Bumble removes swiping and women-first messaging as dating app pivots to AI-driven matching

Bumble plans a reset to lure Gen Z back

Why it matters: Gen Z is burned out from online dating, but still eager to find connection. Herd thinks AI can bridge that gap. Zoom in: Speaking to Axios last week in Los Angeles, Herd said Bumble is in the midst of a major reinvention, one that will fundamentally change the way users engage with the app. * "It's time for a new interaction model," she said. * "The revolutionary component of Bumble has worn off. Now people are feeling exhausted, they're feeling fatigued. They feel like the swipe has degraded their love lives." State of play: Bumble is launching a new AI assistant within its app called "Bee" that will help users create and optimize their profiles to drive a stronger experience, Herd said. * The app will not encourage AI-generated photos or messages, but rather "Our goal is to leverage AI to make love and connection more human," she said. * "AI can help be a catalyst to them learning how to do it or making a few small tweaks that they didn't even realize were pertinent or relevant to how they could get some better outcomes." How it works: The new app will also change some of the functionality that made Bumble a hit in the first place. * Herd said Bumble is "saying goodbye to the swipe," which for years has been the cornerstone of online dating. * It also "will not force one gender over another to do something first," which is notable considering that when Herd created Bumble, women were encouraged to make the first move among heterosexual matches. * Instead, "we will be basically bottling the essence of what was always meant to be women making the first move -- a confident experience, a safe experience, a dynamic experience -- to get you offline in person on great dates and meetups." * The app will also explore ways to facilitate group dates, and will double down on features like "Bumble BFF" that help users build non-romantic connections. Zoom out: At the core of Bumble's shift is a push to create "a higher quality member base," one that's less spammy and more intentional, per Herd. For Bumble to be a success, it needs to help users eventually turn online interactions into real-world connections. The big picture: Bumble isn't alone. Many major consumer apps, including X, Reddit and Airbnb, have all looked to increase user engagement long term by trying to reduce spammy users and accounts.

Top dating app removes key matching features -- signaling big changes to come for finding love online

Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told Axios that the popular dating app will be doing away with the feature that asks users to swipe right or left on a person to share their interest or disinterest. On top of that, Wolfe Herd said that Bumble is removing one of its foundational features entirely, getting rid of the optional requirement that women message first in heterosexual matches. "We are going to be saying goodbye to the swipe and hello to something that I believe is revolutionary for the category," she said on "The Axios Show." It's unclear what exactly will replace swiping, but looking at recent announcements from Bumble, there's a large chance it has something to do with artificial intelligence, Engadget noted. Wolfe Herd, who returned to the dating app as CEO last year, has been discarding core features of the dating app in a move toward more AI-driven features. In March, Bloomberg reported that Bumble was testing an AI-powered assistant called "Bee" that takes matches beyond swiping. When a user opts in to Bee, it will perform an onboarding interview and recommend matches based on the users' "values, relationship goals, communications style, lifestyle and dating intentions." Once Bee finds a compatible match, both users will be notified. Tinder, the No. 1 dating app globally and Bumble's competitor, popularized swiping to match and still uses it. Bumble, the No. 2 app, is now moving away from it, and Hinge, the next biggest competitor, never used swipes and rather allowed users to interact with a prompt or photo to start a conversation. Whatever the change may be, Axios noted that it will roll out in select markers starting in the fourth quarter of this year. "People are feeling exhausted, they're feeling fatigued. They feel like the swipe has degraded their love lives," Wolfe Herd told Axios. And Bumble's signature women-make-the-first-move rule is changing, too. The dating app differentiated itself from the others by requiring women to start the conversation. Though they have introduced other ways to connect with matches, the feature always remained an option. Now, Bumble is breaking up with that standard. "We will not force one gender over another to do something first," Wolfe Herd told Axios. However, she added that the app will preserve "the essence of what was always meant to be women making the first move." Bumble teased the swipe change on Instagram, and people in the comments took the opportunity to express their overall fatigue with the app. "it's been over," a comment read. "Yeah to be honest it's just isn't working like it used to. None of my friends are meeting quality men on it," someone noted. "Left Bumble a year ago, it was getting impossible," a user shared. "What's new? Another form of disappointment?" one questioned. "all matches with completely incompatible dropouts with commitment issues and more emotional baggage than a WWI vet will now be powered by AI," another quipped. "Will my AI lovebomb me for 4 months then ghost ? Or is that extra," someone joked.