Bumble Abandons Swipe Feature, Bets on AI Dating Assistant ‘Bee’
Bumble Abandons Swipe Feature, Bets on AI Dating Assistant ‘Bee’
Bumble Inc. is dropping its signature swipe gesture in a major redesign, CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd confirmed Tuesday, as the dating app pivots to artificial intelligence to drive user engagement. The company has been quietly developing an AI-powered assistant called “Bee” that will handle profile curation and conversation starters, according to multiple sources familiar with the project.
“The swipe is a relic of the past,” Wolfe Herd said in an internal memo obtained by our team. “We’re moving toward a world where AI acts as a supercharger to love and relationships.” The new feature, expected to roll out globally by Q3 2025, will replace the left-right gesture with a conversational interface that suggests matches based on user behavior and preferences.
Industry analysts confirm that the shift mirrors broader trends in the dating-app sector, where AI is increasingly used to combat user fatigue and improve match quality. “Bumble’s move is bold but risky,” said Dr. Lena Petroff, a digital behavior researcher at Stanford University. “If Bee works as promised, it could redefine how people meet online. But forcing users to abandon a core habit like swiping is a gamble.”
Background
Bumble launched in 2014 with a women-first approach and popularized the swipe mechanic for dating apps. The gesture, originally popularized by Tinder, became a cultural shorthand for quick, visual decision-making in online dating. Over the past two years, however, Bumble has seen slowing user growth and increased competition from apps like Hinge and Feeld.
Wolfe Herd has long hinted at an AI pivot. In a 2023 earnings call, she described artificial intelligence as “a supercharger to love and relationships,” and the company has since filed several patents for machine-learning matching algorithms. The Bee assistant is the culmination of that strategy, designed to learn from user preferences and suggest dates without requiring manual swiping.
“We’re not just removing a feature; we’re rethinking the entire onboarding experience,” said Jake Morrison, Bumble’s chief product officer, in a press briefing. “Bee will ask users about their emotional triggers, dealbreakers, and even their sense of humor, then build a match queue that feels more like a conversation than a game.”
What This Means
The elimination of swiping signals a fundamental shift in how dating apps monetize user attention. Currently, apps like Bumble earn revenue through premium subscriptions that offer unlimited swipes and super-likes. Under the new system, monetization may move to AI-driven personalization features, such as advanced compatibility reports or conversation coaching.
“This is a bet that AI can create longer-lasting connections, which in turn would reduce churn and increase lifetime value per user,” said Angela Chen, a tech analyst at Gartner. “But it also raises privacy concerns: the more data the AI collects, the greater the risk of misuse or breaches.” Bumble has stated that Bee will process data locally on the user’s device to minimize such risks, though full technical details remain under wraps.
Users who rely on the swipe may face a learning curve. The company plans to roll out the new interface gradually, with a “classic mode” option retained for six months to ease the transition. However, Wolfe Herd made clear that the swipe will eventually be removed entirely: “We’re building the future of dating, and that future doesn’t involve left or right.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates on Bumble’s AI integration and user adoption figures.