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Image: Bumble
Dating app usage is falling, with more and more users viewing it as a chore rather than a chance to find love. Bumble, the app famous for having women make the first move, is far from immune to the dating downfall.
So it comes as no surprise that the company is leaning into one of its other pillars: friendship.
Bumble has launched a new BFF app for what it describes as “The Great Friennassance.” According to research—notably commissioned by Bumble—55% of 18- to 35-year-olds are looking for more local friends, while one in four want friends they can bring to events.
The stand-alone app, which is available for U.S. users, includes a lot of similar features of the dating app, such as interest-based matching, photo prompts, and customizable profiles.
It also includes a Groups area that uses technology from Geneva, a group and community app, to create spaces where people can discuss shared interests and find events in their area. Bumble purchased Geneva last year.
“From the beginning, our mission has been to help people build relationships that matter. Seeing how members use BFF to create deep, lasting friendships reminds us that what people really crave is belonging,” Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, said in a statement. “With BFF’s focus on communities, we’re making it possible not just to meet someone—but to truly find your people.”
Bumble BFF first launched in 2016, and the company created an app called “Bumble for Friends” in 2023.
In the U.S., the Bumble for Friends app will no longer be available, a Bumble spokesperson confirmed with Fast Company. The app is still available outside the U.S.
Bumble had quite a tumultuous run recently. In January 2024, Herd stepped down as CEO and became executive chair.
Under the leadership of her successor, former Slack CEO Lidiane Jones, the company swiftly cut about 350 roles and, that April, rolled out a redesign. It included an updated compatibility algorithm, allowed men to message first, and rolled out new ads.
The latter brought immense controversy in response to ads such as, “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.”
Social media users called out Bumble for trying to control women’s bodily autonomy and get them to lower their standards. The company pulled the ads and admitted, “We made a mistake.”
Then, this March, Herd returned to the helm of Bumble and is prioritising quality over quantity, stating that members with “low-quality and incomplete profiles” might be removed from the app. She also cut the company’s headcount by 30% this summer, a move that could save Bumble $40 million annually.
Shares of Bumble Inc (Nasdaq: BMBL) are down around 13% year to date.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Fielding is an acclaimed journalist with seven years of experience covering mental health, social issues, and technology for publications such as Engadget, PS, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Insider. She's also a cofounder of Empire Coven, a space highlighting trailblazing women across the United States.