How do you respond to 'hey' on a dating app?

The best response to 'hey' on a dating app references something specific from their profile — a photo, a prompt answer, or a detail from their bio. Don't reply with 'hey' back. That just resets to zero. Use their profile as a hook: 'Your hiking photo from [place] — where was that?' turns a dead-end greeting into an actual conversation.

What do you say back to 'hey' on Tinder?

On Tinder, where bios are short, the best response to 'hey' is a playful hypothetical or an observation about the one interesting thing in their profile. If their bio is empty, ask something fun: 'Okay you've given me nothing to work with, so — what's one thing your profile doesn't tell me?' It puts the ball back without being rude.

How should you respond to a low-effort first message on Bumble?

On Bumble, women send the first message — so a low-effort 'hey' from her usually just means she wasn't sure what to say. Don't penalize her for it. Respond by referencing something specific from her profile or asking a direct, interesting question. She opened the door; you can make the most of it.

Should you respond to 'hey' or just ignore it?

If you're interested in the person, respond. A bad opener doesn't make someone a bad match — it just means they couldn't think of what to say. Take the lead and steer the conversation somewhere real. If the profile shows zero effort and you're not interested, no response needed. TextVibe's Opener feature can help you build a strong reply even when their profile is sparse.

What are the best openers to send instead of 'hey' on dating apps?

Reference something specific from their profile — a hobby, a prompt answer, or an unusual detail from a photo. End with a question they can easily reply to. TextVibe's Opener feature lets you paste a bio, pick a tone (flirty, witty, playful, confident), and get 4 personalized first messages tailored to that specific profile — so you never have to default to 'hey' yourself.

How to Respond to 'Hey' on Dating Apps (20 Examples That Work)

The best response to “hey” on a dating app is one that references something specific from their profile — not another generic greeting. About 40% of first messages on dating apps are just “hey” or “hi,” which means most people are defaulting to the path of least resistance. You don’t have to. Pick one thing from their profile — a photo, a prompt, a detail in their bio — and lead with that instead.

Why “Hey Back” Kills the Conversation

Replying with “hey” to a “hey” puts both people in the same place they started: nowhere. There’s nothing to react to, nothing to follow up on, and no reason for the conversation to go anywhere other than a slow death of “how are you” and “what do you do.”

The person who takes the initiative to actually say something interesting is the one who makes a match feel like it has potential. That can be you, even when the other person gave you nothing to start with.

One more thing: “hey” isn’t always a sign of low interest. Some people are just bad at starting conversations. They matched with you for a reason. A strong response from you can do all the heavy lifting.

20 Responses to “Hey” That Actually Work

These are organized by approach. Use whichever fits the profile and your personality.

Profile-Based Replies (Use These When Their Profile Gives You Anything to Work With)

“Hey! Okay your [hiking/travel/whatever] photo from [place] — where was that? I need to know.”
“Hey! Your prompt answer about [specific thing] got me — what’s the actual story there?”
“Hey! [Specific detail from their bio]. I have questions. Starting with: how did you get into that?”
“Hey! That photo of you at [specific place/event] — was that a trip or do you live nearby?”
“Hey! You listed [niche interest] — are we talking casually or full-on obsession?”
“Hey! Your two truths and a lie is making me suspicious of all three. I’m going with [one] as the lie — am I right?”

Playful / Witty Replies (Works on Almost Any Profile)

“Hey! Not going to lie, ‘hey’ is my second-favorite opener. What’s your go-to question for new matches?”
“Hey! You’ve given me nothing to work with here, so I’m going to need one interesting fact about yourself. Go.”
“Hey! I’m going to make an educated guess about you based on your profile. Ready? [Playful observation].”
“Hey! Bold opener. I like the confidence. Okay — [fun hypothetical tied to their profile or photos]?”
“Hey! I’m rating this opener a 6/10. Here’s how to get to a 10: tell me [interesting question about something from their profile].”

Direct / Confident Replies (Works When You Just Want to Cut to It)

“Hey! Your profile is actually one of the better ones on here — how are you still single?”
“Hey! I don’t love starting with nothing so I’m going straight to the good stuff: [specific open-ended question about their life or interests].”
“Hey! I was going to say something clever but honestly I just want to know more about [specific thing from their profile].”
“Hey! I’d normally have a better opener but you kind of already matched with me, so — [direct question about something in their profile].”
“Hey! Skipping the small talk: what’s the most interesting thing you’ve done in the last year?”

Hypothetical Replies (Works Even When Their Profile Is Minimal)

“Hey! Okay since we’re starting fresh — would you rather have one perfect first date and nothing comes of it, or a mediocre first date that turns into something great?”
“Hey! Your profile didn’t tell me nearly enough about you. If you could add one thing to it that would make people immediately want to match with you, what would it be?”
“Hey! I’m going to describe you based only on your photos and you tell me how accurate I am. Ready?”
“Hey! You have [number] photos and I’m already curious. Weirdest place you’ve ever been?”

Comparison: Which Response Type to Use When

Type	Best used when	Example	Expected outcome
Profile-based	They have prompts, a bio, or interesting photos	”Your Yellowstone photo — how long was that trip?”	High reply rate; shows you actually looked
Playful/witty	Their profile has humor or you want a light tone	”You’ve given me nothing so I need one interesting fact”	Keeps things fun, low-pressure entry
Direct/confident	Their bio suggests they like directness	”Skipping small talk — most interesting thing you’ve done this year?”	Signals confidence; can backfire with reserved profiles
Hypothetical	Profile is sparse or almost no bio	”Would you rather: one perfect date that goes nowhere, or a mediocre one that turns great?”	Good fallback when you have nothing to reference

Platform-Specific Notes

On Bumble

On Bumble, she has to send the first message — so a low-effort “hey” from her usually just means she drew a blank, not that she’s not interested. Use it as an opportunity. She already made her move; you can make the conversation. Reference something from her profile and take the lead.

On Hinge

If someone is matching with you on Hinge, they already gave you three prompts specifically designed to be conversation starters. Don’t respond to “hey” with another “hey” — respond with something from those prompts instead. The whole point of Hinge’s design is to give you hooks. Use them. See best Hinge conversation starters for specific prompt-by-prompt examples.

On Tinder

Tinder has the most “hey” openers of any app because profiles are minimal. When the bio is short and the photos don’t give you much, playful hypotheticals and direct questions work better than profile-based openers. When you genuinely have nothing to reference, ask something that requires a real answer: “What’s one thing your profile doesn’t tell me?”

When Their Profile Is Basically Empty

If there’s no bio, minimal photos, and no prompts — responding with a profile-based reply isn’t possible. In that case, use a hypothetical or a playful direct question.

Or use TextVibe’s Opener feature. Paste whatever sparse details exist (even just their name and one photo description), pick a tone, and get 4 personalized opener options. The results are based on the actual details you give, which means they sound like something a real person wrote — not a template.

Common Mistakes When Someone Says “Hey”

Replying with “hey” back. Now you’re both standing at the starting line again. Someone has to say something real. Make it you.

Writing an essay. A paragraph reply to “hey” puts intense pressure on the other person before they’ve decided they like you. Keep it to 1-2 sentences.

Complimenting only their looks. “You’re so cute” is the most common message on every app. It gives them nothing to respond to and nothing that distinguishes you.

Waiting for a better opener. If their profile looks good to you, don’t wait around for them to say something more interesting. Take the wheel and steer the conversation yourself.

Asking “how’s your day?” It sounds harmless but it’s the same default everyone uses. It leads to small talk that goes nowhere fast.

The Real Goal of Responding to “Hey”

You’re not trying to give the perfect response. You’re trying to give them something easy and interesting to reply to.

That’s it. One specific question tied to something about them, in a tone that matches their profile energy. The conversation starts there.

For more on keeping momentum once the conversation gets going, read how to keep a conversation going on dating apps. And if you want to build a strong opener from scratch — instead of just responding to theirs — read how to write a dating app opener.

Ready to stop staring at the screen? TextVibe generates personalized reply options for any message — paste what they sent, pick a tone, get 4 suggestions that actually sound like you. Free to try on iOS.