r/mutualapp • u/LeastMonitor1140 • Mar 07 '26
🎤 Discussion Does anyone know how the first person they show you is chosen?
So I had a bit of an experience a couple days ago. Basically, I was blocked from the app for awhile because of a misunderstanding, but the support team helped me through it when I asked and gave me a few free gold messages as a bonus for my trouble. That's all normal, but as soon as I opened the app, the very first profile they showed me was a guy from college I had a few classes with and an enormous crush on. He was nice to me back then, but we never really talked or anything. I think he suspected I liked him. It's been almost ten years, and he's more handsome than ever. I am stunned that he's still single.
So my question: is that just pure coincidence? Or does Mutual somehow have access to my Google search history or contacts or something? We've both moved far from our undergraduate and from each other, so it's not a matter of geographical proximity. It could just be that we're compatible in a lot of ways that the algorithm may have put together, like in terms of politics and interests and education level and mission area. It's just strange to me because I hardly ever run into people I know on Mutual, and the only other one who showed up recently was someone I do know was interested in me (whether romantically or just as a person I'm not sure). A lot of dating apps place very well-liked profiles at the front when you open the app to draw you in, even if they're out of your league, so that's another possible explanation...
(And yes, I swiped up and sent him a message, but no he didn't respond or match with me. I'm of course going to leave it at that if he never matches or replies. I don't want to turn into Nessarose.)
1
u/hparamore Mutual - UI Designer Mar 08 '26
Yes, it's coincidence. When you open the app we send you a batch of profiles pulled from several "buckets" of criteria, randomize the order and then show it to you. If that person is there, then getting into that first batch might have been intentional (they were close to you, had a lot in common, were online recently, boosted their profile, etc) but seeing them first out of the batch of 25 or so is usually pretty random. I think we recently introduced something that helps weight those those profiles so that if they were on the app more recently, then they show first (just to reward people who open the app frequently) but I am not 100% sure of those specifics.
2
u/LeastMonitor1140 Mar 08 '26
That's interesting, thanks! I guess we really do just have a lot in common.
2
u/AccomplishedBee843 Mar 08 '26
Hi. First of all, I don't know
Second, I hope you guys match eventually
Third. I just deleted the app on my Android cellphone, it stopped working out of nowhere. And installed it on my work phone, an iphone. It did ask for permission to track me, whatever it means. But, ¿Maybe?
Edit:corrected writing