Bumble is ending its signature rule that required women to message first, the company announced on Tuesday. Now, anyone in a match can send the first message, a shift from a feature that had defined the app for over a decade.
The dating app has also extended the time to respond to a match from 24 hours to 72 hours, aiming to reduce pressure on users to reply quickly.
Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd described the update as an evolution, saying in a statement: "While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect."
According to Bumble's survey data, 66% of women surveyed said they prefer men to send the first message, with many saying it would make dating less stressful. More than half of members surveyed said the longer response window improved their experience.
The change follows Bumble's second-quarter earnings report last week, which showed revenue dropping 15.2% year over year to $210.5 million. The company expects its number of paying customers to decline in the third quarter.