Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Jim Manzon

Bumble Ends Women-First Rule: Why the Dating App Now Lets Men Message First as Revenue Slides

A survey of 2,267 US women found nearly two-thirds want men to open the conversation, a finding Bumble used to justify the change (Credit: Good Faces Agency/Unsplash)

Bumble has scrapped the rule that defined it. From Tuesday, men can send the first message on the dating app, ending a decade-old feature that let women alone start heterosexual conversations. The reply window also triples, from 24 hours to 72.

The change lands as the company fights to reverse a steep commercial slide, and it reads less like a values update than a survival move.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.