Is this the end of an era for Bumble? Men can now initiate conversations with women on the app first, through the form of answering a question set by the female user. The ‘women-first’ dating app is now ‘women-first when messaging, but men can go first if they answer a set question’, which admittedly isn’t quite as catchy.
Elsewhere, Feeld’s success looks to be inspiring other hook-up apps, Tinder has introduced a safety feature but lost a CEO, and Hinge is introducing a form of positive censorship.
Bumble not always ‘women-first’ anymore
Bumble made its name by only allowing women users to message matches first. So, following reports that this unique selling point was going to be changed, the app’s new Opening Moves feature does indeed mark a big shift for the app often billed as ‘women-first’.
Now women can set a question for men to answer when they match, essentially allowing men to send the first message.
The feature is optional, so Bumble’s unique selling point hasn’t been upturned to the point of salvation. Announcing the change, Bumble said: “Opening Moves means less agonizing over what to say, and more getting to the good chats faster. The choice is yours.”
The move is part of a drive by Bumble to maintain relevance following recent dips in the company’s share price, and the departure of CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, the ex-Tinder employee who founded Bumble in 2014. Some of the ‘original’ dating apps that emerged to prominence in the 2010s, including Bumble and Tinder, have struggled to attract younger users, as much of their original Millennial user base got paired up and left the dating pool.
Reaction to the change so far has been mixed, including debate about whether it’s better to ‘pursue’ or ‘be pursued’ from the off on an app.
Bumble seems intent on honing in on a younger user base, though. In another move seemingly made to appeal to a more youthful demographic, the app introduced a new badge feature that allows you to state your dating goals, such as ‘ethical non-monogamy’.
Nymph wants a piece of Feeld’s pie
The rise in popularity of the Feeld dating app has suggested that after years of hook-up and non-monogamy dating apps being plagued with fake profiles, bugs and scams, the niche was finally getting a bit more legit.
Now Feeld’s success seems to have inspired others to come after a slice of the polygamous pie, most recently Nymph, which is available on Google Play. The app is pitched at “singles and couples looking to break the conventional bounds of love and relationships.”
The app’s functionality doesn’t seem to offer anything particularly new beyond standard profile matching, but it’ll be interesting to see if further Feeld-like apps follow in its footsteps and offer a bump to a dating app industry many say is in mild decline.
Nymph’s makers may also have noted that there have been many complaints about Feeld being glitchy and having had short periods of shutdown. Nymph’s creators said the app “takes pride in its craftsmanship, that ensures a seamless and stable user experience. No annoying lags or crashes – just pure exploration.”
Hinge lets you block specific words and emojis…
Hinge has rolled out a feature called Hidden Words, that allows you to select words, phrases and emojis that will lead to incoming comments from users being silo-ed away from the standard comment inbox. These comments can then be ignored or deleted without being opened, or reviewed knowing they contain something flagged.
The function was introduced, Hinge said, to “reduce unwanted interactions”, and easily allows you to choose which words, phrases and emojis you don’t want to see. The move is likely to see a lot of messages from men requesting sex acts, describing their genitals, plus probably many eggplant emojis, landing straight in Hinge’s inbox dustbins.
Hinge said: “Hidden Words is designed to help support daters by detouring a negative interaction before it starts, and to provide the opportunity to create a better experience on Hinge based on their personal preferences.”
…While a Hinge date cancellation goes viral
Meanwhile, also in Hinge world, a screenshot of a date cancellation message sent on the app went viral recently, sparking debate about cancellation etiquette.
The sender said they wanted to “put a pin in” a plan for a date they had with a match, because they “met someone yesterday that I wasn’t expecting to vibe with as much as I did”.
Are we in the era of over-communication, or the era of honesty? Many people suggested that the message represented nothing more than a flimsy excuse to can a date, and that a bit more straightforwardness would have been a better route.
“Bring back ghosting”, someone commented on the post, which has garnered almost eight million views.
Grindr sued for allegedly sharing HIV info
650 claimants have launched a lawsuit against Grindr, accusing the LGBTQ+ dating app of sharing personal data with advertising firms, including information about HIV status.
The lawsuit was launched in London’s High Court. Chaya Hanoomajee, managing director of the Austen Hays law firm handling the lawsuit, said: “Our clients have experienced significant distress over their highly sensitive and private information being shared without their consent, and many have suffered feelings of fear, embarrassment and anxiety as a result.”
Grindr said it takes privacy “extremely seriously”, adding that the lawsuit “appears to be based on a mischaracterisation of practices from more than four years ago.”
In 2018, Grindr got in hot water when the app’s makers admitted that HIV status information of users had been shared with external vendors, but the company said this was for app optimisation rather than commercial purposes.
At that time Grindr said: “These vendors are under strict contractual terms that provide for the highest level of confidentiality, data security, and user privacy.”
Tinder lets you announce your ‘IRL’ dates…
Tinder is launching a new feature called Share My Date, that allows you to inform friends and family about the details of a date with a match on the app, including a photo of the person you’re meeting.
The function lets you send information about the day, time and location of the date along with the photo of your match, via a web link.
Announcing the feature, Tinder pitched it as a fun way to instigate date planning chat with your loved ones. However, while the function may be handy for crowdsourcing outfit and hair advice, Share My Date is likely to be used by many largely as a safety mechanism ahead of ‘in real life’ dates where you’re meeting someone properly for the first time.
Here’s hoping it does indeed aid date security and safety, and not just nosy friends and parents ‘randomly’ turning up to their loved ones’ date venues.
…While the app’s CEO makes a swift exit
On the subject of commitments you might have to swiftly ditch, Tinder’s chief executive Renate Nyborg has left the app less than a year after taking up the role at the app’s parent company, Match Group.
Nyborg became Tinder’s first female CEO in September 2023. Match Group recently tried to make the app more relevant to younger users, redesigning it with a more flashy ‘rizz-first’ look. The company has also suggested that it will make far more use of AI in its functionality in the near-future.
The specific reason for Nyborg’s departure was not revealed. Tinder’s financial results have recently been below analyst expectations. Figures from early 2024 showed that Tinder had 10 million paying users: a nine percent decrease from the previous year. Hinge, also owned by Match Group, had 1.4 million paying users in early 2024: a figure up 31 percent year-on-year.
Match Group chief executive Bernard Kim said: “While people have generally moved past lockdowns and entered a more normal way of life, their willingness to try online dating products for the first time hasn’t yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. We are still seeing higher engagement from pre-existing users compared to before the pandemic.”
He added: “In order to see new user growth return to pre-pandemic levels, I will be challenging the teams to make bigger strides in product innovation to drive more first time adoption of our products.”
The company is now looking for a new, presumably ‘rizz-first’, CEO.
