Dating apps seem to be the de facto way to meet your next partner, but that doesn’t mean they’re fun to use. Finding someone genuine seems nearly impossible; it’s all ghosters, players, and people who just don’t take dating seriously. Bumble, founded by Whitney Wolfe, was conceived with women in mind. It’s definitely revolutionized the app game, but Bumble recently introduced a new feature that’s switching up the app’s entire ethos.
How does Bumble work?
If you’ve never used the app before, you might not know what makes Bumble different. It’s all about giving the woman (or non-binary person) the power. Men can match, but it’s up to women to reach out. If they don’t, the match expires within 24 hours.
With this approach, women and nonbinary people can decide whether or not a guy is someone worth their while. It’s a refreshing change from other dating apps, but Bumble now seems set to change things.
Bumble’s new feature is switching things up.
Bumble’s new “Compliments” feature, launched on November 30, lets all users send others a sweet message before they even match. While you still can’t send them a personalized message, you can send a compliment to hopefully make you stand out and make them want to match with you.
“Compliments answer the what and why of dating. What is it about a person that you find fascinating? Why do you want to get to know someone better?” said Shan Boodram, Bumble’s sex and relationships expert, in a press release. “With that in mind, there truly is no better way to start a connection.”
Whether you want to remark on someone’s adorable dog or laugh at something hilarious in their profile, the “Compliments” feature could highlight you as a better match.
Not everyone is a fan of the change
Those who love Bumble’s unique approach to dating aren’t necessarily loving the app’s new feature. Many took to Twitter to voice their concern about how this might change things for the worse.
“Kinda defeats the whole entire pitch of your app about women making the first move, but ok,” one person wrote. Another added: “@bumble throws out the entire premise of their app (women message first) by adding compliments. ‘Send her a cute compliment’ maybe she don’t deserve one.”