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Dating app Hinge\u00a0recently pivoted from swiping to \u201cstories,\u201d in order to help people find real relationships<\/a>. That focus on authenticity, however, seems to stand in contrast to a project the company has been testing: Audrey<\/a>, a personal assistant who will message your matches for you and schedule your dates.<\/p>\n Audrey\u2019s existence was first spotted by Business Insider,<\/a> which noted\u00a0the service will cost $99 per month (!!!). However, we understand from a source familiar with the matter that pricing is\u00a0still in flux. The $99\/mo was something that was just being tested.<\/p>\n There are a few versions of the Audrey website out there, like: \u201chttps:\/\/audrey.hinge.co\/audrey-by-hinge-11,\u201d \u201chttps:\/\/audrey.hinge.co\/audrey-by-hinge-31\/,\u201d and a more recent \u201chttps:\/\/audrey.hinge.co\/audrey-by-hinge-41.\u201d<\/p>\n Only the first site explains how Audrey works, though all offer a sign-up form for those who want to try it.<\/p>\n According to the earlier\u00a0site, Audrey will allow you to \u201csay goodbye to matching, messaging, and scheduling,\u201d so you can spend less time on the app and more time going on dates.<\/p>\n If this is, in fact, how Audrey will work (a lot can change during a beta), then it\u2019s fair to say that Hinge has identified a common pain point in internet dating.<\/p>\n It takes time to find\u00a0matches, filter messages, have\u00a0the same introductory conversation with multiple people, then try\u00a0to figure out who\u2019s actually interested in going out versus just having a chat buddy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know the back-and-forth of getting to the first date can be frustrating, if not futile,\u201d the site reads. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re introducing Audrey.\u201d<\/p>\n A basic explanation about how Audrey works follows.<\/p>\n To use Audrey, the site says, you select the people you\u2019re interested in. Then, Audrey reaches out to those people and introduces you. If the feeling is mutual, she will schedule a date with the person in question on your behalf. Audrey also provides \u201cdata and feedback\u201d along the way to help you find your perfect match, but the website doesn\u2019t go into detail about what that will include.<\/p>\n The service is in beta testing in New York, the site also notes.<\/p>\n However, the later versions of the Audrey website simply describe the app as \u201can\u00a0intelligent assistant for the modern dater\u201d and no longer mention her matchmaker\/messaging role.<\/p>\n That seems to indicate\u00a0that Hinge is now thinking\u00a0to focus Audrey more on the \u201cdata and feedback\u201d suggested by the earlier website, and less so on the messaging and scheduling. That\u2019s more on-brand for Hinge than inserting an assistant into your communications was, but perhaps a little disappointing for those who wished you could pay for an app-based matchmaker.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear if Audrey will be handled\u00a0by a real person, an automated bot, or some combination of both.<\/p>\n Hinge declined to comment, saying that the company is not yet prepared to discuss Audrey.<\/p>\n The feature comes at a time when Hinge is having to rethink its strategy in the increasingly competitive dating app landscape. While originally a variation on swiped-based matching popularized by Tinder, Hinge this past fall launched a rebuilt app that\u00a0focuses on relationships.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Instead of swiping, the new Hinge helps you tell your story by having users pick from a series of questions they can provide their own answers to, like their\u00a0unusual skills, what they\u2019re reading or watching, what they\u2019re listening to, their favorite drink order, their go-to dish to cook, and so on. Others can then like and comment on these prompts, which makes the app feel more social.<\/p>\n![\"screen-shot-2017-01-27-at-1-00-11-pm\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/a9e64_screen-shot-2017-01-27-at-1-00-11-pm.png?resize=640%2C312&ssl=1\")
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