Apps & Consumer
Bumble teases a swipe-free future as it leans into in-person meetups
Bumble said its new Plans app has shown "promising results" in early tests and that it plans to eventually replace the swipe with a new interaction model.
Bumble is following Tinder in turning away from the swipe and toward real-world events to attract Gen Z users tired of traditional online dating. On its second-quarter earnings call with investors, CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said the company’s newest app, Plans, showed “promising results” in early tests over the past few months, and that Bumble would “lean more into real-life experiences” going forward.
Plans is designed to connect people in person in low-pressure group settings; users can continue chats on Bumble’s app without swiping or exchanging phone numbers. Wolfe Herd said group socializing is central to how Gen Z prefers to meet people, framing Bumble as “a natural bridge from meeting to socializing to then dating.” The company first tested real-world, platonic connections with Bumble BFF, a friend-making app that has shown some traction with Gen Z women; with Plans, meetups could later lead to deeper friendships or romantic connections, the company said when it announced the app last month.
Wolfe Herd also teased that Bumble is working on a new interaction model to replace the swipe entirely, though she declined to give details “for competitive purposes.” She described the shift as moving “away from optimizing for swipe speed and velocity towards something more intentional, fewer, better, more considered signals,” designed to generate more immediate interactions and better outcomes while eliminating friction and delay. The change will roll out gradually, she said, so as not to disrupt the existing ecosystem. Bumble also plans to use more AI tools under the hood to improve results, while cautioning this would not make Bumble an “AI-driven experience.”
Bumble beat earnings expectations in the second quarter but remains in a turnaround phase: revenue fell 15.2% year-over-year to $210.5 million, and its stock fell on a third-quarter forecast that shows a decline in paying customers.
Why it matters
Two of the largest dating apps pivoting away from swiping at the same time signals a structural shift in how young users expect to meet people online, with real-world events and AI-assisted matching emerging as the next competitive battleground.