how accurate some of these apps can be when they’re providing potential matches for you. But is that all based on a person’s age and location? Surprisingly, no.
Each dating app takes a different approach to the matchmaking game, and we want to bracket them all down and let you take a peek behind the curtain and see all of the algorithms that are helping people find love online.
OkCupid
OkCupid is a dating app that’s been around for a while, so the app’s creators are experts in helping people find their perfect match online.
Users are asked to fill out as much of their personal information as possible when they sign up for OkCupid. There are over 4,000 questions that users can choose from, as well as several badges that they can add to their accounts to display their political beliefs.
OkCupid takes all of the information its users share and calculates a match percentage with other users on the app. Because users are asked to provide so much information, OkCupid successfully creates matches online.
Tinder
People who have used Tinder might be surprised to find that the dating app uses an algorithm, as it often feels like a free-for-all on the app. But the dating app didn’t just use any old algorithm; it used the Elo rating system on its app, which was created to rank chess players.
Tinder has moved on from the Elo system and now collects data from its users, meaning that the more you’re on Tinder, the more likely you are to find your perfect match as the app continues to take note of who you’re swiping left and right on and the standard features in all of those profiles.
Hinge
It’s no secret that the dating app that was designed to be deleted aahs one of the most advanced algorithms on the dating app scene. In fact, Hinge doesn’t just use the advanced search filters that it provides for its users, nor does the app only apply the non-negotiable that it encourages all of its users to fill out.
Instead, after applying all of the aforementioned filters, the dating app takes matchmaking one step further and applies an algorithm that’s based on game theory.
Hinde employs the Gale-Shapley algorithm, which means that the app puts people in groups of ten men and ten women and allows one user from one group to choose their preferred partner. Once that member has chosen, a rejected member of the opposite group chooses another option. This election process continues until the entire group is paired up.
Hinge doesn’t match people up based on the information the computer gleans from who people swipe on when they’re on the app. Instead, the app monitors what profiles people interact with and then matches them up with other profiles similar to the ones that pique their interest.
