What’ve you done this time? Worried that the comment went from cheeky to creepy? Tried to get a bit hot ‘n’ heavy and fell flat? Or just generally constantly afraid that the world is against you and the worst is about to happen?
Whatever your reason, you’re probably worried that your account might be in danger.
Like it or not, tech companies blocking accounts is common and dating apps are no different. So can Bumble ban you?
The short answer is, of course, yes, Bumble can ban you. Bumble was started as an alternative to Tinder that was safer for women, so they have a pretty comprehensive set of community guidelines.
These guidelines are pretty standard stuff: no hate speech, bullying, misogyny, abusive behavior. In short, don’t be a bully or a creep.
I’m going to assume that anyone reading this knows that already and that the reason you’re asking “Can my Bumble get blocked?” is that you want to know a bit more about the processes behind Bumble bans (or you feel like your account’s been blocked for no reason).
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Why Do People Get Banned From Bumble?
So what exactly can get you blocked on Bumble? Aside from the obvious, there are a few things you could possibly do by mistake (I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt) that will land you with a ban.
Commercial Activity
Commercial activity is strictly banned on Bumble. But what does that mean? Who sells stuff on a dating app?
Well, you basically can’t do anything that the Bumble folks deem to be in the pursuit of financial benefit.
So don’t ask for money, don’t include your Venmo or Paypal in your bio, and of course, don’t try to sell anything (including memberships to your OnlyFans), and no soliciting or recruiting for adult entertainment…
It’s worth noting that, even if it’s not for profit, Bumble doesn’t like you using the app to gain followers for your Instagram. So if you’re an aspiring influencer you’d better find them somewhere else.
Rude And Abusive Behavior
Now, obviously, you know that you can’t just go around insulting people, but it’s possible to engage in rude or abusive behavior without even realizing it.
Hate heartless conservatives? Can’t stand whiny liberals? Don’t like the fact that person’s profile pic has them posing with a bullet-riddled rhino?
It might be best just to keep these thoughts to yourself. Bumble can ban users from attacking another user’s values, especially if the other person isn’t looking for a debate.
What if you’ve been texting with a girl for a while. She’s beautiful, you’re flirting, it’s late at night and you’re a few brews deep?
Keep it in your pants, stud. One of the most common reasons men get banned from Bumble is for taking convos in a sexual direction when the other person isn’t feeling it.
If you’re not sure about what counts as sexual harassment, this article might help.
Breaking The Law
If you’re looking for somewhere to score some weed or find a woman who will *ahem* spend the night with you for a price, go elsewhere. Bumble will boot you quickly for this stuff.
Related: What Is The Minimum Age For Bumble?
Catfishing
Obviously. All photos must actually be of you and must also fully show your face. There are a couple of other rules around the photos you upload that can get you in trouble.
No pornography or shirtless mirror selfies (no matter how good your pec tats are looking after that pump, bruh), no guns, and, importantly, no pictures of children without an adult.
Can Ghosting Get You Banned?
This is the 21st century. Unless you’ve been living in a monastery for the last two decades, you’ve probably ghosted (and been ghosted by) more than a few girls.
But can it get you banned from Bumble? Simply, no, ghosting can’t get you banned from Bumble.
Ghosting might be a pretty gross thing to do, but it’s a fact of modern life and won’t get your account blocked.
In fact, Bumble even recommends you to ghost people in some situations.
There are some other shady behaviors that might not get you banned but can have a negative effect on how the algorithm pairs your account.
Spamming, for example. Sending the same message over and over is unlikely to get you banned (unless you’re mistaken for a bot, in which case, you really need to work on your pick-up game), but Bumble’s algorithm doesn’t like it and it’ll pair you with less desirable profiles.
The same goes for deleting and reinstalling the app. Everyone knows about the “new user bump” by now and the apps have got wise to people trying to game it.
Deleting and reinstalling regularly won’t get you banned but it makes you less desirable.
What Happens When You’re Banned On Bumble?
There are two types of bans on Bumble. You might be either banned or shadowbanned.
If you’re shadowbanned, it will appear that you can still use your account, but none of your messages will be sent.
If you get a regular ban, you’ll get a pop-up when you try to open the app informing you that you are not allowed.
Both amount to the same thing: you can’t use your account. So what now? Is it permanent?
Well, that depends. If you think there’s been a mistake, for example, you’ve been blocked for being fake (when you’re pretty sure that you’re a real person), you need to speak to their support team. Hopefully, they’ll help.
If it’s a genuine ban then, officially, it’s permanent. Once you’re off, you’re off.
As Bumble needs photo verification in order to start a new account, you can’t just delete your account and open a new one. Or can you…?
How To Get Around A Bumble Ban?
I know your next question. Is there a workaround? The answer is yes, it is sometimes possible to get around a Bumble ban. Some users have reported having luck with this method so I’m going to throw it out there.
- Log into Facebook and go into “settings”.
- Go to “apps and websites” and then onto “logged in with Facebook”.
- Find Bumble and then click “remove app”.
- Next, go into Bumble and into “settings”.
- Go down to “delete account”.
- Wait 24 hours and reinstall Bumble, creating a new account.
As I say, this is not a foolproof technique and it’s likely that Bumble will find out and change it if too many people are doing it, but, if you want to get on, it’s worth a shot.
Hopefully, this has answered all of your questions about why Bumble blocked you.
Essentially, don’t be a dick and you probably won’t get banned.
If you want to know more about how Bumble works read my full article here, or if you are banned and you’re looking for a new app, why not try my dating app quiz here.
