Why Bumble now allows men to message first

Starting today, Bumble has introduced a significant alteration to its platform, allowing both men and women to initiate conversations. This shift marks a departure from the longstanding policy where women traditionally made the first move. The update is a direct response to user feedback and insights, as noted in a press release distributed to Mashable.

A survey conducted in August 2024 of over 2,200 women in the U.S. revealed that 66% of them actually preferred men to send the initial message, finding it lessened the pressure associated with dating. Bumble commissioned a study between February and March 2025 of 2,000 singles aged 18-35 using dating apps, which found that a majority of both men and women felt more confident when they had the choice of who initiated the conversation.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder and CEO of Bumble, emphasized that the app was built on the belief that improving the dating experience for women would ultimately benefit everyone. The company has been evolving to meet shifting gender dynamics and dating norms over its 12-year existence. In 2022, Bumble allowed nonbinary users to make the first move, and in 2024, it introduced "Opening Moves," a feature enabling men to message first through a prompt to tackle dating app fatigue.

Early tests of the latest change in Canada between June and July 2026 showed that 92% of women still felt in control of their dating experience, and over half of the surveyed users believed the extended reply window enhanced their experience. Additional transformations are on the horizon, including a standalone app called "Plans" for arranging in-person events and a forthcoming AI dating assistant, "Bee."

Despite the announcement of retiring the swipe feature, Wolfe Herd hinted at other forthcoming features. The company has been experiencing a decline in revenue and paying users, leading to speculation about a potential sale. This change could be an attempt to rejuvenate user engagement and interest.