Dating apps have started adding features to help users connect virtually during the coronavirus pandemic, and today Hinge is hopping on the trend. The app is launching "Date From Home," a feature where users can easily tell someone whether they're ready for a virtual date.

Hinge recently added a pop-up message to the app, advising its users to date at home. It points out that 70 percent of its members are down for a "digital date," over a platform like FaceTime or Zoom. But how do you broach that topic after you match with someone?

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In an internal study, Hinge found that a third of users thought the most awkward phase of dating was parlaying messages into a date. By adding 'Date from Home,' Hinge is taking their pop-up a step further — bridging the gap and helping users initiate digital dates.

While matches are messaging each other, the 'Date from Home' menu will appear and ask if they're ready for a digital date. Responses will remain private until both users are ready, and the feature will notify them. Then it's up to the users to take it from there!

Image: hinge Image: hinge

"While we may need to be physically distant right now, we can still be socially connected," said Tim MacGougan, Chief Product Officer at Hinge in a press release. "We are excited for the launch of 'Date from Home' as a new and easy way for our users to continue their dating lives."

We're in an unprecedented moment where "online dating" has taken on a completely new meaning, and with it comes potential friction and awkwardness. With the 'Date from Home' feature, Hinge attempts to smooth over that awkwardness with an easy signal that you're ready to take it off the app and onto voice or video calls.