Bumble Ends Women-First Messaging Rule for Heterosexual Matches

Bumble is an app that helps people meet dates.

For a very long time, Bumble had a special rule: when a man and a woman matched, only the woman could send the first message.

If she didn't send one within 24 hours, the match disappeared.

Starting in August, that rule is going away.

Now either the man or the woman can say hello first.

People also get more time to reply, 72 hours instead of 24.

Bumble says the old rule made some people feel pressured, like starting a conversation was a job.

The app tested the new way in Canada, and people started more conversations.

Bumble still lets women message first if they want to, but they no longer have to.

This is a big change because that rule was what made Bumble different from apps like Tinder.