This Dating App Now Lets Your Friends Play Matchmaker, Just Like They've Always Wanted

If you've ever thought you have the perfect eye to set up a single friend, Hinge Matchmaker is about to give you the opportunity. They're taking playing with your friends' dating apps to a whole new level, and actually putting you in charge.

Basically, Hinge is a dating app that helps match you with friends of friends by syncing your Facebook account when you log in. It was actually one of the two dating apps I joined when I was single, because I liked the idea of being matched up with someone I could vet through a friend. It made dating apps seems a little more personal.

So this is a natural fit — the focus is still on meeting people through people you know. They've just taken this idea up a notch by actually having you get to put your two cents in. "Hinge was built on the premise of introducing friends of friends, and is on a mission to eliminate the superficial swipe culture that you find with so many other online dating apps," Justin McLeod, Founder and CEO of Hinge tells Bustle. "We want to make meeting people online more like meeting in the real world, and Hinge Matchmaker is the next step towards our goal to achieve that."

"People matchmake their friends in the real world all the time, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do it online too."

The app will recommend two of your single Facebook friends who are on Hinge (either at random or for a specific friend you “lock” in). Then you can decide whether or not they would be a good match. That's right: the power is in your hands. Now the 'lock' option is really cool, because that basically means you can choose a specific friend and be put in charge of their destiny — basically essentially controlling the rest of the life with a quick swipe. Well, maybe.

If you have one friend who you've been trying to set up for years, you can finally take over. I love that idea. As someone who loves to play with my friends' dating app profiles, this is the absolute dream.

And if you're single, you know those annoying friends who never tried online dating because they were always coupled up, so they keep trying to use your account? Well, now they can actually put it to some good damn use.

More Meaningful Connections

"Meeting through mutual friends helps lead to more meaningful connections because you already have something in common," McLeod says. "It eliminates the awkwardness that can make online dating overwhelming in some cases, and they often know you better than you know yourself. People matchmake their friends in the real world all the time, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do it online too."

And what happens if you decide that two lovebirds are a match made in heaven? Simple. They are both notified and have a chance to see if the chemistry you predicted actually can turn into anything. It's great — but remember with great power comes great responsibility. And you may just be held accountable if things go wrong, so you'll want to be careful who you're matching up. I've made some mistakes before and it was awkward as hell.

Don't like the sound of your friends setting you up? All current Hinge users will be provided with the option to opt out from being visible to anyone on Hinge Matchmaker, so you can keep your privacy intact if that's what you want.

Hopefully Hinge Matchmaker can make dating apps just feel a little more personal for people having a hard time with online dating — and give their friends an opportunity to become the virtual cupid of their dreams. Or, you know, totally wreck havoc with their friends' love lives. Your choice!