Tinder and Hinge dating apps are designed to addict users, lawsuit claims

There may be a reason so many hopeful singles on dating apps say they bank hours a day on the platforms swiping and scrolling without great results. 

Match Group-owned apps including Tinder and Hinge are designed to addict users and lock them "into a perpetual pay-to-play loop," according to a proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in California district court on Wednesday — Valentine's Day. 

The hidden algorithms that drive users' addiction to the apps run counter to the company's claims that its products are meant to help people find and establish offline relationships. Hinge markets itself as an app that's "designed to be deleted."