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With summer around the corner and your winter flame finally dimming out, the dating app Bumble is making it a bit easier to connect with new people.
A decade ago, Bumble introduced itself as the app that let women control the show, and they had to start the conversation to get the ball rolling.
Now, Bumble is changing its business model and removing the longstanding rule that women must message first.
The move comes amid a larger idea to revamp the app because of an everchanging dating landscape, with the push coming from new CEO Lidiane Jones — who took over from founder Whitney Wolfe Herd months ago.
“We’re seeing a greater need for authentic human connections,” Jones told CNN. “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 center ourselves on our mission.”
Jones is listening to women users, and some, frankly, didn’t like that they had to spark conversation, so now they can still defer to the man.
“In listening to our community, many have shared their exhaustion with the current online dating experience, and for some, that includes making the first move,” Jones says in a statement. “We want to evolve with our community, shifting from a fixed approach to giving women more options in how they engage.”
Now, the ladies have the option to still start the conversation or offer up questions for the guy to answer first like, “Who’s your dream dinner party guest (real or fictional)?” or “What do you like about my profile?” Once the guy responds, the woman has 24 hours to answer back, or the conversation expires. The automated message, however, does kill some of the authenticity and personality that online dating has.
Aside from switching up the messaging format, Bumble’s also making it easier to let everyone know what you’re looking for and (hopefully) not lead anyone on with the introduction of badges like “‘fun, casual dates,” “intimacy without commitment,” “life partner,” and “ethical non-monogamy.”
Shared interests like hobbies and music will now be at the top of profiles and not buried at the bottom, as well.
