2026-08-14 15:06:13
Bumble has scrapped its policy of only allowing women to send the first message to a match.
The popular dating app – which launched in 2014 – has decided to drop its signature policy that previously distinguished Bumble from rival platforms like Tinder and Hinge.
Luke Brunning, a philosopher who studies the ethics of technology and relationships, explained to the Guardian newspaper: “Bumble is in salvage mode.
“They’ve already reorganised, restructured and cut jobs in response to declining revenue. This risky, standout pivot suggests they’re wondering how, despite all that, to keep going.”
Bumble has suffered a serious downturn over the last 12 months, and the policy change is seen as a reaction to its declining popularity.
Brunning said: “It’s going to be fascinating to see whether they can weather it. But they’re not alone: a lot of the major players are also in salvage mode, trying to figure out how to position themselves in a market that is increasingly fed up with them.”
Adam Peacock, a researcher of technology and intimacy, observed that dating apps are struggling to find their rightful place in the dating world, amid the rise of AI technology.
He explained: “There’s a kind of emerging cultural backlash against allowing AI into our intimate lives as well as the additional concern that someone you’re talking to on these apps, is actually filtering the whole conversation through an AI concierge.”
Increasingly, consumers are concerned that dating apps are being geared towards profit, rather than helping people to find love.
Peacock said: “The dating industry has turned intimacy into an enormous source of data.
“Dating apps can know where people live, what they look like, who they are attracted to, what they say to potential partners and, increasingly, how they behave.”
Despite this, Peacock thinks dating apps could eventually evolve into something more holistic.
He said: “More of a social media, lifestyle product than a dedicated dating app.”
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