One of the most shocking things you can learn as an online dater is that dating apps, like Hinge, show a plethora of inactive profiles.

Wouldn’t it be smarter to erase inactive accounts from the face of the Earth to make way for active ones? It would surely be appreciated by Hinge users.

Well…turns out Hinge doesn’t do anything without your permission.

Yes. Hinge shows inactive profiles.

Hinge claims they don’t touch users’ accounts without their permission, so it’s up to them if they want to delete their accounts or not.

There are a couple of speculations as to why…

The first one is that, as I said, Hinge does not delete your account unless it’s given a reason (e.g., getting banned).

As for the other one…you know how some developers implement bots in their games to fill in the chairs?

Dating apps sometimes do the same thing: they keep the inactive profiles to make their platform more fun and interactive.

– You’re given a 2-year window to use your account

Cashing my two cents in, an inactive Hinge account is one that hasn’t been used anywhere from a few months to a year.

Hinge’s rules are different, however.

If your account has been inactive for more than 2 years, Hinge will assume you’ve moved on with your life and will delete it as a result.

So, yeah. It does keep inactive profiles until a certain point.

When does Hinge show your profile to other people?

Believe it or not, Hinge does not go around showing inactive profiles like they do active ones. Criteria must be filled.

1. When your account still exists.

I see many people confuse deleting the Hinge app for deleting their overall account, only to later on become confused as to why their profile is still visible to others!

If you don’t delete your Hinge account, your profile will still show up on people’s feeds. Doesn’t matter if you deleted the app itself.

2. When you’re someone’s exact match.

Technically speaking, if you’re someone’s exact dream match, who’s to say Hinge won’t cross your paths?

However, they first must reject the numerous OTHER people who also fit their standards.

3. There are no better matches.

On a not-so-cute note, with the people who are way too picky, you’ll notice they get recommended the next best thing.

In other words, if you’re one of the very few people on Hinge who possesses some of the things a fellow Hinge user is looking for, you best believe your profile will be shown.

4. You haven’t been AFK for long.

As we already established, if your inactivity hasn’t stretched past the 2-year mark, your profile may be shown to others.

Hinge is waiting for you to log in instead of rushing into deleting your account without your permission.

5. You live in a relatively small place.

People who live in smaller areas with a limited number of people may be more susceptible to seeing the same people over and over again.

If they want to find a match close to them, Hinge has no choice but to show them inactive users living nearby.

And when does Hinge stop showing inactive profiles?

In a nutshell, Hinge stops showing inactive profiles that have been properly deleted from Hinge.

1. If you’ve been banned or shadowbanned.

When Hinge deems a user unworthy of being on their platform due to their inappropriate behavior, they’ll get banned.

This means your account is taken away from you and invisible to other Hinge users.

If a dating app does not want you on their platform, they’ll take the proper measures to make your profile disappear for good.

2. If you deleted your Hinge account entirely.

If you deleted your Hinge account from your Settings and got a notification saying your account has been successfully deleted, Hinge won’t make your profile visible.

After all, Hinge cannot make you stay if you don’t want to!

– Can’t tell if a user is on Hinge? Check if they’re active.

Because Hinge occasionally shows inactive profiles, you need to be able to differentiate them from active ones.

This will help you realize if you’re wasting your time on someone who no longer uses Hinge…or on a partner who might be online dating.

• Active profiles have an “Active Now” or “Active Today” index.

Unlike Bumble which does not show you activity statuses, you can see if someone has been recently active on Hinge.

Just check their profile for an “Active Now” or “Active Today” status.

• Periodical updates on their profile.

If someone’s Hinge profile is always suspectable to changes (in terms of distance, images, prompts, etc.), they’re definitely active.

• Active Hinge users stay on top.

Whether they paid for Hinge X to stay there, or if they’re genuinely THAT impressive, this is a strong indication of an active Hinge account.

• They liked you first.

If you’re a Hinge + subscriber, you can see who likes you—this comes in handy for finding out who’s active or not.

– A kind tip: Please delete your Hinge account if you’re not using it…

If you’re no longer interested in gracing Hinge with your preference, you can delete your account.

Your Photo icon on the far right > Settings > Delete Account.

This way Hinge won’t show your profile, leading others to believe you’re an avid user.

Deleting your Hinge account in this context is quite beneficial.

Deleting your inactive Hinge account is smart because it might bring you potential issues in the future.

– You won’t be able to make a new Hinge account with the same info. You’re allowed one email and phone number per account.

– It might bring you trouble if you’re currently dating. What if your partner’s friend finds your Hinge profile and tells them? Not a good look for you.

– You’re confusing people. They won’t know if you’re still on Hinge or not.

– It’ll keep taking money out of your bank account if you’re a subscriber.

If you’re playing for Hinge + or Hinge X, your subscription won’t stop just because YOU stopped getting on Hinge.

If you can’t delete your account, contact Hinge Support.

Having difficulties deleting your Hinge account? Do you still see your profile? Hinge Support will help you with that.

Under ‘Please choose your issue below’, pick Hinge Support Center.

Put down your email, first/last name, and phone number on the corresponding boxes. After that, choose I think something is broken under ‘What can we help you with?’.

Under ‘Description’, describe how you can’t delete your Hinge account.

• Are you unsure if your Hinge account has been successfully deleted? You can reverse-search your images on SwindlerBuster to see if your Hinge profile shows up!

When push comes to shove, Hinge WILL delete your account.

What we learned today is that Hinge preserves your account only when no boundaries have been crossed. 

That is to say, you haven’t been banned or you didn’t delete your account yourself.

Otherwise, Hinge won’t get too mad if you’re inactive for a month or two as long as you don’t overdo it!