The next time you open up Bumble, it could look a little different.
On Tuesday, almost 10 years after launching with the mission of letting women make the first move, Bumble is revamping its app with an overhaul that includes a new logo, an advanced algorithm, and brand new features, including a standout one called Opening Moves that changes the way conversations start.
Before, women using Bumble had to take the initiative and type out a first message within 24 hours of matching with someone. Now, as of Tuesday, women still have to frame the first move on the app within a day, but they don’t necessarily have to be the first ones to type out a message.
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Bumble’s new “Opening Moves” feature allows women to choose a question from Bumble’s list, like “Who’s your dream dinner party guest (real or fictional)?” or “What do you like about my profile?” that they can choose as a first message for all of their new matches.
Bumble’s new CEO Lidiane Jones, who stepped into the role in January after running Slack last year as CEO, said that the company was “excited” about the new feature.
“We want to evolve with our community, shifting from a fixed approach to giving women more options in how they engage,” Jones stated in a press release.
Bumble’s redesign and updated features could reflect a broader push to profitability.
Bumble posted a $1.9 million net loss last year and cut 350 roles in February. Both Bumble and competitor Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, have dropped more than 80% in stock value from their peaks three years ago.
Bumble Opening Moves. Credit: BusinessWire
Bumble created the Opening Moves feature after running a global survey this month of over 6,000 women ages 23 to 35 using the app. Nearly half of the female respondents wanted more ways to start conversations.
Bumble found during early tests highlighted in the same press release that Opening Moves increased the number of chats started, how many people replied to them, and the overall time spent in the conversation.
For non-binary or same-gender connections, both sides can set and respond to Opening Moves.
The feature takes the pressure off of users to come up with new first messages for every match, increasing the chances that they’ll reach out to matches in the first place.
When their matches reply to the prompt, the conversation starts.
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The survey also found that three in four women found someone’s dating intentions to be one of the most important factors in online dating, which led the company to launch a new feature released on Tuesday called “Dating Intentions Badges” that allows users to select up to two specific intentions, from “fun, casual dates” to “life partner,” to add to their profiles. The options before were more general, like “marriage” or “something casual.”
As part of the revamp, Bumble is also requiring that users add at least four photos, double the previous minimum requirement.
The app will now create a customized For You page for users with four people who could be good matches based on their preferences and match history.
Bumble plans to add AI-powered features, and maybe even allow men to send the first message, later this year, per TechCrunch.
