You’re staring at a profile. They have a cute dog, a photo of them hiking in Zion, and a prompt about their "non-negotiable" being Pineapple on pizza. Groundbreaking, right? You want to connect, but you’re frozen. If you’re wondering how to send likes on Hinge, you’ve probably noticed it’s not just a mindless right-swipe like Tinder or Bumble. Hinge is designed to be "the app meant to be deleted," and that means the mechanics are intentionally a bit more focused.
It’s easy to mess up. Honestly, most people just hit the heart icon and pray. But there is a specific way the interface works that can either make you look like a thoughtful human or just another face in a never-ending stack of digital cards.
The Step-by-Step on How to Send Likes on Hinge
Let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. When you’re in the "Hinge" tab (the icon that looks like an 'H'), you’ll see someone’s profile. You don't just swipe. You have to pick a specific element. Look for the small heart icon in the bottom right corner of any photo or prompt response.
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Tap it.
Once you tap that heart, a text box pops up. This is the "Add a Comment" phase. You can send the like without a comment by just hitting "Send Like," but data from Hinge’s own research suggests that including a note makes you three times more likely to get a response. If you're on the free version, you only get eight of these a day. Use them wisely.
Once you hit send, that's it. You can't undo it unless you have a premium subscription with the "Undo" feature, and even then, it's a bit finicky.
Does the Red Rose Matter?
You might see a rose icon. These are for "Standouts"—people the algorithm thinks are exactly your type. You get one free rose every Sunday. If you want more, you have to buy them. Honestly? Roses can feel a bit "extra," but they do catapult you to the very top of someone's "Likes You" pile. If you're wondering how to send likes on Hinge to someone who is clearly getting bombarded with attention, the Rose is the power move.
Why Your Strategy Is Probably Failing
Stop sending likes to just photos. Seriously.
When you like a photo, you’re giving the other person nothing to work with. They see your face, they see that you liked their third beach photo, and then they have to do the heavy lifting of starting a conversation. It’s lazy.
The most effective way to engage is to like a Prompt. Why? Because a prompt is an invitation. If they wrote about their love for obscure 80s synth-pop, and you like that specific prompt with a comment like "But have you heard the B-side of that Depeche Mode single?", you’ve already started the first date conversation.
The Daily Limit Reality
If you're using the free version, you get 8 likes. That’s it. It resets every 24 hours. Because the pool is limited, the "spray and pray" method used on other apps doesn't work here. You have to be picky. Hinge uses a Nobel Prize-winning Gale-Shapley algorithm (the "Stable Marriage" algorithm) to determine who shows up in your feed. If you like everyone, the algorithm gets confused about your "type" and starts showing you a random assortment of people you aren't actually compatible with.
Decoding the "Likes You" Tab
On the flip side, once you've sent your likes, they land in the other person's "Likes You" tab (the heart icon in the center of the bottom navigation bar).
Here is the kicker: unless they pay for Hinge Preferred, they can only see one person at a time.
They see the most recent person who liked them. To see the next one, they have to either match with you or "X" you out. This is why timing and quality matter. If you send a "low-effort" like at 10:00 PM on a Sunday (peak Hinge hours), you might get buried under twenty other people who did the exact same thing.
Technical Glitches and "Hidden" Likes
Sometimes you’ll send a like and the profile stays there. Or it disappears and then reappears three days later. This isn't usually a bug. Hinge has a "Most Compatible" feature that refreshes daily. If you’ve liked someone and they show up again, it might be because you didn't actually hit the final "Send" button after the comment box popped up. Always make sure you see the "Like Sent" confirmation.
Also, be aware of the "Skip" button. The 'X' at the bottom left. If you 'X' someone, they aren't gone forever. They’ll likely cycle back into your Discover feed eventually unless you explicitly "Remove" them by tapping the three dots on their profile.
Actionable Steps for Better Results
If you want to move from "sending likes" to "going on dates," change your ritual.
- Audit your own prompts first. If you don't have something "likeable" on your profile, why would they return the favor?
- Target the "Inspiration." Look for the prompt that actually makes you want to say something. If nothing clicks, just 'X' them and move on.
- The "Two-Sentence Rule." When you add a comment to a like, keep it under two sentences. Anything longer feels like a LinkedIn cover letter. Anything shorter (like "Hey") feels like a bot.
- Check your filters. If you’re not seeing anyone worth liking, Hinge might have your "dealbreakers" set too tight. Expand your radius by just 5 miles and see what happens.
- Update your photos. The algorithm prioritizes active profiles. If you haven't changed a photo in three months, your likes might be getting deprioritized in the "Likes You" stack of others.
The goal isn't just to send a like; it's to trigger a "Match." By focusing on prompts rather than just photos and using your limited daily likes on people you actually share a niche interest with, you stop fighting the algorithm and start letting it work for you. Stop overthinking the "perfect" opening line and just be a human responding to another human's quirky bio.