Hinge adds a way to mute requests containing words you specify

Hinge is adding a “Hidden Words” feature to its app, which will filter out likes with comments containing those phrases or words. It pretty much works like a mute filter on social media apps.

On Hinge, users can send a message when they like a profile — that message can contain any text. Rivals, such as Bumble, also introduced a similar feature called Compliments in 2022. Match Group-owned Hinge is trying to cut down on online harassment through those messages with this new ability to hide words.

If a like with a comment contains any of the words you added to the mute list, the profile doesn’t appear in your usual like list. Instead, it shows up in a separate “Hidden Likes” section. This is reminiscent of the message request inbox on Twitter/X or Instagram. You can review these comments or delete these requests directly.

Users can add words, phrases or emojis to their hidden words list. Hinge said users can add up to 1,000 hidden words to their profile.

Hinge’s Jeff Dunn told TechCrunch over a call that the company has been testing a bunch of features for its safety toolkit, and “Hidden Words” proved to be the first choice for a public release. Dunn hinted that this feature will have an expanded scope in the future and maybe even include filtering for chats.

“We have a roadmap for Hidden Words that involves expanding its abilities, flexibility and coverage. We are currently researching how we can improve the feature while also understanding what people want out of it with the first release,” he said.