Bumble is changing one of the defining features that made it stand out from other dating apps, with users in heterosexual matches now able to send the first message regardless of gender.
The dating platform, which launched in 2014 with a rule requiring women to initiate conversations with male matches, announced a “global evolution” of its conversation experience.
Under the new system, anyone can make the first move, while the time given to respond before a match expires has also been extended from 24 hours to 72 hours.
Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said the company’s original women-first approach was never intended to dictate a single way for people to connect.
“While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect,” she said, adding that users were increasingly asking for greater flexibility, less pressure and more opportunities to form meaningful relationships.
The changes were partly influenced by user research, with Bumble reporting that 66% of women surveyed said they preferred men to send the first message.
During testing, the company said first messages became more evenly split between male and female users, while overall conversation initiation also increased.
Bumble said the update reflects the realities of modern dating, where busy schedules can sometimes prevent matches from connecting even when there is genuine interest.
Instead of restricting who can start a conversation, the platform is now placing greater emphasis on the quality of opening messages.
Under the updated system, users who attempt to send low-effort openers, such as a single word, may be prompted to write something more thoughtful before sending it.
The move is not entirely new territory for Bumble. In 2024, the company introduced its “Opening Moves” feature, which allowed men to respond to pre-written prompts set by women, effectively giving them a way to initiate a conversation.
Wolfe Herd had previously announced the broader messaging overhaul during Bumble’s latest financial results, which showed continued declines in both revenue and paying users.
The latest change represents a major shift for a platform whose identity was built around its women-first approach and which was often described as the “feminist Tinder”.
When Bumble first launched, one of its major selling points was allowing women to avoid unwanted approaches from men and challenge traditional dating expectations.
The company’s website had previously promoted the concept with the message: “To challenge outdated heterosexual norms, women make the first move on Bumble.”
With the latest update, Bumble is moving away from that strict rule while attempting to preserve its focus on creating a safer and more meaningful dating experience.
