How Does Bumble Work? 33 Pros, Cons & Secret Tips to Make It Work for You

You’ve been thinking about using Bumble, so we’ll answer the question: how does Bumble work? Keep reading so you can find your soulmate! 

With dating moving to the online universe, it’s hard to know which app or site is right for you. There are so many different types and while most of them are similar, there are a few that are completely tailored to what you need. Like Bumble! But how does Bumble work and what makes it different?

While many dating apps cater to the general audience, there are a few designed for specific types of people. 

What is Bumble? 

Bumble is a dating app. It was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd. She used to be a Vice President at Tinder but sued the company for sexual discrimination and harassment and settled for just over $1,000,000 in 2014. 

Because of the media attention the case received, the founder of Badoo, Andrey Andreev, contacted Whitney Wolf Herd via email, and the two met to start a new app. She describes it as a “feminist dating app.” 

Bumble was launched in December 2014, three months after the lawsuit. The company headquarters are in Austin, Texas, and as of 2021, it had 650 employees globally. [Read: Bumble vs. Tinder – which hot dating app fits your love needs?]

It’s similar to Tinder in some ways. For example, you can “swipe left” to reject someone or “swipe right” when you’re interested in them. 

However, with heterosexual matches, only women can make the first contact when matched. In same-sex matches, either person can message the other first.

Bumble is geared more toward women. It puts women in the driver’s seat so they can steer their relationships in the right direction. [Read: Best dating apps for a relationship – hottest apps to try in 2022]

Why is dating online so popular?

How much time during the day do you spend on your phone? Now, how much time do you spend going out and about to meet new people? 

You probably spend the large majority of your time on your phone while only a minuscule amount of time is spent out in the open.

This means it’s much easier for you to meet someone from the comfort of your home, behind your phone, than it would be for you to meet someone in real life. [Read: Annoying misconceptions about online dating]

That’s why dating apps have become the new rage in dating. And it’s much more likely that you’ll meet someone you click with.

How does Bumble work?

If you’re in the market for a new dating app and aren’t sure what to go for, Bumble is definitely one you should try. Say goodbye to Tinder, and hello to the hottest dating app to hit the market since.

If you’re unfamiliar with what this app is, don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for. In order to determine if Bumble is the dating app you want to use, you’ll have to know how it works, first. [Read: Why dating apps don’t work for you – a perspective-changing guide]

1. You connect to it through Facebook

This is much like Tinder. You sign up through Facebook and all your images are added through the app. Don’t worry, though. 

They never post anything on Facebook saying that you’re on a dating app. They just use it for your age and images.

2. You set up a profile

You can create a bio on Bumble, just like Tinder. This allows others to see what your interests are and for you to show people who you are in a little snippet so they can decide to like you or dislike you. [Read: The best tips for making the most of your online dating profile]

3. You can browse local singles on Bumble

Bumble works based on your location. This way, you aren’t connecting with someone hundreds of miles away but instead, you’re connecting with someone closer to your location so you can actually build a relationship.

4. You can even make just friends! 

Bumble has a “BFF” feature that allows you to look for friends instead of relationships! 

We all know how hard it can be to find friends – especially if you just moved to a new location. Bumble makes it easy to connect to those who are in need of a platonic companion. [Read: Bumble BFF – what it is, the right bios, and how to meet a real life bestie]

5. You swipe to “like” or “dislike” 

This feature is really simple to use. All you have to do is swipe left to dislike someone and swipe right if you like them. This way, if both of you “like” each other, it will show you a match. Bumble works very similar to Tinder in some ways.

6. Women make the first move

Instead of allowing two-way communication after a match, women have to make the first move. 

This gives us ladies the opportunity to thoroughly vet the guys before deciding to begin a conversation with them. We may change our minds after a while or find someone we want to talk to more. [Read: Reasons women should make the first move]

7. Matches only last 24 hours

Another way that Bumble works is that your matches only last 24 hours before disappearing, unlike Tinder. If you don’t “make a move” prior to those 24 hours, you’ll lose that match forever. 

This encourages women to expedite their communication so a guy will know that very day if they’re interested.

8. Guys can extend an extra “like” for 24 more hours once a day

If 24 hours have gone by without a message from a girl, a guy can choose to extend those 24 hours with only one person a day.

This means, if a guy does this for a girl, he must be really into her and want to get to know her a lot. [Read: 17 new dating app terms and their meaning for easy online dating]

9. For friends, each has the opportunity to message first

With the BFF feature, both people have the opportunity to send the first message – it’s not restricted to just one person. Therefore, the 24 hours rule only exists if neither person talks to the other.

10. You can then message your heart away! 

After creating a message and opening the line of communication, you can message away! 

Many people carry on a conversation for a couple of days before deciding to dish out their number and take the conversation elsewhere. [Read: How to message a girl you like and make her want you]

Pros and cons of Bumble

Now that you know how Bumble works, let’s talk about the pros and the cons – just in case you’re still not convinced whether or not you should use it or not.

Pros

1. Women are in control

Depending on how you look at it, this can be a pro for both men and women. Women can relax and not worry about getting unwanted, rude, or sexually explicit messages from a lot of men they don’t like.

For men who don’t like making the first move, it’s great for them too. The woman has to take the lead with the first message, so the pressure is off of them to do it themselves. [Read: 24 ways to be a strong independent woman all men love and desire]

2. It’s not just a dating app

If you’re not sure if you want to find a romantic partner, you can still use Bumble to find friends with their Friend Finder feature. It can be a great way to meet new people or even network for business – sort of like LinkedIn.

3. It’s easy to use

It’s not difficult to set up your profile. All you need is six good photos of yourself and a bio of 300 words or less. So, for people who find it difficult to write something about themselves, they don’t have to go too deep if they don’t want to.

4. Premium features are affordable

You can use Bumble for free and you will still get results. But even if you want to take your experience to the next level, the premium features are reasonably priced. [Read: Signs of an online dating player – 15 tells you shouldn’t ignore]

They offer a lot of bypassing features compared to the free version such as keeping the expired connection list instead of losing them forever.

5. Speedy communication

This is a much faster way of dating. When you only have 24 hours to decide to speak with someone, you make decisions much faster. 

This means you’re not sitting around waiting for the other person to get up the courage and chat. It’s also less nerve-racking for the guys this way. [Read: Your guide to flirting online the right way]

6. Fewer hook-ups

Tinder has become known more for its hooking-up aspects than for their relationship matching. The truth is, many people on Tinder just want to get laid. 

But because Bumble puts women in charge, the guys on this app are looking for more than a one-night stand.

7. Genuine connections

People on Bumble are there for the right reasons. [Read: How to write an online dating profile – 18 must-know tips to stand apart]

They’re not there to hook up with you, but to find like-minded people they can get along with. Their BFF feature proves this to be true by connecting people who are just looking for friends.

Cons

1. Men can’t send the first message

Just as this was a pro for some people, it can also be a con for others – both men and women. If you’re a man who likes making the first move and being in control, then Bumble isn’t for you.

Also, if you’re a woman who wants the man to take the lead, then you are better off with another dating app. [Read: 30 Best and worst words to describe yourself online and catch anyone’s eye]

2. You lose connections in 24 hours

For the free version, if the woman doesn’t reach out to the man in the first 24 hours, then the connection is gone forever. 

So, if a woman has a busy day and can’t get on Bumble for a day or two, then she might have missed her soul mate.

And for men, they may never get a message from a woman he really likes because it’s up to her to send the first message, not him. [Read: Why you should take a break from online dating to find love]

3. Can’t narrow your search too much

Even though you can use different criteria to narrow your search, you can’t get too specific.

For example, you can’t search for, “man between 25-35 who is over six feet tall, never married, no children, makes over $100,000 a year, with blonde hair and blue eyes who wants to get married and have children.”

4. It can be difficult to find people with the same values as you

Just as with most dating sites and apps, so many people are just looking to hook up. While Bumble is slightly better than some apps, it still has the same problem sometimes. [Read: What does compatible mean in a relationship? Are you?]

There is no way to filter these people out of your potential matches.

5. It’s impersonal and less dependable

Online personas can be misleading, to say the least. Some people are great conversationalists online, but in person, they have zero personality.

Meeting someone online is always less personal and trustworthy than meeting someone organically in real life. [Read: 64 best places to meet men and ways to find your perfect attractive, and eligible guy]

6. It can be shallow

It can lead to connections that start off based on physical appearances through pictures rather than actual chemistry. In order to swipe right on someone, people typically just look at their pictures first to determine whether they are attractive.

Bumble tips for women

Everyone can use some tips in life every now and then, especially when it comes to dating and dating apps. So, for the ladies, here are something you can do to increase your chances of meeting Mr. Right.

1. Be alone in your first photo

This should be obvious, but sometimes it’s not. The man is looking to date you, not a group of your friends or your kids. [Read: How to date online – 15 tricks successful online daters always use]

So, for your profile photo, you should have a good, realistic, and flattering photo of yourself. And you want to smile and look friendly too.

If you include anyone else in your other photos, make sure you specify which one you are if you’re in a group. It’s difficult to pick out people you don’t know in a picture. It might be obvious to you, but not to people who don’t know you in real life.

2. Include your physique

Yes, this is painful for a lot of women if they are insecure about their bodies. [Read: How to look beautiful and oh-so-hot in 15 easy steps!]

But let’s face it – men are visual creatures, and they want to know what your figure looks like. That’s not to say that they won’t be interested in you if you are overweight. A lot of men don’t care.

It’s really just about honesty here. Men feel fooled if they have an image in their head about what you look like and you show up to the date looking completely different. 

Plus, when you put a full-body photo, you’ll automatically weed out the men who don’t like your body and you’re left with the ones who do. It’s a win-win! [Read: How to take a good selfie and look cute every time you snap a photo]

3. End the first messages with a question

Sometimes it’s difficult for women to think of a good first message to send to guys. Make it simple but say something about yourself. Let him know that you’re interested in getting to know him.

And you should always end your first message with a question. Why? Because it gives him something to answer and talk about in his reply. 

Some guys are bad at this sort of thing, so you are giving him a little nudge and a “cheat sheet” about what he can talk about.

Plus, it helps you get to know him better too, which is ultimately why you’re there. [Read: 15 online dating tips for women to super-boost your dating game]

Bumble tips for men

Guys, if you’re not sure what to say to a woman you are talking with from Bumble, we have tips for you as well.

1. Get her to talk about herself

If you don’t know what to say in your first message to her, then you can just ask her questions about herself. People like talking about themselves, and it’s easy for them.

Plus, when you ask her questions, it shows that you want to get to know her on a real level and you’re not just in it to hook up with someone.

Most women aren’t interested in guys who don’t care to know anything about them. [Read 15 online dating tips for men to go from overlooked to dating god]

2. Close messages asking her out

The whole point of being on a dating app is meeting people and dating them, right? This sounds obvious, but a lot of guys seem like they just want a texting buddy and have no intention of taking a woman out on an actual date.

So, ask her out! And ask her out sooner than later. Just because you might have good chemistry over text or phone doesn’t mean you will in person.

So, just close your message with something like, “Would you be down to grab a drink/coffee/lunch sometime?” [Read: 21 secrets and ways to ask a girl out on a date and get her to say yes]

Bumble FAQs

You might still have some questions about Bumble, so here are some FAQs answered for you.

1. Why do women have to message first on Bumble?

The requirement for women to send the first message is a unique approach and the idea behind it is to give women control over whom they wish to communicate with. 

Its purpose is to remind women that they have power and they don’t have to wait for a man to initiate the conversation. Essentially, it puts women in the driver’s seat. [Read: How to know if online dating is right for you – is it your match?]

2. How does Bumble work for LGBT+ users?

In the case of same-gender/LGBT+ couple matches or non-binary users, either person can start the conversation. 

However, the 24-hour response time limit is still the same. The match will remain if both parties message each other within the allotted time.

3. How does Bumble’s algorithm work?

The algorithm does its best to help everyone have success from the beginning. Because of this, a person might get a large number of matches immediately. [Read: Great reasons online dating is worth a shot]

However, as time goes on, the number will get lower and you’ll really need to try hard if you want to make your profile look more interesting to users. 

Once it seems like you’ve reached your peak and you have matched with hundreds of people, the algorithm will basically sabotage you and make your profile appear on fewer homepages.

The same goes for people who never update their profile or have a low match rate. [Read: 30 effective tips to help you win at online dating]

If these accounts don’t do anything to change the situation, then they will need to purchase premium feathers and invest a certain amount of money into Bumble.

4. Do you have to pay for Bumble? 

No, you don’t have to pay for Bumble. You can swipe through members’ profiles, make matches, and send messages for free. 

In addition, you will have the chance to extend one match per day in case you didn’t hear from them in time and take advantage of features such as Basic Info Badges, specific search preferences, video/audio calls, and the Question Game. [Read: I used a dating site without a photo and this happened]

Although it is free to use, like most dating apps, there is a paid subscription too.

For example, it’s tempting to know who showed interest in your profile before you’ve actually matched, so Bumble Premium gives you access to take a look at them.

If you don’t want to pay a subscription fee, then you can also use Spotlights or Super Swipes to boost your experience. [Read: Why do all the nice guys suck at online dating?]

5. How do I get started on Bumble? 

Now that you know how Bumble works, it’s easy to get started. First, you need to download the Bumble app and click “Sign in with Facebook.”

Then review your login options. After you have that set up, then you can follow along with the Bumble tutorial to learn how to use it.

You will also have the opportunity to review the offer for upgrades and extras. After that, then you just need to set up your profile and start using the app.

[Read: The pros and cons of using a dating app to find love]

The question of how Bumble works, has easily been answered. It’s one of the hottest dating apps out there. By putting women in charge, any guy would be an idiot not to join in order to find a relationship.