TREND OF 2021: CONNECTION

Empowering Women With Bumble

Bumble Dating App: Meet & Date

Find new people & chat singles

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Bumble is one of our 2021 Trend of the Year winners because... the social network deepened its women-led approach to connection and made it even more playful.

‣ Number of first moves made by women in Bumble: 2 billion
‣ Percentage of male Bumble users who joined because women make the first move: 63 percent
‣ Most popular emoji in profiles: 🤷‍♀️

Whether you’re looking to find romance, a platonic friendship, or professional opportunities, the dating and networking app Bumble helps you make those connections in a way that challenges antiquated gender norms. When two people of different genders match in the app, only people who identify as women can start the conversation. (If a match is between two people of the same gender, either can send the first message.)

Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has been steadily innovating along the way. It was among the first dating apps to introduce video and voice calling to let women connect without sharing their phone number or email address. After last year’s lockdown orders, voice and video sessions in the app shot up 70 percent, with people spending an average of 30 minutes on each call.

Add interest badges to your Bumble profile to show potential matches what matters most to you.

Recently, a partnership with Snapchat brought augmented-reality lenses to Bumble’s video calls, giving you the option to use a 360-degree background during your virtual date. Is there a better conversation starter than having a tiny T. rex dancing on your shoulder, or seeing yourselves at a picnic under the Eiffel Tower?

Bumble also helped take the pressure off one of the most stressful parts of a first date: figuring out what to talk about. With the new Night In feature, jump on a video call to play an interactive trivia game with your match. Questions like “Who was the first woman to host the Academy Awards by herself?” and “Which country eats the most chocolate in the world?” can help break the ice, find common ground, or encourage a bit of flirty debate.

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According to CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd (who became the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire when she took the company public in February 2021), time spent in lockdown fundamentally changed the dating landscape and Bumble had to adapt.

“With virtual dating, people get to know one another on a deeper level before meeting in the real world,” says Wolfe Herd. “It helps them focus on what they’re truly looking for.”

During lockdowns, people’s renewed sense of clarity led to more intentional and respectful dating behaviors.

—Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble CEO

The addition of 150 interest badges gave members a quick way to signal what really matters to them. There’s the usual interests (concerts, baking) as well as super-specific picks (staycations, go-karting), plus badges for causes, like Trans Ally. Under drinking preferences, a Sober badge gives those in recovery a way to connect.

Nearly 40 percent of American singles recently surveyed by Bumble reported they started communicating their expectations more clearly; perhaps as a result, they also reported having more meaningful chats—and experienced less ghosting.

With the improvements it delivered in 2021, Bumble challenged more than social norms; it also figured out how to help us all connect on a deeper level.

2021 App Store Award Winners