Photo: ERIC BARADAT / AFP / Getty Images
Bumble, the popular dating app, has announced a major change to its platform by removing its signature rule that required women to message first. Effective immediately, both men and women can initiate conversations once a match is made. This shift marks a significant change for Bumble, which launched in 2014 with the unique feature designed to empower women in online dating.
According to Inc., Bumble's founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, stated, "While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect." She emphasized that the change is about creating a more flexible and less pressured experience for users, ultimately leading to more meaningful connections.
In addition to this change, Bumble has extended the response window from 24 hours to 72 hours, giving users more time to reply to messages. This update comes in response to user feedback, with 66% of women surveyed indicating a preference for men to send the first message, as reported by Mezha.
Bumble's decision to alter its defining feature comes as the company faces challenges in the competitive online dating market. The app's revenue dropped by 15.2% year over year in the second quarter, prompting the company to explore new strategies to regain user interest, including potential offline dating events and AI-powered features.
This evolution of Bumble's platform is not seen as a departure from its original mission but rather as a realization of it, aiming to better meet the needs of its community in today's dating landscape.