Bumble has been slammed after ditching its signature 'women-first' chat rule. The popular dating app, famous for empowering females to have more control by ensuring they are the ones to make the first move, has dropped the long-standing criteria.
Bumble has a similar style to other dating sites, such as Tinder and Hinge, where you swipe through potential suitors – but it always came with a twist, ever since it was founded back in 2014. Now, men can approach women, and the news hasn't gone down well with users, who have accused the company of removing the feature which first attracted them to sign up to the romance app.
Founder defends change
"While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect," Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, said. "Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections and that is what this new experience provides."
On Reddit, a number of users have hit out at the decision. One wrote: "I thought the whole point was that it gave women the power to initiate the conversation and steer the direction at the beginning? Give women more control and power over the initial encounter." Another said: "Congratulations, Bumble, on surrendering your only real angle! Now you are just another dating app!"
Reply window extended
It's not the only big change. Bumble has decided to give users more time before a chat expires, widening the reply window for matches from 24 hours to 72 hours. Data from the initial testing showed a positive response to the firm's update, with almost half of surveyed members saying the lengthened time to reply made their experience on the app better.
During the global pandemic, with people unable to meet in person, Bumble soared in popularity. It had 100 million users in 2020 alone. Until now, women had to make the first move to start the conversation on Bumble, and be the ones to send the first message. If the woman doesn't send a message within 24 hours of being matched, the pair will be unmatched and lost. The app even gives women's suggestions of how to start a conversation with someone who's caught their eye. Bumble has shared a few to help set the sparks flying, including confident, humorous or direct openings.
App's other features
On its website, Bumble explains: "We're levelling the playing field and changing the dynamics of dating. We believe relationships should begin with respect and equality". The app is free but has some additional features for an extra cost if people wish, such as the extra 24 hours for women to reply, being able to swipe through profiles that have already liked you and also a rematch feature that will allow past people you didn't match with the first time to pop up again to try and match the second time. Bumble also has a feature to verify users on the app to check they're not catfishing or aren't time-wasting internet bots.
