When you’re using a dating app, the idea that your profile could just pop up in front of pretty much anyone can be a little worrying.
Plenty of people are looking for something at least semi-discrete from their dating app experience, but can that be achieved on the most popular dating apps?
For example, can you be private on Bumble?
Of course, ‘private’ can mean a few things and will have different connotations for different people.
On Bumble, you can turn on incognito mode and to an extent control who sees your profile and the info you share but there is still the occasional data breach that you should keep in mind and protect yourself against with a strong password, making sure you only log in on secure wifi and be sensible with who you trust, links you follow, and other online safety basics.
If by private you mean can you control the info you are showing and who it is being shown to on Bumble then, yes, to a certain extent you can be private on Bumble.
That being said, it’s hard to hide your profile from other users before you make contact with them and unavoidably, once you sign up the app does have your data!
Plus, as online dating is about getting to know other people a little before you meet them you kind of have to share some info about yourself, otherwise what’s the point?
Bumble are certainly aware of privacy issues though, and have recently introduced Snooze so that users can take a break from being visible on the site and Incognito mode.
Just a side note before we jump into how to be private on Bumble, if you want a full breakdown of Bumble check out my article about How Bumble Works.
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What Is Bumble Incognito Mode?
Bumble’s incognito mode is only available to users who have paid for Boost or Premium. If you want to keep things private on Bumble, then forking out for Premium and toggling incognito mode is your best bet if you can afford it.
When Bumble incognito mode is on, other users will only see you once you have swiped right on them. You won’t show up in anyone’s feed if you have swiped left on them, or if they haven’t shown up as an option for you yet.
This gives you a pretty fine-tuned control of who sees you on the app, and is the most advanced privacy feature of its kind on any of the mainstream dating apps. But, as I said, you do have to pay to access it.
What Is Bumble Snooze?
Bumble’s new Snooze feature allows you to step away from the rigors of digital dating for a while. While your account is snoozed you won’t appear to new potential matches, so won’t be in anyone’s feed.
You will still be able to continue chatting to people you’re already connected with, but they’ll also see that you’re snoozed so hopefully will also give you space if that’s what you’re after!
Whether you’re digitally detoxing or just testing out whether or not you can survive without swiping, Snooze is super easy to toggle on and off. You can snooze for a set amount of time or indefinitely by hopping into settings and toggling Snooze on.
Can My Friends See Me On Bumble?
That depends! If your friends are on Bumble, and you’re on Bumble, and neither of you are snoozed or incognito then yes, you might well pop up on your friends’ Bumble feed.
You won’t be able to chat on Bumble unless you both swipe right and then either the female user initiates conversation or, if you’re both men or both women, one of you initiates and the other replies within 24 hours.
For this reason, running into pals on Bumble isn’t too much of a worry for most users. I mean, they’re using the app too! If you really don’t want to be caught on Bumble, then I’d suggest doing a little self-investigation into why you’re on the app in the first place.
I mean, I get being a little embarrassed, but everyone uses dating app these days. If you shouldn’t be on Bumble, then a rethink is in order!
Is Bumble Confidential?
No dating app is confidential. Apart from anything else, technically everything on your profile is in the public domain and everything including messages can easily be screenshot.
If you’re worried about privacy on Bumble (or any other dating app) the solution is simple – just don’t give too much away.
Don’t say where you work or go to school, and obviously don’t ever give out your address or even social media handles if you’re worried about privacy and confidentiality.
If you like someone on Bumble and feel like you trust them, then you can absolutely move to a more private messaging app. My biggest piece of advice here though would be to meet them!
You can tell an awful lot more about someone from how they behave in real life than you can on an app. After that, you can use your initiative in terms of how fast or slow you go sharing things.
Obviously, if confidentiality specifically is your issue, and you have some big state secrets to share, then maybe get your security detail to vet your date for you… Yes, I have a lot of presidential readers here at Dude Hack.
Don’t look at me like that! I mean, I could have them…
Can You Control Who Sees You On Bumble?
To an extent, you can control who sees you on Bumble.
You can manipulate your preferences, filters, and age range to narrow things down and you can also block or unmatch users you don’t fancy interacting with or, in more extreme circumstances, don’t want to see you.
