If you use the Hinge, Tinder, or Bumble applications and see someone you know, the information in this guide can provide you with guidelines on the different ways that you can approach them and the expected outcomes.
What to Do If You See Someone You Know on Hinge, Tinder, or Bumble
The next part of this guide will detail the different things that you could consider doing when you see someone you know on the popular dating applications Hinge, Tinder, or Bumble. Using this information, you can explore the different outcomes of several approaches to the situation. Keep in mind, that these suggestions do not fully consider your level of familiarity with the person. Only you know what action is appropriate.
1. Like Them If You Think They’ll Like You Back
Depending on your prior relationship with the person, you might consider liking their profile and seeing if they will like you back. This can be a great way to break the ice with someone who you have been romantically interested in but have not had a good opportunity to express. When the person sees that you have liked their profile, they will likely recognize you and potentially like you back. When this happens, the dating application you are using will match your profiles together and you will be allowed to engage each other further. Of course, it is not guaranteed that the person will like you back on the application. That being said, there is no harm in trying if you believe that the person will like you back. As long as you are on good terms with the person, it is very likely that the person will like you back.
2. If You Think It’ll Be Weird, Swipe Left
If you think that it would be too awkward to potentially match with the person that you know prior to seeing them on the dating app, you should consider swiping left to express disinterest in their profile. When you swipe left, they will be removed from your feed of potential matches on the app. You should do this if the prior relationship with the person would make the prospect of dating seem weird. Only you will be able to determine this, but if you do, it is best to avoid the situation and swipe left when they pop up in your feed.
3. If They’re An Ex, It’s Best Not to Like Them
If the person you are seeing on a dating app is an ex of yours, then it is best to avoid liking their profile. This is especially true for recent exes. While no one but you can truly decide whether or not it is a good idea to rekindle a relationship with your ex, generally if you are both on dating apps, it’s best to move on. If you did not leave the relationship on good terms with your ex, you should avoid liking or interacting with their profile if you wish to keep the peace between you. It is likely that your ex has also seen your profile in their suggestions and has chosen not to like your profile. This should indicate to you that it may not be a good idea or a viable prospect to attempt to get back in touch with your ex. That being said, if you feel like there is still something between you, you can like their profile and see what happens.
4. If They’re A Friends Ex, Leave Them Alone
Generally, if the person you are seeing on the dating app is an ex of your friend, you would do best to leave them alone and swipe left when you see them. Dating someone’s ex that is a close friend of yours could cause real-life issues in your social circle. It is best to avoid this type of drama, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. If you notice that a friend’s ex is on a dating application, they have likely seen your profile as well in their suggestions and have chosen not to interact with you. Ultimately, the decision is yours whether to interact with one of your friend’s exes on a dating app. You should keep in mind how close you are to this friend and the repercussions of your decision in your actual social life.
5. If They’ve Got A Partner That You Know, It’s Best to Let Them Know
If the person you are seeing on a dating app has a romantic partner that you know of, it would be best to let them know. This is especially true if the partner of the person you are seeing on the dating app is a close friend of yours. It can be argued that it is none of your business, but most people would not fault someone for divulging this type of information. While it is not anyone’s place to judge another individual for how they conduct themselves in a relationship outside of it, you can still let the person know if you feel you should. Keep in mind that this could have serious real-life consequences for the people involved in the relationship. This can make this a rather tough decision to make that will ultimately come down to how invested you are in the other person’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, in these types of situations, there are very few favorable outcomes. Letting the person know is often the harder choice to make but will benefit them more in the long run. That being said, if you do not know the parties in the relationship very well, you could consider leaving it alone.
6. Record A Video of You Swiping Left And Send It to Them on Social Media
If you know the person well and have them added on other social media platforms, as a joke you could record yourself swiping left on their profile and send it to them. This is a fun way to let someone know that you have come across their profile on a dating application. Using this method, you can reveal that you have come across their dating profile while indicating that you do not have any current romantic interest in the person. If you are considering this, you likely have a good platonic relationship with the person and will both find it amusing to swipe left on them. If you only wish to send them a video of you swiping left as a joke, but secretly wish to match with their profile again, you can expect to see them pop up again in your feed. Because of the way the matching algorithms work, they will remain in your pool of potential matches. This means that the next time you see them in your feed if you wish to pursue a romantic relationship with the person you will be able to like their profile and see what happens.
7. If You Work With Them and You Know There’s Nothing There, It’s Best to Swipe Left
If you work with the person, who are you are seeing on the dating app, unless you are interested in pursuing a romantic relationship seriously, then you should consider swiping left. Workplace relationships are often difficult to navigate. If you know that you do not click romantically with the person from work you have seen on a dating app, you should swipe left to indicate disinterest in the person’s profile. This will cause them to be removed from your suggestion feed. That being said, if you are in fact interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with a person from work you have found on a dating app, you should consider liking their profile and seeing what happens. Due to the work settings, it can be hard to find the right moment to express romantic interest. Finding the person dating profile gives you the perfect opportunity to express this in a setting that is appropriate.
What to Say If You See Someone You Know on Hinge, Tinder, or Bumble?
The next part of this guide will focus on the different things that you can say to initiate a conversation with someone you know on a dating app. Since you already have some form of previous knowledge of the person, you can afford to be a bit more familiar with your greetings.
1. Weird to See You Here
One of the best greetings for someone you know on a dating app is “Weird to see you here.” This will begin the conversation with a tone of familiarity while also expressing interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. This is a good icebreaker for the first conversation on a dating app between someone that you already know. This could potentially lead to a deeper conversation about what exactly the person is looking for on the application. This knowledge could be valuable to you if you are interested in pursuing a more serious romantic relationship with the person.
2. Who Knew We’d Ever Match Each Other
Another good greeting for someone you already know on a dating app is “Who knew we’d ever match together.” This is a good way to break the ice and also indicate interest in pursuing romantic possibilities with the person. This could lead to a conversation about your past relationship with each other and how it would be interesting to pursue a romantic relationship with each other. It can often be harder to connect with people in real life, which is why online dating is so popular. You could use this opportunity to reconsider relationships with people that you might not have considered romantic prospects in your life.
3. Hey Stranger
“Hey, stranger” is another common greeting used for people you already know on dating apps. This begins the conversation with a tone of familiarity and expresses some interest in pursuing the romantic connection. This can lead to a conversation regarding the different aspects of your past relationship and how well you both think that you would pair romantically in the future. This makes it a great way to start a conversation that can potentially open doors to more serious talks about a romantic relationship.
4. Say Their First Name Three Times, e.g., Ella Ella Ella
If you wish to approach the conversation in a cheeky way, you could say their name three times in a mock disapproving tone. This is best used with people who you are extremely familiar with outside of the dating app. The person will likely find it funny that you have found them on the dating application and have matched with them. Even if you have known each other for some time and are familiar with each other, matching with each other on a dating app can open new doors for potential romantic relationships. Opening the conversation this way will allow you to set a light tone for the conversation and potentially lead to a romantic connection with the person that you have not previously considered. This is also a good way to indicate to someone that you have a romantic interest in them.
Final Thoughts
This guide has provided you with all of the information that you need to decide the best course of action for when you see someone you know on a dating application. If you use applications like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, it is likely that eventually, you will see someone you know in real life. When this happens, it can be awkward when trying to decide how to approach the person or whether or not you should at all. This guide can help you make that decision and offer you some guidance on the different outcomes of certain approaches that you could take.
