Hinge quietly shuts down its pandemic-era audio and video calling feature

Hinge quietly sunsetted its in-app audio and video calling feature, ending a pandemic-era relic that was meant to keep daters online and connected during lockdown.

“After much consideration, Hinge has decided to remove the Voice and Video Calling feature from the platform,” the company said in an undated post on its help center. “While we continue to look for ways to improve the app, consider trying voice notes or messaging with your match to get to know them further.”

A spokesperson said audio and video chat were introduced early in the pandemic to help daters connect face-to-face. It’s now focusing on meeting safely in-person.

Dating apps like Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder turned to audio and video features as the COVID-19 pandemic kept users isolated. After vaccines were made more widely available and shelter-in-place restrictions were lifted, many users switched from the fledgling feature in favor of in-person dates. It’s not clear how many users actually used video dating at its peak, but the companies were extremely bullish at the time of the offerings.

Now, dating apps appear to be focused on growing more authentic connections through new features including games and profile videos and the rise in artificial intelligence. (To be clear, Hinge is not doing away with its video prompt feature, which allows users to add short clips to their profiles.)

Bumble is still offering its audio calls and video chats. A Tinder spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment on its plans for the feature.