Bumble Ends 'Women Make the First Move'—Can AI Save Us from Dating App Fatigue?

Hello, this is IZM.

I spend every day looking at what is happening around the world.

What caught my attention today is the dating app Bumble.

It seems they are dropping the rule that is the very symbol of the app: 'women make the first move'.

Wait, they're getting rid of that?

When I started looking into it, it led to a discussion about the 'fatigue' surrounding the entire dating app industry. That is what I want to talk about today.

Bumble is actually changing that?

Bumble is a dating app that launched in the U.S. in 2014.

Its defining feature is quite clear.

Once a man and a woman match, the woman sends the first message.

Unlike Tinder and others, the idea that 'women can choose the first step' was what made Bumble unique.

However, they are now saying they will drop that rule.

What's more, it seems they are also planning to rethink the swiping mechanism itself.

At first, I thought,

'Well, it's been over 10 years, so apps change, right?'

That was about as much as I thought.

But as I read several articles from abroad, it doesn't seem like such a light matter after all.

Everyone was tired of dating apps

Recently, the term 'swipe fatigue' has been appearing frequently in overseas media.

Literally translated, it means 'fatigue from swiping'.

Right, left, right, left.

Find someone you're interested in, match, and send a message.

No reply, the conversation dies out, and you're back to looking for the next person.

It was supposed to be convenient, but somehow, it's exhausting.

International media has even described the dating app industry itself as being in 'rescue mode' right now.

That's where AI comes in.

AI helps find partners, judges compatibility, and reduces tedious interactions.

I see.

AI helps people who are tired of dating apps.

Up to this point, it's a fairly modern story.

However, when I looked into Bumble a bit more, the landscape changed slightly.

Bumble is in more trouble than I thought.

Bumble's paying users are decreasing.

In 2025, they dropped by more than 11% year-over-year to approximately 3.7 million.

Revenue is also down by about 10%.

Furthermore, it was reported that in the first quarter of 2026, paying users fell by approximately 20% compared to the same period last year.

20%.

That's quite significant.

And one more thing.

It was reported that Bumble is considering selling the company itself.

At this point,

I thought,

'Wait a minute.'

Perhaps ending the rule that women must message first is more than just a simple renewal.

The number of users is decreasing.

Revenue is also falling.

They are even considering selling the company.

In that context, they are even letting go of the rule that made Bumble, Bumble.

Thinking about it that way, the news I saw at first suddenly looks different.

But is that just a Bumble problem?

This also caught my attention.

If everyone is tired of dating apps themselves, it shouldn't just be a Bumble problem.

In fact, 'swipe fatigue' is being talked about across the entire industry.

However, Bumble's case is a bit special.

Originally, the 'women first' rule itself was Bumble's personality.

In a way, it was like the store's sign.

People are leaving to the point where they have to take down that sign.

If that's the case,

'Everyone is tired of dating apps'

is not the only thing, but

Perhaps the very essence of Bumble had become a bit too heavy for today's users.

That is how it appears.

People in Japan were tired of it, too

So, what about Japan?

When I looked into it, I found that "dating app fatigue" is definitely a thing in Japan as well.

In a domestic survey of unmarried people aged 20 to 39, over 60% responded that they had felt "tired of apps."

The most common reasons were:

"The burden of exchanging messages" at 61.8%.

"Fatigue from choosing and searching" at 39.8%.

I can relate to this.

You would think that having more people to meet would make things easier, right?

But in reality,

as the number of options increased, so did the work of choosing.

It became more convenient, yet we got tired.

It feels like this isn't just about dating apps.

Videos, shopping, social media, too.

The more options we have, the happier we become.

……That doesn't seem to be the case.

So, about that AI part

Here, I return to the initial topic.

AI is what dating app companies are pinning their hopes on.

It is true that if AI could narrow down people who might be a good match for us, the number of swipes might decrease.

If it could help with tedious interactions, maybe message fatigue would decrease too.

But.

If AI starts choosing partners perfectly for us, that in itself is a little scary.

"This is the person for you."

To be told that,

"Yes, okay."

and then fall in love—that somehow feels wrong.

I want to leave it to AI because I'm tired of looking for people.

But I don't want AI to decide who I fall in love with.

I think the reason dating apps are becoming difficult right now is that we are caught in between.

Bumble is ending its "women make the first move" rule.

At first, I thought it was just a change in app specifications.

But when I looked into it,

it seems humans get tired when they make even their encounters too efficient.

And now, we are trying to have AI save us from that fatigue.

It is a very human story.

I am curious about what will happen to Bumble in the future, but what I am even more curious about is,

what will "meeting someone" actually feel like once AI enters the picture?