Bumble Now Allows Men to Message First

Bumble, the dating app founded on the principle of “women making the first move,” has announced a significant change: men will now have the ability to initiate conversations. This information was revealed during the company’s recent earnings call.

“For the first time on Bumble, anyone can send a single opening message by default, and the conversation will only proceed when the recipient responds,” said Bumble’s founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, during the Q2 2026 earnings call.

Transitioning from “Women Make the First Move”

Wolfe Herd established Bumble in 2014 as a feminist alternative to Tinder, where she was also a co-founder. Initially, only women could initiate contact in heterosexual matches. the app has been evolving this policy. Two years ago, Bumble introduced “Opening Moves,” allowing men to message first by responding to a prompt on a woman’s profile. This feature has since been discontinued in Australia and Mexico.

Bumble is extending the time limit for responding to a first message from 24 to 72 hours. Wolfe Herd addressed this change by acknowledging a significant complaint from users.

In testing, Bumble observed an increase in the number of chat initiations and mutual conversations. Wolfe Herd confirmed that these new rules will be implemented globally by the end of this month.

Integrating Real-Life Experiences and AI on Bumble

Wolfe Herd also shared plans for Bumble to focus more on real-life interactions. “I firmly believe that meeting people in group settings will become increasingly vital,” she stated, confirming that “Plans,” an anticipated event-curation feature, will launch as a standalone app.

Simultaneously, Bumble is planning to incorporate AI into its platform. As previously reported, Bumble will eliminate the swipe feature, but Wolfe Herd clarified that the upcoming AI dating assistant, named Bee, will not replace this function.

“Let me clarify: Bee is not a replacement for the swipe. Our goal is not to create an AI-driven experience. Bee serves as the intelligence behind the scenes,” she explained.

“Details about what will replace the swipe will remain confidential for competitive reasons,” she added. “However, it is designed to foster immediate interactions and, most importantly, enhance outcomes, closely resembling real-life connections while reducing the friction and delays typical of current dating app models.” Early feedback has been encouraging from both Gen Z and millennial users, she noted.

Bee will play a crucial role in shaping the new Bumble experience, “but it will never compromise our commitment to a human-first approach,” according to Wolfe Herd.

Anticipated Enhancements Coming to Bumble

When Wolfe Herd initially introduced Bee in March 2026, she indicated that the app was developing a new tech stack, targeting a launch in the second quarter of this year. she reported that this timeline has been delayed due to a data migration issue. New features, including profile and onboarding updates and innovative ways to connect in real life, are expected to roll out in early 2027.

The app aims to improve the free user experience by providing limited access to “Like You,” a typically paid feature that allows users to see who has already liked them.

Bumble is also revamping its subscription options to simplify the offerings and plans to introduce a higher tier subscription aimed at users seeking “mutual serious intent.”

This announcement comes as Bumble reports a decline in total revenue and paying users in Q2, with decreases of 15.2 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively, compared to Q2 2025. In June, Reuters noted that Bumble is contemplating a sale. The decision to eliminate the swipe feature has already stirred mixed reactions from users, making it uncertain how they will respond to these additional changes.