Hinge adds polls and video prompts to profiles

Breaking the ice on a dating app is hard. Like, really hard.

Sometimes a match's profile gives literally nothing away, other than a couple of photos of them looking vaguely pensive and beguiling. Then there are the times when you put in effort to craft a witty-yet-charming opening line, only to be met with silence at the other end.

Hinge is adding a couple of new features in a bid to give daters more opportunities for conversation starters. Daters will now be able to add polls to their profiles in addition to video prompts.

Hinge users will likely already be familiar with the recent addition of voice prompts to profiles, giving daters the opportunity to hear someone's voice before you decide whether you're interested in chatting more. Of course, this also presents ample opportunity to get the ick.

Per Hinge's research, 50 percent of daters feel bored when they get a one-word opener from a prospective date. Let's face it, we've all rolled our eyes when we get a simple "hey" message. It's giving...boring!

Poll prompts will let Hinge users poll their matches about topics like "a dream home must include" and "instead of getting drinks, let's...", giving daters the chance to pick their first date. The polls let you craft your own multiple choice options, allowing you to show off more of that gorgeous personality.

Hinge's new poll feature. Credit: Hinge

Then there's the new video prompt feature. Per Hinge's research, more than half of users want to see an unedited video of a potential match.

The new feature lets users record 30 second videos on their profile in response to prompts like "Hi from me and my pet," "Can we talk about," "I’m a 10 but," to name a few.

How does it work?

So, how do you make use of these two new features?

For prompt polls, simply go to your settings and click "edit profile." Under the new "prompt poll" section, tap "create a poll." Choose a prompt and then fill out three answer options. Then tap "done" and your prompt poll should appear underneath your first picture on your profile.

Hinge's new video prompt feature. Credit: Hinge

For video prompts, go to your settings and click "edit profile." Now, choose a video prompt like "Something that’s special to me" and then record your response. You'll need to hit the record button to get going and you can record for a maximum of 30 seconds. You can watch it before it goes live to make sure you're happy with it — just hit the play button. If you're ready to set it live, tap "done" and it'll appear under the first pic on your profile.

Then all that remains is for daters to start crafting their responses. And, no, "hey" will not cut it.