The next time you open Bumble, things might look a little different.
On Tuesday, nearly a decade after launching with a mission to empower women to make the first move, Bumble is revamping its app with a revamp that includes a new logo, an expanded algorithm and brand new features, including a standout feature called Opening Moves Way conversations start.
Previously, women using Bumble had to take the initiative and type an initial message within 24 hours of matching with someone. Now, as of Tuesday, women still have to make the first move on the app within a day, but they don’t necessarily have to be the first to type a message.
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Bumble’s new “Opening Moves” feature allows women to select a question from Bumble’s list, such as: B. “Who is your dream dinner party guest (real or fictional)?” or “What do you like about my profile?” that they can choose as the first message for all their new matches.
Lidiane Jones, Bumble’s new CEO, who took on the role in January after serving as CEO of Slack last year, said the company is “excited” about the new role.
“We want to evolve with our community and move from a fixed approach to increasing opportunities for women in their engagement,” Jones said in a press release.
Bumble’s redesign and updated features could reflect a broader increase in profitability.
Bumble posted a net loss of $1.9 million last year and cut 350 jobs in February. Both Bumble and competitor Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, have fallen more than 80% in value since their peak three years ago.
Bumble opening moves. Photo credit: BusinessWire
Bumble developed the Opening Moves feature after conducting a global survey this month of over 6,000 women ages 23 to 35 who used the app. Almost half of female respondents wanted more opportunities to start conversations.
Bumble found in initial testing in the same press release that Opening Moves increased the number of chats started, the number of people who responded to them, and the total time spent in the conversation.
For non-binary or same-sex unions, both sides can determine and respond to opening moves.
The feature relieves users of the burden of composing new initial messages for each game, increasing the likelihood that they will engage with the games in the first place.
When their matches respond to the prompt, the conversation begins.
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The survey also found that three out of four women viewed a person’s dating intentions as one of the most important factors in online dating, prompting the company to introduce a new feature on Tuesday called “Dating Intentions Badges” that allows users to People can choose two specific intentions, from “fun, casual dates” to “life partners,” that they want to add to their profiles. The options before were more general, like “marriage” or “something casual.”
As part of the overhaul, Bumble also requires users to add at least four photos, which is double the previous minimum requirement.
The app now creates a customized “For You” page for users with four people who might be good matches based on their preferences and match history.
According to TechCrunch, Bumble plans to add AI-powered features later this year and may even allow men to send the first message.
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