I am not too keen on dating apps – my venture on Tinder lasted about three whole days. Dating apps have always seemed pointless, superficial, and not really the environment for me. However, I decided to put my aversions aside and try out Bumble for about two weeks. This is what I learned.
An Inclusive Space
Bumble provides a space for everyone. With over 70 gender identity options, and the ability to “suggest another option”, nobody has to worry about not being properly represented to their potential dating prospects. They also allow you to completely customize exactly what you’re looking for on the app, as well the people that you want your profile shown to.
A More Enjoyable Place for Women?
On Bumble, girls are required to message first. None of your “matches” can contact you without receiving a message first. This simple feature is surprisingly beneficial for women, putting us fully in control of the conversation for a change. Plus, this rule eliminates almost all of the crappy and objectifying pickup lines that dudes typically feel entitled to start out with on Tinder.
Helpful Features
Bumble provides a large variety of features that make it incredibly easy to quickly identify if you should swipe right or left. With a quick glance at someone’s profile, you can get a pretty good idea of who they are. Under your profile controls, you will find a series of multiple-choice questions about your “basic info”. If you choose to fill out these questions, your answers will be shown in little bubbles on your profile. These questions include: preferred method of pandemic dating, height, exercise activity, star sign, education level, if you are a smoker, if you have pets, what exactly you are looking for on Bumble, religion, political leanings, and whether or not you are a voter. Seeing these bubbles on other profiles has been surprisingly helpful in quickly weeding out guys that are not “my type”. Not a voter? Swiping left. A cat person? Swiping right.
Don’t Know Where To Start?
Bumble has you covered. Though the app is built so that girls can take charge and be in control of their matches, sometimes starting a conversation is hard. If the typical “hey” isn’t feeling sufficient, or you’ve got stage fright because your match is a cutie, you’re in luck. A feature in your messages allows you to send a random question to your match that you are both required to answer. These randomly shuffled questions can be about anything from politics to what their hobbies are. Instant conversation starters are a win in my book.
Accidental Right Swipe? Don’t Fret.
Bumble “matches” last for twenty four hours, meaning that your connection expires if you don’t message them within the first day. This feature is great if you did an accidental right swipe- you can let the match expire and completely avoid any awkward interaction or the sometimes hurtful “unmatch”. If a guy really wants to connect with you, he can use one of his “match extenders” (you get a limited supply, so you must be special) to give you more time to message him. On the other hand, if you got busy and forgot to message your match, all is not lost. You can choose to rematch and get a second shot.
Extremely Picky?
Don’t worry, me too. Bumble allows you to set advanced filters on the people it shows you. You can filter people based on height (from one tall girl to another… yes, please), religion, their political views, and much more. This cuts down on the time spent swiping to find your perfect match.
Final Thoughts
Bumble is a nice change of pace in the world of dating apps. With many shying away from Tinder as they try to find a genuine connection rather than a hookup, Bumble erases any gray area by showing you people that are looking for the same things as you. Bumble definitely feels more female-friendly than other dating apps on the market, and it’s nice to be able to see more about a person before swiping rather than making a decision based on their face alone. So far, my experience with Bumble has been surprisingly positive, and I will definitely continue to use it. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go message my latest match. He’s a voter AND a cat person.