Hinge: age checks in the UK

Whole service gated for UK users. Hinge’s help page: new UK users complete a Face Check video selfie, with three audit images analysed by Match Group’s own technology to estimate age, and may then be asked for a government ID. Results kept 1 year; audit images for the life of the account.

Check required for listed access Dating Hinge, Inc. (Match Group) verified 18 October 2026

Facts panel

Published statements are shown with their sources and the dates we checked them. Missing information and availability limits remain explicit.

Domain: hinge.co
Age check: Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”.
Check required for listed access, first recorded 5 February 2026
Triggered by: the whole service
Applies to: all UK users
Notes: Hinge’s “Age Checks at Hinge” page (updated 29 September 2026, read 18 October 2026): “If you are presented with an age check, you must complete it to fully access Hinge. You won’t be able to send likes or messages, and your profile won’t be visible to others, until you successfully complete the age check.” Under “Face Check™ scan”, “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”: “We’re rolling out a requirement that new users complete a biometric Face Check™ scan with a video selfie in order to help make Hinge a more authentic place.” and “Note: For UK users with accounts created before 25 June 2026, Hinge performed a similar age estimation process on a profile photo containing the user’s face.” The first-observed date is from press (Biometric Update, February 2026), not from a Hinge page.
Methods: Face scan Photo ID
Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.
Vendor: Other recorded providers for face scan (Match Group in-house (Face Check scan)), photo id (Hinge in-house (ID check))
Overall record checked: 18 October 2026. Individual methods may have later checks, shown below.

Methods and retention, one row per method

Method	Provider	Retention, as published	Source
Facial age estimation (face scan)	Match Group in-house (Face Check scan)	“The results from your age check will be stored in a secure format for 1 year.” Quoted from help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Results 1 year; audit images and profile photos for the life of the account plus the post-closure retention period; FaceMaps and FaceVectors for the lifetime of the account, deleted within 30 days of closure. Notes: Hinge’s page: “We capture and store three audit images- screenshots–from your video selfie, which are analyzed with automated technology to estimate whether or not you’re 18 or over.” and “Hinge will keep audit images and profile photos for the life of an account (plus the applicable retention period following account closure or ban)”. Hinge’s Face Check page (updated 29 July 2026): “Your video selfie is assessed to ensure that you are a real person, and is then promptly deleted.”; “FaceMaps and FaceVectors are retained for the lifetime of an account, and are deleted within 30 days of account closure”; the age estimate is “saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 2 years if the account is banned)” and audit images “are kept for 90 days after account closure, or up to the duration of the account ban, if applicable”. “The technology used to estimate age is proprietary to Match Group.” Results “may be used to help train certain machine learning models that support our trust and safety tools”. If Hinge cannot confirm an age it completes “a manual review or request additional verification, such as an ID check”; if it determines a user is “most likely under 18”, “your account will be removed”. Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.	help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026 Primary source · checked 18 October 2026
Photo ID	Hinge in-house (ID check)	“We keep a copy of your ID for 30 days to help audit and troubleshoot the ID check process.” Quoted from help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: ID copy 30 days; ID-check result until 90 days after account closure (2 years if banned). Notes: Hinge’s page: “After completing your age check, you may be prompted to complete an ID check to help us confirm you are at least 18, in accordance with applicable legal requirements and guidelines (such as in the UK), and to check whether you appear to match the photo on your ID. You won’t be able to start connecting with people on Hinge until we verify your ID.” Documents listed: driver’s licence or learner’s permit, passport or passport card, national ID card, residence permit. “Hinge’s technology will check whether: Your Face Check scan matches the photo on your ID; and The date of birth on the ID indicates you are at least 18 years old.” If that fails, “a Hinge team member will review your ID manually”. “The results of the ID check (i.e., successful or not) are saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 2 years if the account is banned).” “None of your ID check data appears on your profile or is shown to other daters.” An ID check is also how an appeal against an under-age removal is handled.	help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026 Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

Method

Provider

Retention, as published

Source

Facial age estimation (face scan)

Match Group in-house (Face Check scan)

“The results from your age check will be stored in a secure format for 1 year.”

Quoted from help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: Results 1 year; audit images and profile photos for the life of the account plus the post-closure retention period; FaceMaps and FaceVectors for the lifetime of the account, deleted within 30 days of closure.

Notes: Hinge’s page: “We capture and store three audit images- screenshots–from your video selfie, which are analyzed with automated technology to estimate whether or not you’re 18 or over.” and “Hinge will keep audit images and profile photos for the life of an account (plus the applicable retention period following account closure or ban)”. Hinge’s Face Check page (updated 29 July 2026): “Your video selfie is assessed to ensure that you are a real person, and is then promptly deleted.”; “FaceMaps and FaceVectors are retained for the lifetime of an account, and are deleted within 30 days of account closure”; the age estimate is “saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 2 years if the account is banned)” and audit images “are kept for 90 days after account closure, or up to the duration of the account ban, if applicable”. “The technology used to estimate age is proprietary to Match Group.” Results “may be used to help train certain machine learning models that support our trust and safety tools”. If Hinge cannot confirm an age it completes “a manual review or request additional verification, such as an ID check”; if it determines a user is “most likely under 18”, “your account will be removed”.

Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026
Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

Photo ID

Hinge in-house (ID check)

“We keep a copy of your ID for 30 days to help audit and troubleshoot the ID check process.”

Quoted from help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the service. Period as stated: ID copy 30 days; ID-check result until 90 days after account closure (2 years if banned).

Notes: Hinge’s page: “After completing your age check, you may be prompted to complete an ID check to help us confirm you are at least 18, in accordance with applicable legal requirements and guidelines (such as in the UK), and to check whether you appear to match the photo on your ID. You won’t be able to start connecting with people on Hinge until we verify your ID.” Documents listed: driver’s licence or learner’s permit, passport or passport card, national ID card, residence permit. “Hinge’s technology will check whether: Your Face Check scan matches the photo on your ID; and The date of birth on the ID indicates you are at least 18 years old.” If that fails, “a Hinge team member will review your ID manually”. “The results of the ID check (i.e., successful or not) are saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 2 years if the account is banned).” “None of your ID check data appears on your profile or is shown to other daters.” An ID check is also how an appeal against an under-age removal is handled.

help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026
Primary source · checked 18 October 2026

What you will see

What happens: New UK users take a Face Check video selfie; Hinge keeps three still images from it and its automated technology estimates whether you are 18 or over. If it cannot confirm your age it does a manual review or asks for an ID check, and in the UK an ID check (a government ID showing your date of birth and photo, matched to the Face Check scan) may follow in any case.
How long it takes: Not stated by the service.
If you decline: Hinge’s page: you cannot send likes or messages, and your profile is not visible to others, until you complete the age check; if an ID check is required, “you must complete it to access Hinge”. An account Hinge judges most likely under 18 is removed; an appeal needs an ID check.
Official help page: help.hinge.co

Still being verified

These points about this entry are not yet settled. They are shown rather than hidden. Until each is resolved, the facts panel records only what a published source says.

When Hinge’s UK age check began. Hinge’s page says only that for UK accounts created before 25 June 2026 it ran a similar estimation on a profile photo; press (Biometric Update, February 2026) reported age verification for UK and Australian users from 5 February 2026. The first-observed date here is from that press report, not from a Hinge page.
How long the age-check result is kept is stated two ways: the Age Checks page says results are “stored in a secure format for 1 year”; the Face Check page says the age estimate is “saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 2 years if the account is banned)”.
Hinge’s pages name no liveness or face-matching supplier; press in February 2026 named FaceTec. Hinge: “The technology used to estimate age is proprietary to Match Group.”
Whether UK accounts created before 25 June 2026 are later required to complete Face Check. Hinge says Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit” and may be required after a profile location change.
Whether an ID check follows every UK age check or only some: Hinge’s page says “you may be prompted to complete an ID Check … for example, in the UK”.

Questions people ask about Hinge

Does Hinge require age verification in the UK?

Yes. As of 18 October 2026, Hinge requires an age check for the whole service, applying to all UK users. First recorded 5 February 2026. Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”. Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

Is the Hinge age check a face scan?

A face scan (facial age estimation) is one of 2 recorded methods: Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Photo ID. Providers named: Match Group in-house (Face Check scan) and Hinge in-house (ID check). Which methods a service offers can change; the date each was checked is shown on the page. Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”. Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

What does Hinge keep after the age check?

Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) via Match Group in-house (Face Check scan): "The results from your age check will be stored in a secure format for 1 year." (help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026). Photo ID via Hinge in-house (ID check): "We keep a copy of your ID for 30 days to help audit and troubleshoot the ID check process." (help.hinge.co, dated 29 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026). Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”. Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

What if the Hinge age check is not working?

This site records what the service publishes; it does not troubleshoot or offer workarounds. Hinge's own help page is https://help.hinge.co/hc/en-us/articles/42464185429651-Age-Checks-at-Hinge. The record lists 2 methods; availability depends on the service and account: Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Photo ID. If you do not complete the check, the service states: Hinge’s page: you cannot send likes or messages, and your profile is not visible to others, until you complete the age check; if an ID check is required, “you must complete it to access Hinge”. An account Hinge judges most likely under 18 is removed; an appeal needs an ID check. Hinge’s page lists the UK as the region for the Face Check scan route and says an ID check may follow “for example, in the UK”. Face Check is rolling out “on a phased basis, where local regulations permit”. Hinge’s page: Face Check scan “Applicable region(s): United Kingdom”. The EEA and Switzerland are on a video-selfie route and Australia and Brazil on a face-photo-upload route, each with the same three audit images.

Regulator actions

No Ofcom or ICO action naming this service is recorded as of 18 October 2026.

Full enforcement register · Regulatory timeline

Sources for this entry

Hinge Help: Age Checks at Hinge service help 29 September 2026
Hinge Help: Face Check™ Scan (retention of FaceMaps, audit images and the age estimate) service help 29 July 2026
Hinge Help: What is Selfie Verification? service help 14 July 2026
Hinge Help: Availability (minimum age 18; the UK is listed) service help 4 May 2026
Hinge Help: Help Center Change Log (March 2026: “Updated articles: Age Checks at Hinge”) service help 30 March 2026
Hinge Privacy Policy (applies from 27 November 2025; operator Hinge, Inc.) service policy 27 November 2025
Biometric Update: Match Group extends FaceTec liveness to Hinge, adds age verification for UK, Oz users (press; first-observed date) press February 2026

Changes to this record

2026-10-18 — seed: Record created from Hinge’s help pages read 18 October 2026 (Age Checks at Hinge, Face Check Scan, What is Selfie Verification, Availability, Help Center Change Log) and Hinge’s UK privacy policy, with research/01 row 37 as the starting point only. The help pages return 403 to ordinary fetches from this environment and were read through the help centre’s own article API, which serves the same articles. Hinge was previously folded into the Tinder record; it now has its own. seed

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