Bumble

According to a recent study conducted by dating app Bumble, seventy-four percent of singles in India believe it is important to have similar tastes in music as their partner.

The study also found that 91 percent, a vast majority of Indians surveyed, feel that music helps build a strong connection and 89 percent think that someone who has the same taste in music as them makes them more attractive, according to Indulge Express.

Bumble offers interest tags specifically for music that users can add to their profiles to interest potential matches, or at least get a conversation started.

Bumble is testing its BFF (Bumble for Friends) service as a standalone app for finding friends, according to Mashable.

Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz (for career networking) have been features on the main Bumble dating app for a long time, and now Bumble intends to spin BFF off into its own entity. The new app is being tested in the UK and select Asian markets, according to confirmation from Bumble. And according to Tech Crunch, though Bumble couldn’t confirm specific countries where it’s being tested, the app is also available in Australia, New Zealand and Philippines for both Androids and iPhones.

Bumble BFF expected to launch in the U.S. this summer.

It’s likely that the dating app’s Bizz service will be a standalone app down the line as well. But for now, the company is focusing on its BFF service, since about 15 percent of Bumble’s active monthly users utilize the feature.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble is showing users it puts safety first according to its recent ad campaign “The New Rules of the Game,” which won an award from The Drum for Marketing the Americas 2023.

According to The Drum, Bumble wanted the campaign to speak to women, who are often worried about meeting people on a dating app because they are likely to encounter rude or explicit messages or photos when they are searching. The company highlights all the ways Bumble is creating a safe space for singles, where dating can be both safe and fun.

The campaign focused on real and important issues for daters while at the same time making it playful and engaging by doing a series of sports-related ads. In one, a female baseball player is up for bat and waiting for the pitch while the narrator talks about the “Private Detective” feature which keeps photos blurred, unless the user says it’s ok to see. At the end, the batter catches an eggplant and smiles, adding to the humor.

Bumble is expanding its suite of apps with the acquisition of Official, an app that helps people improve their relationships through check-ins and date planning, according to Fast Company.

Networking and friendship building are already part of Bumble’s platform, and Official adds to the mix to encourage couples to better communicate and set intentions in their relationships.

Official will remain a standalone app for now instead of being folded into Bumble’s app, though CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told Fast Company that there were opportunities for the two platforms to “collaborate.” Couples who met on another app will also be able to sign up for Official, which means joining Bumble’s userbase. With the addition of Official, Bumble is seizing on an opportunity to keep people on its platforms even after they’ve met and formed a relationship.

Image: Bumble

Bumble has launched a suite of new self-care badges and prompts in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.

The new Profile Prompts and Interest Badges help people highlight and talk about their mental health and self-care practices, according to the company’s press release. The Profile Prompts are available in Date Mode, and users can select from two: “My mental health game changer was…” and “I’m prioritizing my mental health by…”

The new Interest Badges are intended to highlight what self-care is important to a user, and potentially spark further conversation. These include badges for Therapy, Mindfulness, Deep Chats, Nutrition, Sleeping Well, and Time Offline. These badges can be removed or switched out at any time for other interests, and users can add up to three at a time to their profile, according to Bumble's release.

Bumble beat analysts’ expectations for its first quarter earnings report, with user spending remaining strong despite concerns over inflation and a recession.

According to Reuters, Bumble saw strong user growth during the first quarter of 2023 as more people chose to pay for its features and subscriptions. The news sent the company’s stock up 7 percent in aftermarket trading.

Bumble reported revenue of $242.9 million for the first quarter of 2023, higher than analyst expectations of $241 million, according to Refinitiv data. Total paying users were a bright spot: Bumble reported 3.5 million paying users at the end of Q1, up from 3 million just a year earlier. Total paying users grew 31 percent to 2.3 million for Bumble.