Bumble remains one of the most popular dating apps—but it’s evolved. Women still lead conversations, but Opening Moves now make starting chats easier for everyone. New tools like ID Verification, Share Date, and Deception Detector™ enhance safety, while Bumble For Friends has spun off as its own app. Here’s everything you need to know to make Bumble work for you in 2025.
TL;DR
- Core flow: create a profile → swipe → match → start chatting.
- Women can now use Opening Moves so matches can reply first—making chats easier.
- ID Verification, Share Date, and Deception Detector™ boost safety.
- BFF is now the standalone Bumble For Friends app; Bizz is being phased out.
- Around 50 million active users; roughly 61% men / 37% women.
Bumble is a location-based dating app where you swipe right to like and left to pass. When both users swipe right, it’s a match. In heterosexual matches, women traditionally sent the first message—but now they can create an Opening Move (a question or prompt) that their match can answer to start chatting. Matches expire after 24 hours unless one person makes the first move, and you can extend that window once per day (or more with Premium).Beyond dating, Bumble For Friends helps people find platonic connections, and Bizz (the networking feature) is being retired.
How Does Bumble Work For Guys
If you match with a woman, you’ll either wait for her to message or you’ll see her Opening Move—answering it starts the chat. Bumble sends a “Your Move” reminder once she messages or after you respond. You can then chat, call, or send GIFs and photos directly within the app.
How Does Bumble Work For Women
Bumble’s “ladies first” rule stays, but Opening Moves adds flexibility. You can send the first message as usual or set a prompt so your match can reply first. You still have 24 hours to initiate contact, with one free Extend available daily.
How Bumble Profiles And Photos Work
Your Profile
Tap your profile icon → Complete My Profile to add:
- Photos (up to 6; Best Photo automatically highlights your best)
- Verification (Photo and ID)
- Interests & Prompts
- Bio
- Basics like education, pronouns, and lifestyle
- Linked Instagram or Spotify accounts
The more details you share, the better the algorithm can help you find compatible matches.
My Photos
Upload from your gallery or social accounts. Bumble’s Best Photo feature may adjust your order based on performance.
Verification
Get a blue badge through Photo Verification, and optionally confirm your identity through ID Verification. You can request matches verify as well.
My Interests
Choose Interests and answer Profile Prompts to stand out. Keep your bio concise, light, and real.
My Basics/More About Me/Pronouns
Feel free to pop in where you went to school and your job. This will be displayed to people when they come across your profile. After this, you get the opportunity to answer a series of simple questions where you can select an answer that best describes you from a list of choices, from your political affiliations to your habits and star sign.
For example, you can select if you drink socially, never, or frequently. It helps you and potential matches find like-minded people. Filling this out could help you find someone you are more in line with.
You can then select up to three pronoun combos, from she/her and he/him to a full gamut of non-binary options. Bumble’s commitment to inclusivity is on display here – if your pronouns aren’t listed, they encourage you to contact them.
Connect Instagram
If you feel your six photos aren’t painting the full picture of who you are as a person and you have some cool photos on Instagram that show your personality, definitely connect it.
Connect Spotify Account
Yet another way to help you find your perfect match. Great minds think alike, so advertising some of your favorite artists can definitely help you find someone you just might hit it off with.
Other Profiles
From the honeycomb icon, scroll to see photos, bios, and shared interests. Tap ✓ to like or ✕ to pass. Once matched, tap their picture to revisit their profile.
Just under your potential match’s profile picture, you will see their ‘About Me’ section as well as their ‘Basics’.
If your potential match has their Instagram connected, under another picture in their profile 9 Instagram photos will be shown in a grid-like below. The same goes for their Top Artists on Spotify.
Swipe left to like a profile and right to reject someone – either way, a new profile to peruse will pop up immediately. Once matched with someone, you can access their profile and pictures by clicking on their profile picture.
How Bumble Swiping Works
Swipe right to like, left to pass. Profiles appear based on your Date Filters (age, distance, etc.). Premium users can access Advanced Filters for lifestyle and values-based preferences.
Bumble Matching Preferences
Free users can filter by gender, age, distance, and language. Premium adds filters for lifestyle, intentions, kids, politics, religion, and more.
Liking Profiles
Swipe right or tap ✓ to like. SuperSwipes show strong interest (paid feature). If you accidentally swipe left, Backtrack (paid) lets you undo it.
How Bumble Matching Works
A mutual right swipe equals a match. Women can message first or use Opening Moves. Matches last 24 hours before expiring, unless extended. Beeline (Premium) shows who already liked you.
What Does “You’ve Missed A Potential Match” Mean?
That message means you passed someone who liked you first. Backtrack lets you undo that decision if you’re a paid user.
How Does The Bumble Match Queue Work?
The Match Queue shows your active matches and potential likes. Yellow circles indicate the 24-hour timer. Pending matches don’t expire.
What Is Beeline?
Beeline (available with Premium) lists users who’ve already liked you, allowing instant matches.
How Bumble Messaging Works
In heterosexual matches, women (or their Opening Move prompts) start conversations. In same-gender matches, anyone can start. After the first message, chats are unlimited. You’ll find your matches in the chat tab.
What Are Extends On Bumble?
Extend matches for 24 extra hours—one free daily, unlimited for paid plans.
Bumble Conversation Page
- Compliments: send a quick note before matching
- Question Game: fun icebreaker feature
- Voice/Video Calls, GIFs, and Photos supported
Review Before Send: helps avoid inappropriate messages
Hints
While women always send the first message, guys do have the option of throwing in a little conversation starter. Hints let you give your match a little nudge about how to start off the conversation. They’re a way of suggesting to your match that they “Ask about…” anything from your house plants to your funniest date stories – depending on whether you’re a yucca or yucky kind of person.
How Bumble Verification Works
Photo Verification confirms authenticity, while ID Verification adds an extra layer of safety. Users can filter for verified profiles or request verification.
How Does Bumble’s Sign-In Work?
Join via phone number or continue with Facebook. You can also link an email for recovery.
Sign In With Facebook Account
Bumble also lets you sign up by connecting your Facebook, giving you a shortcut to getting all your best pictures onto your account. Simply click the Continue With Facebook” button and give Bumble access.
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t let Bumble post to Facebook, so you can keep your dating profile and your social media separate.
How Does The Bumble Algorithm Work?
Bumble learns your preferences as you swipe. It prioritizes people you’re likely to like and those who have liked you back. Avoid mindless right-swiping—it can reduce visibility.
What Is Bumble Bee Key?
Your Bee Key (QR code) lets you instantly match in person—just have someone scan it through the app.
For now, there’s no further explanation, so we can only assume this feature is going to be rolled out in the future.
How Paid Bumble Works
The free version of Bumble is available to anyone and in my experience, it’s pretty functional. Anyone can match and message on Bumble for free.
But you’ll definitely notice a few locked doors. You’ll get ads for upgrades in your swipe deck, blurred-out mystery matches and you’ll run out of swipes. So you’ll inevitably find yourself asking how paid Bumble works.
There are three options: two subscriber models, and one option where you buy upgraded features individually. Boost and Premium are available on a monthly, annual, or even lifetime plan, whilst bonus features like Spotlights and SuperSwipes can be purchased in bundles of up to 30.
Let’s take a look at all of Bumble’s paid features.
Paid Bumble Features
Free Bumble gives full access to matching and chatting. Paid features include:
- Unlimited likes
- Beeline
- Advanced Filters
- Incognito Mode
- Travel Mode
- SuperSwipes and Spotlight boosts
- Unlimited Extends, Backtracks, and Rematches
- Pricing: Plans vary by region. Lifetime Premium may no longer be offered. Check My Pay Plan for current rates.
How To Set Up Bumble Boost
There are multiple ways to set up Boost from the app as Bumble is pretty keen to upsell these premium features. If you’re a free user, clicking on your Beeline or Backtrack will take you to a payment screen.
But if you know what you want, the easiest way to subscribe is through settings. Here’s how it’s done.
- Open up the app and go into your profile through the “person” icon on the bottom left of the screen.
- Tap on “My pay plan”
- Swipe right to switch from Premium to Boost and hit Upgrade
- Select the payment option you prefer (from a day to a week or number of months)
- Click continue and allow the app to direct you to the payment screen.
- Input your card details and hit Subscribe.
Congratulations – you’ll be a paid-up Bumble user. Time to take advantage of those SuperSwipes!
How To Set up Bumble Premium
For the ultimate Bumble experience, you’ll want Bumble Premium. Whether you’re planning a trip abroad or you just want to filter out all those Geminis from your match deck, this is the top tier. Here’s how you get it.
- Open up the app and go into your profile through the “person” icon on the bottom left of the screen.
- Tap on “My pay plan”
- Swipe left to switch from Boost to Premium and hit Upgrade
- Select the payment option you prefer (from weeks or months to lifetime)
- Click continue and allow the app to direct you to the payment screen.
- Input your card details and hit Subscribe.
Now you can enjoy your access to Premium features – but remember, most of these options are part of a subscription service that will automatically renew. You’ll need to know how to cancel for when you find love!
How Does Bumble Bizz Work?
Bumble Bizz, the professional networking feature, is being phased out to focus on dating and friendships.
Bumble Safety & Wellbeing
Bumble’s Safety & Wellbeing Center includes new tools like ID Verification, Share Date (share your plans with a trusted contact), and Deception Detector™ to catch scam accounts. Use Snooze for breaks or Block & Report for safety issues.
Bumble Stats 2025
Bumble has about 50 million monthly active users, with roughly 61% men and 37% women. Around 3.8 million are paying subscribers.
Safety & Wellbeing
Who Is Bumble For:
FAQs
Is Bumble free?
Yes. You can match and chat for free. Paid plans add premium filters, Beeline, and other perks.
Do women still message first?
Yes, but now women can set an Opening Move so a match can reply first.
What’s new for safety?
Features like ID Verification, Share Date, and Deception Detector™ protect users from scams and unsafe meetups.
Where did BFF and Bizz go?
BFF evolved into the Bumble For Friends app, while Bizz is being retired.
How do I match with someone in person?
Use Instant Match by scanning each other’s QR Bee Keys.
Who runs Bumble now?
Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd returned as CEO in 2025.
