Not an algorithm you can't see
Most matching platforms hide behind "the algorithm" as if it's a sentient thing that knows you. Ours isn't. Friend Match on In Eden is a simple, rule-based system we can describe in one paragraph — and we'd rather you understand it than be impressed by it.
When you open Friend Match, we look at every other woman in your city, score each one against you on a small set of overlaps, and surface the highest-scoring matches first. The score itself is private — you never see a number. What you see instead is one or two plain-language reasons.
What we weight, and how heavily
Three factors carry the most weight:
- Same city. Friend Match exists to surface women you could actually meet for coffee. Cross-city matches sometimes appear as "serendipity" cards, but the everyday feed is your city.
- Faith alignment. If you both have the faith side of In Eden turned on, that's a strong signal. If one of you has it off, that's respected — no faith content gets pushed across that line, and your faith status is never shown to her without your consent.
- Shared interests. The interests you picked at onboarding — and the ones you've edited since — drive the rest. Three shared interests beats one shared interest, and rare overlaps (a niche interest you both picked) count more than common ones.
A few smaller factors nudge the ranking: mutual connections, similar identity archetypes (the "in one phrase, who are you" line you wrote at onboarding), and whether you've both been recently active.
Why we don't show a match score
A percentage feels precise but isn't. "92% match" creates expectations that nothing about how two people get along can deliver. We'd rather say "Both into Pilates and prayer" — true, specific, leaves room for the friendship to be what it actually becomes.
Why same-gender only at launch
At v1, Friend Match surfaces same-gender candidates only. This is a product choice, not a legal one — it's how we keep the experience aligned with the women we're building this for. Cross-gender matching is something we'll revisit thoughtfully later, with a much more careful design than a toggle.
"Why did I see this match?"
Every match card shows one or two of the overlap reasons that put her there. Tap "Why we matched" if you want to see the rest. We never invent reasons — if the only overlap is your city, that's what we'll say.
What you can change
In Settings → Discovery, you can:
- Pause being surfaced to others (without leaving the feature).
- Edit your interests at any time — your matches refresh on the next load.
- Edit your identity archetype phrase.
- Toggle cross-city serendipity matches on or off.
If a specific person should never be matched with you, blocking her also removes her from your match pool, in both directions, silently.