Overview
- Bumble announced the change Tuesday, ending the decade‑old rule that only women could initiate conversations in heterosexual matches and giving either person the option to send the opening message.
- The app also lengthened the reply window from 24 hours to 72 hours so matches have more time to respond before a conversation expires.
- Bumble cited a U.S. survey and June–July Canada tests that it says produced higher message initiation, fewer expired chats, and more mutual conversations after opening first messages to anyone.
- To guard message quality and safety, the company will prompt users who try to send one‑word or low‑effort openers to write something more thoughtful, though the company says women in tests still felt control over their experience.
- The update is part of a broader relaunch that includes experiments to remove swiping, a standalone Plans app for in‑person events, and upcoming AI features as Bumble seeks to reverse declines in revenue and paying users.