DISPATCHES · WORLD · 28 September 2026

Hinge brings a waitlist and screenshot blocking to India in safety-first relaunch

New members in India may have to wait before they can like or match, and profiles can no longer be screenshotted, as Match Group's fastest-growing app tailors itself to a new market.

By The On Dating Journal Editors Published 28 September 2026Updated 19 October 20264 min read

Most dating apps want you swiping within minutes of downloading them. In India, Hinge is now asking some new members to wait. On 28 September 2026, the Match Group-owned app announced an updated experience for Indian singles built around a phased waitlist, stronger identity checks and a block on screenshots of profiles.

The approach is a deliberate departure from the growth-at-all-costs playbook. In its place, Hinge is putting privacy and verification ahead of speed.

How the Hinge waitlist works in India

Under the new set-up, some new users join a waitlist after creating their profile. While they wait, they can add photos, answer Hinge’s Prompts and verify their profile, but they cannot like or match with anyone until they are let in. Hinge presents this as a more considered start, giving people time to build a complete profile.

The company has not said how long the wait lasts, how many people are on it or how it decides who goes first.

Face Check, block lists and screenshot protection

Three trust features sit at the centre of the Indian launch:

Face Check, which confirms that the person behind an account is real.
Block List at onboarding, letting users hide their profile from, and avoid seeing, people they already know, such as an ex, a colleague or a relative.
Screenshot Protection, which blocks screenshots of personal information in Discover, Likes You and Standouts in India. Users can still screenshot conversations so they can report a concern.

The examples Hinge chose are telling. The block list is aimed squarely at one worry: being found by people in your own circle.

The press release distributed in India on 1 October also lists other tools available to Indian users. They include Signals, an optional badge for people who show consistent, thoughtful engagement; a Comment Filter that screens out unwanted words, emojis or phrases using a custom list or an AI-powered filter; and Match Note, which lets users privately share details such as values, boundaries, faith or communication style before a conversation begins. “Are You Sure?” and “Did This Bother You?” prompts nudge senders to reconsider hurtful messages and check in with recipients. Users cannot send photos or videos directly to matches.

What Hinge’s leadership said about India

Jackie Jantos, Hinge’s chief executive, said: “Love is deeply personal to each individual, and there is no singular path to finding it. At Hinge, we want to listen and learn from singles in India, so that we can adapt our app to meet their needs.”

Ben Celebicic, chief product and technology officer, put the emphasis on comfort. “People are more open to connection when an experience feels safe and thoughtful,” he said, adding that the company had designed the Indian version “around what helps singles feel comfortable signing up”.

Hinge did not publish user numbers, city targets or survey data alongside the announcement.

Why India matters to Match Group’s growth app

Hinge is the part of Match Group that is still expanding at speed. In Match’s second-quarter results, published in August, Hinge revenue rose 22% year on year and global monthly active users were up 13%, with revenue in its European expansion markets up 86%. A carefully localised push into India fits that strategy of growing outside its core English-speaking markets.

The waitlist is the detail to watch. Slowing sign-ups runs against every instinct of a subscription business, and if it works, it would be an unusual case of friction being sold as a feature. For more on how Hinge works elsewhere, see our Hinge review, and for the wider picture of where couples now meet, our research on how couples meet.