Bumble Lets Men Send 1st Message, Extends Reply Window to 72 Hours as Revenue Falls 15.2%
Updated
Updated · Mashable · Aug 6
Bumble Lets Men Send 1st Message, Extends Reply Window to 72 Hours as Revenue Falls 15.2%
3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Aug 6
Summary
Bumble said it will let anyone send one opening message by default and will lengthen the first-response window to 72 hours from 24, with a global rollout due by month-end.
Whitney Wolfe Herd said the changes target two persistent complaints—friction over who messages first and too little time to reply—and tests showed higher chat starts and mutual chat rates.
The shift further moves Bumble away from its original women-first model after earlier experiments such as Opening Moves, which let men respond to prompts on women's profiles.
The overhaul comes as Q2 revenue fell 15.2% year over year and paying users dropped 16.4%, pushing Bumble to simplify subscriptions, add a higher-tier plan and make some paid features partly free.
Bumble is also betting on a broader product reset, including an AI assistant called Bee, more real-life group features and a standalone Plans app, though some launches have slipped into early 2027.