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Popular dating app Bumble has taken a radical step that has split its users into two camps: the platform is officially abandoning its signature rule stating that only women could send the first message.

When the app launched in 2014, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd stated that this exact feature set Bumble apart from competitors like Tinder by empowering women to "make the first move." Now, however, that foundation is crumbling, writes the BBC.

The shift was driven by testing results showing increased engagement, along with an internal user survey revealing a curious fact: 66% of women prefer men to message them first.

What is Changing on Bumble?

• Abolition of the "women message first" rule: Any user can now send the first message after a match (previously, an exception was made only for same-sex pairs).

• Extended time limit: The time window to start a conversation after a match has been increased from 24 hours to three days.

"While the idea of women making the first move was radical, the 'women first' concept was never about forcing a single way of communicating," Whitney Wolfe Herd commented on the changes. "Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and greater opportunities to build real, meaningful connections—and that is exactly what the new experience provides."

Back in 2015, shortly after the project's launch, Wolfe Herd argued in an interview with the Toronto Star that calling women passive was a stereotype. Over time, however, reality brought its own adjustments.

User Reaction: From Bewilderment to Relief

On popular online platforms (including the r/Bumble subreddit, which boasts half a million members), the news sparked fierce debate.

Many users are asking the main question: how is Bumble different from any other dating app like Tinder now?

• "If you women want men to message first, use a different app," one commenter expressed outrage.

• Other users noted that they genuinely valued the old rule: "Women are flooded with messages, so any girl who messaged me first showed a genuine interest."

• There were also those who greeted the news with enthusiasm. Some women confessed they were tired of taking the initiative to no avail: "Honestly, men barely responded when I wrote first," or "most matches simply expired because of the timer."

Professional matchmaker Sarah Louise Ryan supported the company's decision, noting that Bumble's signature feature "has already run its course."

"Initially, the idea felt empowering, but over time the novelty wore off," she explains. "Women were essentially required to carry the entire narrative and conversational energy, while men felt passive or anxious."

The Dating Industry Crisis

The abandonment of the core rule comes amid an overall downturn and stagnation in the online dating market. According to regulator Ofcom's Online Nation report, Bumble's UK audience shrank from nearly 1.5 million active monthly users in 2023 to 1.1 million in 2025.

Although Tinder retains its lead in the UK, it lost about a million users over the same period, while Hinge held steady at the 1.5 million mark.

Recall that last year, parent company Bumble Inc. was forced to lay off nearly a third of its global workforce amid financial difficulties.

"People are starting to realize that endless swiping doesn't actually lead to real dates," Sarah Louise Ryan summarizes. "We are seeing a clear shift toward communities and real-world interaction — singles are going to clubs or turning to offline matchmakers simply because they are tired of apps."

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