Bumble introduces usernames: share your dating profile instead of your number

Dating app Bumble has introduced a feature called Handles: unique usernames that let profiles be found through search, similar to Instagram or X. According to the trade site Global Dating Insights and the business magazine Fast Company, the feature is optional and initially available only to iPhone users in the United States. Bumble reportedly gave no timeline for other countries or Android.

The username is meant for situations outside the app: someone who meets a person at a café or a party can share their Bumble name instead of a phone number; friends can introduce acquaintances via their profiles, and users can promote their profile on other social networks. Two people can still only message each other once both have expressed interest. The handle can be switched off at any time, making the profile undiscoverable by search. “Your private and professional networks aren't necessarily where you want your dating life to begin,” founder Whitney Wolfe Herd said in a press release.

The change comes at a time of upheaval: on 13 October Bumble announced a $1.3 billion takeover deal, and according to Fast Company its stock has lost more than 90 per cent since its 2021 IPO. The industry has spent months trying to steer people back towards real-life meetings – Tinder launched an Events feature in March. According to a Harris Poll from this year cited by Fast Company, two-thirds of single US adults don't use dating apps, and 72 per cent of singles say apps feel more transactional than romantic.