Bumble Removes Women-Message-First Rule, Letting Anyone Initiate Conversations

Bumble now lets anyone, including men, send the first message in heterosexual matches, ending the women-initiate mechanic the app launched with in 2014. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said the change designs "an experience with women's needs in mind." Sixty-six percent of surveyed women preferred men messaging first. The match-response window also expanded from 24 to 72 hours.