Bumble to Remove Swipe Feature and Change Messaging Rules

Bumble is planning to eliminate its traditional swipe function, where users swipe right or left to indicate their interest. This change was mentioned by the company’s founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, who shared the news with Axios.

Additionally, the app will no longer require women to send the first message in heterosexual matches, which has been a defining feature for Bumble.

“We’re saying goodbye to Swipe and saying hello to something that I believe is revolutionary for the category,” Wolfe Herd explained during “The Axios Show.”

While the exact replacement for the swipe function remains unknown, recent announcements hint at a possible integration of artificial intelligence.

Returning as CEO last year, Wolfe Herd has been pushing Bumble toward more AI-centered features. As reported in March, Bumble tested an AI assistant named “Bee,” designed to facilitate matches beyond just swiping. Users who opt into Bee will undergo an onboarding process that helps the assistant understand their values, relationship goals, and more. Once a compatible match is identified, both users will be notified.

In contrast to Bumble, Tinder, the leading dating app, popularized swiping and continues to use it, while Hinge, another competitor, allows users to engage with prompts and photos instead of swipes. Bumble, which holds the second position among dating apps, seems to be shifting closer to Hinge’s model.

These changes are expected to be implemented in stages starting in the fourth quarter of this year. Wolfe Herd mentioned that many users feel drained or dissatisfied with their dating experiences due to swiping.

The traditional requirement for women to initiate conversations is also evolving. Bumble has built its brand around this principle, but Wolfe Herd indicated they aim to shift away from enforcing gender-specific roles in communication.

However, she clarified that the essence of Bumble—empowering women to make the first move—will still remain at the core of the app’s identity.

Bumble’s upcoming changes have elicited various reactions among users. Comments on social media reveal a sense of fatigue with the app’s current functionalities. Some users expressed disappointment with the app’s effectiveness in facilitating quality connections.

“It’s over,” one commenter lamented, while another noted their friends were struggling to meet quality individuals. Others shared personal experiences of leaving Bumble due to dissatisfaction, questioning whether new features would truly improve the dating landscape.

Overall, the mix of excitement and skepticism surrounding these changes highlights the evolving nature of online dating.