In the last couple of years, the dating app Bumble has taken the dating world by storm. But what is Bumble, how does Bumble work, and why is it so popular?
You’ve probably heard of Bumble, but if you haven’t it’s similar to Tinder, OkCupid, and Match.com. They’re all location-based dating apps that use the “swipe left or right” format.
Unlike online dating, Bumble is exclusively an app. You can download the Bumble App from the App Store and Google Play.
The big difference of how Bumble works that sets it apart from all the other dating apps is the fact that it’s the woman who initiates the conversation. Unlike the majority of dating apps, it’s the women who make the first move.
Once both matches swipe right and a woman starts a conversation, the guy has 24 hours to respond to the chat.
It works a little different for same-sex dating where either match initiates the conversation and the other has 24 hours to respond. Bumble is similar to other dating apps for same-sex matches.
You can get around the 24-hour expiry time by upgrading to a premium account and extending the match for another 24-hour window.
Premium accounts can extend as many times as they like. We’ll go into the other benefits of Bumble Boost and Bumble Coins later in the article.
Keep reading to find out more about Bumble and how it works.
What happens when you swipe right on Bumble?
Like most of the dating apps out there, Bumble gives you profiles of potential matches to look at.
It’s up to you to either swipe right or swipe left. If you swipe left, you pass and nothing happens. If you swipe right though you like them and potentially open up a conversation.
If both people swipe right, you match, and a conversation box opens. If you’re looking for same-sex matches, either person can start the conversation. If you’re heterosexual, it’s only the woman who can initiate the conversation.
This is what makes the Beehive (Bumble users) different from most of the other dating apps.
It’s also why people, especially women, say they prefer using Bumble to most of the other dating apps. A lot of women say Bumble makes them feel like they’re in control, not the other way around.
Do guys know when you swipe right on Bumble?
Sort of. When both people swipe right, you both get a notification that a match has been made. Male users get a notification and a blurred-out image of the woman he matched with. He has to reply within 24 hours.
Unlike female users, the guy can’t initiate the conversation. He has to wait for her to send the first message.
Things change with Bumble Boost, Bumble’s premium service. If the guy has paid for the premium account, then he’ll see the woman’s profile as soon as she swipes right.
Most users don’t use premium though and all they’ll see is a notification and a blurred-out image until the woman starts a conversation.
What do symbols mean on Bumble?
If you’re here to figure out how to work Bumble, you’ll want to know what the symbols mean. There are a few symbols or icons on Bumble that can be a tad confusing the first time you use Bumble. So what does each symbol mean?
First of all, there’s a yellow heart symbol. This new feature is called SuperSwipe. It’s a premium feature that lets your potential match know that you’re confidently interested in them.
Each SuperSwipe requires one Bumble Coin. Keep reading to find out how to buy and use Bumble Coins.
There’s also a red star symbol and a blue star symbol.
These are SuperSwipe features for Bumble Bizz, a version of Bumble made specifically for professional networking, and Bumble BFF, an area of Bumble used for making friendships instead of relationships.
The last icon is the blue checkmark symbol. This means that someone’s user profile has been verified by Bumble.
All you have to do to be verified is tap the verify button, take a selfie and send it to the Bumble administrators. A real person will verify the photo and in a few minutes, you’ll receive a confirmation of your verification.
Do you have to pay for Bumble?
Bumble is free and, according to the makers, always will be. You can download it onto your phone and use it as much as you want without ever spending a dime.
The free version allows you to extend your match by 24 hours one time before putting it back in the profile stack.
There are some optional premium features that do cost money. You can get Bumble Boost which allows users to see everyone who has swiped right on you (called your Beeline), as well as extending your matches by a further 24 hours, and rematching with expired connections.
Bumble Boost also lets you use more than two Bumble Filters at once. This is a great feature if you live in a big city and your match queue is jam-packed and it does a lot to help you find that perfect someone.
You can filter out people for things like pets, kids, exercise habits, religion, etc. Bumble Filters help you only see someone’s profile who closely matches what you’re looking for.
Bumble Boost costs vary depending on how long you sign up for. The price decreases the longer you sign up for. You can sign up for 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months.
For example, you save 35% if you sign up for 1 month and 65% if you sign up for 6 months (the most popular feature).
You can also pay for things called Bumble Coins. These are the in-app Bumble currency that allows users to buy premium features like SuperSwipe and Spotlight.
We’ve already covered SuperSwipe which lets you tell a potential match you’re seriously interested in them.
Spotlight is a premium feature that puts your profile at the top of the stack. This helps make your profile more visible as more people will see it.
Spotlight is a great way to increase someone’s matches and get them that one perfect Bumble date.
See Also: Hinge vs Bumble: Which is the better dating application for you?
How Does Bumble Work?
So how does Bumble work? You should have a better idea of how the Bumble dating app works.
From what happens when if you’ve swiped right to how to find potential matches to who sends the all-important first message, hopefully, everything about how to work the Beehive is a little clearer.
All you have to do now is sign up, make your profile, find that perfect someone, and get out there on your first Bumble date!
