CONQUER THE DATING APOCALYPSE

Up until October, Hinge was just another “Swipe this way to meet some new peeps” dating app… and then it suddenly switched to a members-only “relationship”-focused service. The “no, no, no, yes, no” scrolling through info-sparse pictures has been replaced with Facebook-style profiles that are filled with deets about the last book you read or your specialty in the kitchen. Users interact by “liking” these sorts of details (or pictures) and leaving comments, in much the same way you’d tell Bill in Accounting you like his red sweater as a means of getting the convo started. It’s also no longer free; the app’s founders hope that the $7/ month fee will ensure that users are really serious about finding “the one”... or just trading tips on the best way to make a marinara sauce. (There is a free option but with limited use.)