Bumble is a popular dating app and ever since its IPO, it has received a lot of interest from people who see this as an opportunity to be a different type of dating app (read more about my most recommended dating apps here).
Bumble app has largely positioned itself as a woman first dating app and has enacted more rules around Middle Eastern Sites dating website who can message first, bans on certain types of photos, and guidelines around inactive accounts with the hope of building trust and establishing a good reputation.
It has upended traditional, societal norms around who should message first on dating sites and created an environment that allows women to control which men can message them but there has been some unintended consequences along the way.
A shift in user behavior has resulted in men swiping more often (relying on a volume approach strategy) as well as women experiencing low effort, low response rates, ghosting, and generally bad etiquette around messaging, communication skills and date planning.
Below is an overview of the app with clarification on intentions, interpretations, etiquette, explanations, how to use Bumble (how does Bumble work), how to use Bumble web (Bumble desktop mode) and how to navigate the app so you don’t waste your time.
For help with making a good Bumble profile, read this. For a breakdown of Bumble Premium (pros, cons is it worth it, read this).
The app can be a bit confusing for those that are used to using sites like Tinder or Match so here are some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions on Bumble. For my review on Bumble app, check out this post.
Bumble is different in that women control who can message them. A match is created when two individuals like each other, and women are forced to send the first messages in order for the guy to contact them. Women have 24 hours to send a message before a match expires.
Men have 24 hours to respond otherwise the match expires. On the free version, one cannot see who liked them (part of the paid version of the app).
If you like the person, you swipe right. If you want to pass on the person, you swipe left. If you are not sure, close the app, wait a few seconds and open it up again. If the same person shows up, try adjusting your filters.
Matches on Bumble are when two people flick their finger and swipe right on you. That is all it means. It doesn’t mean they read your profile, saw all your photos, read your bio or even swiped right intentionally.
No, you can’t assume anything. It’s possible but not guaranteed nor likely. It’s even possible that a guy that liked your profile didn’t even look at your profile (some guys swipe right on everyone!).
Definitely do not write how is your day, week, evening, quarantine, weekend, etc. This is the most unoriginal, lazy question. Read the person’s profile, look at their questions. If they have no conversation starters, why did you swipe right on them?