Bumble

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Bumble is an online dating app founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe, who was actually a Tinder employee until that moment. Indeed, two apps share a lot of the common features, but the main difference is the fact that on Bumble, women are in control. Whenever a match is made, a woman gets to message a man first, and then he will reply if he is interested. As of recently, Bumble has also launched an offline project called Bumble Mag. The magazine is distributed offline, in regular paper form, and you can order a copy for free through the app if you are located in the States. The magazine has a couple of different sections but it's mostly writing about friendship, dating, and relationships. Being that the app that mainly puts focus on the female population, it is quite weird that the statistics boast almost equal 50/50 ratio of male/female registered users. The site is friendly to homosexual and transgender people as well, and they are highly encouraged to register. Also, the sites main target audiences are people in their 20's and early 30's, with a focus on more casual and short term relationships.

How to get started

The registration process is fairly easy and user-friendly, and it only takes a few minutes to complete and get in. Especially if you already have a Facebook account, you don't need to input any information, as the app will import all the required information from your Facebook profile for you. For some time, in the beginning, signing-up via Facebook was the only option, but after many user complaints and after a huge takeover by Instagram as the most mainstream social platform, they also added the option to register via e-mail or phone number. However, if you chose to link your Facebook account, the algorithm will scan your profile's history, and you will be getting suggested matches immediately.

Profiles

It's quite obvious that the site is catered mostly towards casual relationships and hookups since the profiles don't hold too much useful information. This isn't too much, considering that you can't really tell if you're compatible with somebody, based on just their gender, their occupation, and education, unless you're looking for partners solely based on physical appearance. Keep in mind that your pictures and information is publicly available for everyone, even for those who aren't registered on the site, assuming that they have the link to your profile. Also, there are many fake profiles, but if you happen to stumble upon one, just make sure to report it, and the admins will do their job in time.

Matching

Now, this is where the Bumble stands out from the rest of the pack. While the profiles are lacking much important information, their matching algorithms are reported to be very good when it comes to presenting you with the most fitting matches. There is no search option, but the site will just give you a match suggestion based on your preferences, and you can apply some filters like age range, ethnicity, etc. If both you and the other member liked each other, the match is made, but the woman is the one who has to send the first message within the 24 hours when the match disappears. After that, the guy has 24 hours to respond, and if he does, the chat will be available for free from that moment indefinitely. For homosexual couples, both parties can send the first message, and the other has the same rule of 24 hours to reply before the match expires. Messaging is free for all users, and there are also chatrooms which you can join to engage in conversation with a group of members on various topics.

Application

When it comes to the design, the app is really well done with color schemes and patterns, while still keeping the overall layout simple and not too flashy. It is very clean and easy to navigate, even for those who are not too keen on tech stuff. Although all Bumble's core features are free for all users, there is a premium subscription which comes with a lot of exciting features. Starting with the BumbleBff, you can pay a small amount of money in order to use this feature as well. It's more focused on making friendships and engaging in conversations with people of similar interests, rather than dating and hookups. You can also spend credits to SuperSwipe, and they will get high priority notification that you are so interested in them that you actually decided to pay just to get their attention. Also, premium members can extend the match time frame from 24 hours to an additional 48 hours if they choose to do so. However, the premium subscription is a bit pricy, and it varies from $14-25 a month, depending on the subscription plan. Bumble also has a BumbleHive, which is their blog which allows users to read many articles related to dating, so that you are always up to date. But we highly suggest that you also check some sections on our site dedicated to those topics, while you're already here.

See Also