Bumble is preparing to abandon the feature that defined a generation of digital dating. In an interview with Axios on Thursday, CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd confirmed the company will remove swiping from its app later this year, replacing it with an entirely new interaction model. “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.
Why Bumble Is Abandoning Its Core Feature
The decision comes after several quarters of declining user engagement and revenue. In the first quarter of this year, Bumble’s paid user base fell by roughly 21 percent to 3.2 million, down from 4 million in the same period last year. The decline reflects broader dating app fatigue, particularly among younger users who have grown disillusioned with the gamified, swipe-based matching model that dominated the 2010s.
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Wolfe Herd framed the downturn as a deliberate strategic reset. “This is a period of real transformation at Bumble over the past few quarters,” she said during the company’s latest earnings call. “We have executed a deliberate reset of our member base. We made a clear choice to prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on well-intentioned, engaged members. That decision reduced overall scale, but meaningfully improved the health of our ecosystem.”
The Role of AI in Bumble’s Future
Bumble’s overhaul is expected to lean heavily on artificial intelligence. The company is developing an AI dating assistant internally called Bee, and Wolfe Herd has previously described AI as “a supercharger to love and relationships.” While dating apps already use AI to determine which profiles users see, Bumble is exploring more ambitious applications, including the concept of personal AI bots that could interact with other AI bots on behalf of users.
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However, this direction carries risk. Surveys and cultural signals indicate that Gen Z users are increasingly skeptical of overt AI integration in social apps, viewing it as impersonal or dystopian. Wolfe Herd’s past comments about AI-powered dating futures have drawn comparisons to Black Mirror, raising questions about whether such features will resonate with the very demographic Bumble needs to attract.
What the Redesign Means for Users
Bumble’s new interface is not expected to launch until the final quarter of this year. Until then, users will continue swiping as usual. The company has not released specific details about what will replace the swipe, but the shift signals a recognition that the current model is no longer sustainable. For investors, the redesign represents a high-stakes bet that Bumble can reinvent itself before its user base erodes further.
Conclusion
Bumble’s decision to remove swiping is one of the most significant product shifts in the dating app industry since Tinder popularized the gesture a decade ago. Whether the move will reverse user losses or accelerate them depends on how well Bumble’s AI-driven vision aligns with what people actually want from dating apps. The answer will begin to emerge in late 2025, when the redesigned app reaches users.
FAQs
Q1: When will Bumble remove the swipe feature?
The new interface is expected to launch in the last quarter of this year. Until then, the swipe feature will remain active.
Q2: Why is Bumble getting rid of swiping?
Bumble’s paid user base has declined by 21% year-over-year, and the company believes the swipe-based model is no longer meeting user expectations. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd says the change is part of a broader effort to prioritize quality over quantity.
Q3: What will replace swiping on Bumble?
Bumble has not revealed the exact replacement, but the company is investing heavily in AI features, including a dating assistant called Bee. The new system may involve AI-driven matching or conversational interfaces rather than manual profile swiping.
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