Bumble makes major U-turn and changes decade long rule for people using dating app
Believe it or not, it's been ten whole years since Bumble was launched and women were urged to make the first move on the dating app.
A lot has changed since then, but it seems that finding your perfect match on the internet is more popular than ever these days - so a few of the giants in the industry are going back to the drawing board to continue to boost interest.
For example, Tinder have launched a new exclusive subscription in recent months, which allows you to message people you have not matched with - for a £4.99 fee.
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Not to be outdone, Hinge added a 'Hidden Words' feature which automatically filters out creepy messages from any weirdos, so it's only right that Bumble has something up its sleeve too.
But even the most seasoned of dating app users probably wouldn't have guessed that the networking app was going to reimagine it's unique selling point, which is arguably heavily responsible for making it so successful.
It's founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire at 31 after the company made its stock market debut in 2021.
The entire reason the businesswoman made the app after leaving Tinder was to create a landscape where the ball is in the female's court, rather than the blokes, which is a safe space for a digital romance to bloom.
In an open letter to users in 2020, Wolfe Herd said: "When I founded Bumble, it was because I saw a problem I wanted to help solve. It was 2014, but so many of the smart, wonderful women in my life were still waiting around for men to ask them out, to take their numbers, or to start up a conversation on a dating app.
"For all the advances women had been making in workplaces and corridors of power, the gender dynamics of dating and romance still seemed so outdated. I thought, what if I could flip that on its head? What if women made the first move, and sent the first message?"
It's the entire premise of the app - women are the ones who initiate conversation, and according to Bumble website, over three billion messages have been sent to date, so the ladies have clearly been loving it over these last ten years.
But Bumble have now announced a dramatic U-turn as blokes can also make the first move when it comes to striking up a conversation.
Ladies looking for love will be able to set a prompt or a question of their choosing, which lads can then respond to and get their flirt on as Bumble is now introducing more ways for people to make the first move.
And if the man doesn't respond, then the woman can send a message to unlock the chat instead.
In a press release, CEO Lidiane Jones said that for women today, empowerment isn't 'only about control but it’s also about agency', adding: "We want to evolve with our community, shifting from a fixed approach to giving women more options in how they engage.”
The feature, which has been dubbed 'Opening Moves', is part of a complete overhaul of the app which Jones announced on Tuesday (30 March).
Discussing the Bumble revamp with CNN, she said: "We’re seeing a greater need for authentic human connections.
"I don’t anticipate that the number of people using online dating is going to go down, quite the opposite, but there is a higher bar...So we’re taking it as a great call to action to centre ourselves on our mission."
Jones reckons the addition of 'opening moves' allows the app to maintain true to itself while also giving lads a bit more to get involved in.
Female users will have the option to use the feature, but they can continue initiating conversations if they wish.
For non-binary users, or those seeking a match of the same gender, both people can set and respond to an opening move.
*Queue a load of blokes rushing to re-download Bumble*
Topics: Bumble, Dating trends, Sex and Relationships, Technology
Olivia Burke