The Bumble swipe feature, one of the most recognizable elements of modern dating apps, may soon become a thing of the past. In an interview with Axios on Thursday, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd confirmed that the company plans to move away from swiping as part of a broader redesign of the platform.
“We are going to be saying goodbye to the swipe and hello to something that I believe is revolutionary for the category,” Wolfe Herd said during the interview.
The planned overhaul comes during a difficult period for Bumble as the company faces declining paid user numbers and increasing pressure to reinvent the online dating experience.
Bumble Swipe Feature Faces Big Changes After User Decline
The decision to rethink the Bumble swipe feature follows several disappointing quarters for the company.
According to Bumble’s latest quarterly results, paid users dropped roughly 21% year-over-year to 3.2 million during the first quarter, down from 4 million during the same period last year.
The scale of the redesign signals how seriously Bumble is treating the slowdown. Major interface changes are relatively rare for large social and dating platforms, especially when the existing feature helped define an entire generation of apps.
Still, Whitney Wolfe Herd framed the changes as part of a larger strategic reset rather than a retreat.
Speaking during the company’s earnings call, she described the last several quarters as a “period of real transformation” and said Bumble intentionally focused on attracting more engaged and well-intentioned users, even if that reduced the platform’s overall scale.
According to Whitney Wolfe Herd, the strategy was aimed at improving the long-term health of Bumble’s ecosystem.
AI Could Play a Bigger Role in Bumble’s Future
The company’s upcoming redesign is also expected to lean more heavily into artificial intelligence.
Bumble has already been working on an AI dating assistant called Bee, reflecting the broader trend of AI integration across consumer apps.
Wolfe Herd has repeatedly spoken about AI’s future role in relationships and previously described artificial intelligence as “a supercharger to love and relationships.”
Dating apps already rely on AI systems behind the scenes to recommend potential matches and personalize user experiences. However, Bumble appears interested in pushing AI integration further into the core user experience.
The report also noted that Wolfe Herd has discussed more advanced concepts in the past, including the idea of personal AI bots interacting with other AI bots on behalf of users.
Bumble’s AI Vision May Face Challenges With Gen Z
While AI continues gaining traction across the tech industry, user reactions remain mixed — particularly among younger audiences.
The report points out that many Gen Z users are becoming more skeptical of highly visible AI features inside apps and digital platforms.
That uncertainty could create challenges for Bumble if the company’s redesign leans too heavily into futuristic AI-driven interactions.
At the moment, Bumble has not revealed exactly what will replace swiping or how the new experience will function.
The company’s redesigned platform is expected to launch later this year, meaning users will continue using the traditional swipe system for now.
Don’t miss out on our latest news—follow us for the latest AI news, breakthroughs, and insights that matter.