Bumble Will Replace Swiping Right With… Something
Bumble is letting go of swipes. Rather than asking users to swipe right or left on a profile to confirm their interest or disinterest in a potential match, the dating app is replacing it with something else, Axios reports. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd shared the change in an interview with the publication, along with the news that Bumble is removing one of its fundamental features entirely: An optional requirement that women message first in heterosexual matches.
“We are going to be saying goodbye to the swipe and hello to something that I believe is revolutionary for the category, ” Wolfe Herd said in the interview. The details are vague on what will actually replace swipes, but based on recent announcements from Bumble, there’s a good chance it will have something to do with artificial intelligence. In March, Bumble shared that it was testing an AI-powered dating assistant called “Bee” that was capable of interviewing new users and recommending matches. Bumble also imagines Bee could offer date recommendations or collect feedback from users to inform future matches. Whatever the company ultimately replaces swipes with, Axios says it will be available in the fourth quarter of 2026, though only in select markets to start.
Swiping is the go-to interaction for Bumble’s competitor Tinder, though it’s not the only way dating apps try to connect users. Hinge doesn’t use swipes, and instead lets users do things like answer a prompt or interact with a photo to start a conversation. Bumble originally differentiated itself by requiring women to message men first before a conversation can start. The company has since explored other ways for connections between matches to begin, but the classic Bumble approach has remained an option. That’s also being ditched as part of this revamp. “We will not force one gender over another to do something first,” Wolfe Herd said, though apparently “the essence” of what that feature meant will live on, according to Axios.
It remains to be seen how swapping swipes out will make the Bumble experience different, but one way or other dating apps seem eager to reshape themselves around AI. Tinder, the most popular dating app in the US according to a 2025 Statista survey, is already layering in AI features. The app can use AI to recommend profile pictures. Tinder is also reportedly testing a feature that will let AI analyze users’ camera roll to get to know them better, and ideally make better matches.