How To Change Location on Hinge
Unlike other dating apps, Hinge doesn’t make you pay to change your location.
You’re swiping in Brooklyn right now, but next week, you’ll be in Austin, Texas. Why not check out the prospects before your flight? With Hinge, you can change locations manually without paying for a subscription, unlike with Tinder or Bumble. Let’s get started.
Do You Need a VPN to Change Location On Hinge?
Unlike other dating apps, Hinge doesn’t base your location on your IP address or phone’s location service, so the short answer is ‘no.’ That being said, Hinge is a dating app that promotes communications with strangers, so it’s wise to use a VPN to make sure your online and personal data is secure. Here are some of the best VPNs we’ve personally tested:
How To Change Location on Hinge
Did You Know: Hinge locations don’t update automatically. For example, if you live in Philadelphia but visit Baltimore, you’ll still see matches in Philly, unless you update your location manually.
How to Change Location on Hinge Manually
- Open Hinge and log in.
- Go to Settings.
- Select “Preferences.”
- Click “My Neighborhood.”
- Click the compass icon, or pinch and zoom until you find the location you want. 1
You can also change your profile settings. On an iOS device:
- Go to Settings.
- Click the pencil symbol next to your name.
- Scroll down to where it says “Edit.”
- Tap on “Vitals.”
- Tap on the toggle next to “Location.”
- Enter the location of your choice.
- Click the less-than icon at the bottom.
- Click “Done.”
On an Android:
- Go to Settings.
- Click on the pencil icon.
- Scroll to “Edit.”
- Click “Vitals.”
- Under “Location,” enter your location.
- Tap the circle next to “Visible on Profile” if you want people to see your new location.
- Click the less-than icon to save.2
Do I Need a VPN To Change My Hinge Location?
In comparison to apps like Tinder, which show you people in your general proximity, Hinge is more about finding relationships, so it doesn’t use the location data from your phone. Rather, you can set your location so you can keep matching with people where you actually live. In other words, using a VPN won’t have any effect on your Hinge location.
Of course, there are tons of other reasons to use a VPN aside from changing your dating app location. VPNs hide your IP address, making you harder to hack. Additionally, VPNs change your IP address so you can appear like you’re in another country. That’ll come in handy if you want to change your region on Netflix for a “Netflix and chill” date.
Finally, VPNs hide your web activity, so your Hinge messages will stay private from your internet service provider (although Hinge will still collect this data).
To learn more about VPNs and their many uses, read our VPN usage report. And don’t forget to check out the best VPNs for Netflix while you’re at it. Your date will be nothing if not impressed by you using a VPN to watch Netflix.
Hinge Privacy Policy
We’re always interested in the data tech companies have on you, and Hinge is no exception.
When we looked at the app’s privacy policy, we discovered some obvious information, like that Hinge keeps the information we give them, such as our photos and videos, communications with other users, and the content we publish. Since we had logged in through Facebook, Hinge collected this social media information as well. Other information that Hinge collected from us included our searches, which ads we clicked on, and how we interacted with other users.
What surprised us a bit was that, with our consent, Hinge tracked our precise location through our Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth, or GPS. However, we could reject this information request and still use Hinge, unlike with other dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, which require location information.
Keep in mind that Hinge is part of the company called Match Group, though. This means it shared all of our information with the other apps in this company, including these:
- BlackPeopleMeet
- LoveScout24
- Match
- Meetic
- OkCupid
- OurTime
- Pairs
- ParPerfeito
- Plenty of Fish
- Tinder
- Twoo
Basically, if you join Hinge, you’ve given your data to nearly all of the most popular dating apps and websites, so keep that in mind before you sign up.
Hinge also collects this and other information about the device you’re using the app on:
- IP address
- Device ID and type
- Advertising IDs
- Browser type, version, and language
- Operating system
- Time zones
- Device identifiers from cookies
- Network connection data, including the provider and signal strength
Now, this is where VPNs can come in handy. When a VPN encrypts your web traffic in a tunnel and replaces your IP address with that of the server you’ve connected to, Hinge won’t be able to collect your real IP address. If that’s something you want to keep private, connect to a VPN before you open Hinge.
Hinge Dealbreakers vs. Preferences
Hinge is a pretty straightforward app, but there are a couple of key features we want to shed some light on.
Dealbreakers
We all have dating preferences, such as heights and ages. If you have a strong preference for, say, a certain location or gender, you can set it as a Dealbreaker in Hinge. Basically, this means that Hinge won’t show you anyone who doesn’t meet this preference. Bye, men under 5 feet tall (just kidding; we love a short king!).
Preferences
For those preferences that aren’t as strict, Hinge will prioritize people within your parameters. To customize your preferences:
- Go to Settings.
- Click on a preference you want to edit.
- If it’s a strict preference, turn on Dealbreaker.
- Click the back button.
FYI: Only you can see your preferences on Hinge.
Recap
Hinge makes changing your location easier than any other dating app we’ve swiped on. You won’t need a VPN, a proxy, or another third-party app, although we still recommend using a VPN on public Wi-Fi networks.
Of course, changing your location for free or without a third-party app is not possible on all dating apps and websites. If you’re on Facebook Dating, for instance, learn how to change your location on Facebook Dating. And good luck in your search for love!
Frequently Asked Questions
Still left with some questions? We’ve answered the most common questions we get about changing your location on Hinge below.
-
Do you have to change your location manually on Hinge?
Yes, you have to change your location manually on Hinge. Even if you consent to Hinge’s collection of your location data from GPS, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, Hinge doesn’t base your visible location off of this data, but rather from the data you included in your settings.
-
Is Hinge based on location?
Hinge is based on location, but it’s the location you enter manually, not the location data from your device. For example, if you travel to a different city, your location won’t change. To change your location on Hinge, you’ll have to edit your settings.
-
Why does Hinge match me with people who are far away?
Hinge might match you with people who are far away because it doesn’t use your phone’s location information to show profiles. Rather, your location is static in your settings. To see people locally, you’ll need to adjust these settings.
Another reason Hinge is matching you with people who are far away may be that you’ve set too large a maximum distance. You can adjust the maximum distance in your settings as well.
-
Can you hide your location on Hinge?
Yes, you can hide your location on Hinge by following these steps:
- Go to your settings.
- Click the pencil icon.
- Scroll to “Edit.”
- Click on “Vitals.”
- Next to “Location,” turn the toggle to “off” on iOS devices. On Android devices, tap the circle to make your location invisible on your profile.
- Tap the < symbol.
- Click “Done” on iOS.
Hinge Help Center. (2021). How do I set my location?
hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011165853-How-do-I-set-my-location-Hinge Help Center. (2021). How do I update my name, location, or other details?
hingeapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011320453-How-do-I-update-my-name-location-or-other-details-