Big changes to Bumble: Anyone can now message first after matching
A big change has come to Bumble: Anyone can make the first move after matching on the dating app.
On Aug. 11, the platform announced that it's now allowing men to also message first in heterosexual matches, scrapping one of its defining features since its launch in 2014.
Additionally, recipients now have 72 hours—up from 24 hours—to reply, giving more time for conversations to start.
According to Bumble, 66% of women surveyed on the app said they preferred men to start the conversation, as this would make dating "feel less pressured." Tests the app conducted also monitored a hike in chat initiation spread more evenly between men and women.
Research commissioned by the company between February and March 2025 also found that many Gen Z women have said they "appreciate the flexibility" for men to make the first move.
"We built Bumble around the belief that when you make dating better for women, you make it better for everyone, and that remains true today. While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect," the dating app's founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, said.
"Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections, and that is what this new experience provides. This evolution isn’t a departure from our founding vision, but the realization of it."
Meanwhile, women said the lengthened reply window improved their experience on the app.
The update comes after sources told Reuters that Bumble is exploring a sale due to slowing growth in online dating.
Shares of the company have fallen 48% since 2025 while annual revenue declined nearly 10% to $966 million (P59 billion) and total paying users dropped by 11%.
