Last Updated on October 5, 2021 by bumble
Bumble just rolled out a software update that removes features that were part of their original agreements. The latest change strips the Bumble profile of its original functionality and adds new features to the app without consulting its users.
The update, which is titled “phase one” according to CEO Whitney Wolfe, disrupts the agreed-upon service contract between Bumble and its users by adding changes like Stories (a Snapchat-like feature), swipeable profiles (which were previously not possible with this type of app), and shout-outs (which allow others on the app to send public messages). Meanwhile, much-loved security features like reading your daily match notifications privately in “Snooze Mode” are gone. These changes are made without the express permission of Bumble’s users, who are notified in an email that they are no longer in “phase one.” Now the app defaults to the new features unless you select to disable them, but there is no opt-in process.
This isn’t the first time that Bumble has done this. In November, Wolfe sent out a memo saying that existing marketing campaigns would be “ending shortly,” implying that the app would soon undergo a similar overhaul. That plan was snipped at launch when Bumble made significant changes to its user-profiles and swipe functionality which violated their user agreements.
We reached out to Bumble for comment but have not received a response. It is not clear if or when these features will be rolled out to users.
Bumble has grown rapidly in the last year, adding 600k new users in January 2017 and reaching 1 million installs in June 2017. They claim to have over 4 million ‘likes’ on their Facebook page (which is absurd given that you can’t like individual profiles), but even with that kind of audience growth, the company hasn’t shown any concern for its user base.
The app was able to ride the coattails of other women-focused apps like Tinder, Bumble’s main competitor, by providing users with an algorithmically selected dating pool of women who had voluntarily opted-in. Bumble’s algorithm was also seen by some as a male-supremacist tool; for example, in April 2016, Bumble introduced a feature that “suggested” user matches based on similarities of interests. This new feature, titled “similar interests,” caused many women to report harassment and/or trauma from men they did not choose to match with.
By making the app less attractive to people who would otherwise use it, Bumble is making it less useful for others and will only further the decline of their user base.