Bumble to Remove Swipe and Women-First Messaging Features

Bumble will eliminate the swipe-to-match feature that has defined the service since its launch and will also remove the optional requirement that women send the first message in heterosexual matches. Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told Axios the company is moving away from both features as it develops new artificial intelligence tools for matching.

” The company has not disclosed exactly what will replace swiping. Recent product announcements suggest artificial intelligence will play a central role. In March, Bloomberg reported that Bumble was testing an AI-powered assistant called “Bee” that conducts an onboarding interview with users and recommends matches based on values, relationship goals, communication style, lifestyle and dating intentions.

Once a compatible match is identified, both users receive a notification.

Bumble, the second-largest dating app globally, is moving away from the swiping mechanic popularized by Tinder, the market leader. Hinge, the next-largest competitor, has never used swipes and instead lets users start conversations by responding to a prompt or photo.

The women-first messaging rule was a signature differentiator for Bumble when it launched. Although the company has added other ways for users to connect, the option for women to initiate remained available. “People are feeling exhausted, they’re feeling fatigued.

They feel like the swipe has degraded their love lives,” she told Axios. The updates are scheduled to begin in select markets in the fourth quarter of 2026. Bumble promoted the swipe change on Instagram, where commenters expressed dissatisfaction with current app experiences.

One user wrote that it had “been over,” while others described difficulty meeting compatible partners or said they had stopped using the app. The company has been removing or de-emphasizing certain longstanding features since Herd returned as CEO last year as it moves toward greater use of artificial intelligence.