Bumble is fast turning into one of the world’s most popular dating apps. Known for its short, quirky, and often hip profiles, it works a lot like the Tinder dating app except there’s a catch – women must message first.
However, like Tinder, its popularity has come at a bit of a cost for some users. Namely, they find it hard to get matches.
Possible causes? Well, many of us like to think it’s all down to us. Are we unattractive? Are we uninteresting?
Does – gulp – Bumble hates us?!
While improving Bumble your profile will certainly help, it’s also good to know how the Bumble algorithm works so that you can get it to work in your favor.
While this article isn't an exact science, there is a theory floating around about the Bumble algorithm.
Today, I’m going to explore it in a bid to help you succeed more on the Bumble dating app & learn how bumble work to get more matches.
How Does The Bumble Algorithm Work?
1. People Who Like You Will Appear First
A quirk that Bumble shares in common with Tinder is that many users say they get loads of matches at first … but, over time, the matches dwindle.
When you first signup to Bumble, you could go to bed and bag yourself one-hundred matches overnight.
A few months later, you’ll be ecstatic to get one once a week, or even once a month.
“I got a match this month!”
*fist pump*
So what gives?
Well, like Tinder, Bumble gives precedence to those who have already swiped for you. This means that you’ll get lots of matches at first, but that they will probably dwindle as time passes.
Fortunately, the situation can be rectified (at least a tad) by cooling down on the swiping for a bit. Just give it a bit of a break – maybe try another dating site in the meantime?
2. Bumble Punishes Those Who Swipe Right On Everyone
I know what this can be like because – believe me – I’ve been there.
When I first started out using dating apps like Bumble and wasn’t getting any results, I knew people were swiping right for me … but I couldn’t find them!
So I did what many others have done and began swiping right for everyone. I figured that if I kept swiping right, I would eventually match with someone.
Unfortunately, that technique didn’t work. Worse still, it made my love life on Bumble even worse because – as the rumors have confirmed – Bumble (and Tinder) punishes those who right swipe on everyone.
What the heck?
Yup, if you’re swiping right on every single person you’re coming across, you’re basically acting like a bot.
Bumble is a dating and friendship app (bumble bff) aimed at regular folk who genuinely want to make new connections. If you’re swiping for everyone, you’re telling Bumble that you’re either not taking this seriously, or you’re a total desperado.
Of course, you’re neither. You’re just trying to get a match.
So what do you do?
Well, you become more selective.
I know this advice is hard to take when you’re not getting matches and you're attracted to a lot of Bumble users. But it’s honestly the best way to avoid falling foul of the dreaded Bumble algorithm. In the future, chill out a bit and only right-swipe men and women you’re genuinely interested in.
3. The Least Popular Bumble Profiles Are Pushed To The Back of the Queue
Now, you’re either gonna hate or respect Bumble for this one. What Bumble does is it boosts bumble profiles that have been swiped right on a lot to the front of the queue – but pushes the less popular ones to the back of the queue.
This means that if an attractive profile (complete with supermodel pics) has been swiped right a million times, it will be right there when you log in to Bumble.
This also means that if you swipe right on this profile too, you’re competing against a million other people. Hardly fair, is it?
Well, look at it this way. It’s not just attractive profiles that are super popular. It’s also profiles that have been properly optimized by the individual. This means they’ve uploaded their best, smiley pics that flaunt their personality, and they’ve added an awesome bio that stands out.
Bumble will totally reward you if you make your profile more appealing by working on it a bit. It won’t punish you simply because “you’re ugly.” That’s not how it works – beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
If you’re worried that your profile has been shoved to the back of the line, it’s almost certainly down to the fact that you haven’t optimized it well enough.
We have an article all about optimizing dating site profiles here. In the meantime, focus on making your Bumble profile a bit edgy, ask your friends to pick out your best pics, and try adding a bit of humor to your bio while also giving a clue as to what you’re all about.
You Can Be Active or Inactive – It Doesn’t Matter!
I hear a lot of people telling me that Tinder “punishes” those profiles that aren’t very active. I think this is a good thing, as it prevents you from matching with someone who hasn’t even logged on for a month.
Bumble, on the other hand, has no real rule on this. Whether you’re inactive or active, it won’t change where you pop up in the results. It also won’t change where your matches pop up either. As such, if someone hasn’t replied to your first message – don’t be annoyed. They might have swiped right for you a few weeks ago and haven’t logged on for a while.
Hey, perhaps they’ve even found love already. Be happy for them!
How to increase the accuracy of your Bumble algorithm results
Now that you know a bit more about the Bumble algorithm, it’s time to see if there’s anything you can do to boost your popularity and land more dates. Here are some tips:
Don't Neglect Bumble Filters
To increase your chances of finding compatible matches on Bumble, make use of the app's filter options. Bumble uses these filters to determine which profiles to show you. The filters can help you make decisions such as the distance you're willing to travel and if you only want to see verified profiles.
Reset your Bumble Account
There is a strong case to be made that deleting and reinstalling the app ‘tricks’ Bumble into believing you’re totally new here (again). Thus, you’ll start getting seen by more people once more.
Don’t Right Swipe all the time
Come on, are you really interested in every profile you come across on the app? Be more selective this time around and only swipe right on the people you’re genuinely interested in.
Bumble Premium Features
Bumble has a few premium features like Bumble Boost, Bumble SuperSwipe, and Bumble Spotlight. Among these features, Bumble spotlight is a great feature to hack the bumble algorithm. When you activate Bumble spotlight you'll get 10x more impressions on your profile which means more matches. You can get Bumble spotlight for 2 Bumble coins.
Improve your Bumble profile
If you do delete and reinstall the app in a bid to get more swipes, you need to make sure your profile is better than last time. Otherwise, you’ll be back at square one. Read our improve your Bumble profile tips to get more matches.
Takeaway: 👇
Of course, no one knows for sure how the Bumble algorithm works, but there have been enough clues for us to make solid guesses. What’s definitely true is that no matter if you’re a man or a woman, the likes drop off after you’ve been logged on for a few months. As such, if you feel as though the algorithm is working against you at the moment, delete and reinstall the app and start afresh with a much better profile. DON’T start swiping until your profile has been improved. Show it to a friend, get them to agree that this new profile is pretty sweet – and then start swiping again.