HomeBumble eliminates swipe feature, CEO says
Could the growing frustration with dating apps finally end the swipe? For Bumble, it appears so.
During an Axios interview on Thursday, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Heard confirmed the company is removing swiping — the signature feature of 2010s dating apps.
“We’re saying goodbye to the swipe and welcoming something I believe will revolutionize the category,” Wolfe Herd said.
Bumble plans a major app overhaul later this year after several lackluster quarters where it steadily lost paying subscribers. In Q1 this year, paid users dropped roughly 21% to 3.2 million, down from 4 million a year earlier.
A full redesign is a drastic move, sending a clear signal to investors that the situation is serious. Yet, like any capable CEO, Wolfe Herd has performed some verbal acrobatics to frame Bumble’s money-losing trajectory as a success.
“This has been a period of genuine transformation at Bumble over recent quarters,” she said during the quarterly earnings call. “We deliberately reset our member base. We chose to prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on well-intentioned, engaged users. That decision shrank our scale but significantly improved the health of our ecosystem.”
Given Wolfe Herd’s previous remarks on Bumble’s new direction, the company is expected to double down on AI — it’s even developing an AI dating assistant named Bee. Wolfe has frequently stated over the years that AI will serve as “a supercharger to love and relationships.”
Dating apps already rely on AI to determine which users are shown to each other. However, Gen Z is increasingly skeptical of overt AI features, and Wolfe Herd has hinted at even more futuristic scenarios, such as personal AI bots dating other AI bots on your behalf. It remains uncertain whether these Black Mirror-like pitches will actually resonate with users in their 20s. Bumble’s overhaul isn’t set to roll out until Q4 of this year, so swiping continues for now.
Related article
WordPress.com now allows AI agents to write and publish posts, plus more
WordPress.com, the popular web hosting and publishing platform, is now embracing AI agents—a move that could reshape the look and feel of the web. The company announced Friday that it will allow AI agents to draft, edit, and publish content on custom
Kakao Mobility outlines Level 4 autonomous driving roadmap for physical AI
Kakao Mobility is planning to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technologies internally as part of its physical AI strategy.
At the 2026 World IT Show conference in Seoul's COEX, Kim Jin-kyu — vice president and head of Kakao Mobility's Physical AI
Barry Diller: Trust in Sam Altman irrelevant as AGI nears
Barry Diller, the billionaire media titan, does not believe OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is untrustworthy, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's "Future of Everything" conference this week, Diller defended Altman
Related Special Topic Recommendations
Business
Best AI Expense Trackers: Scan Receipts & Categorize Corporate Spend Automatically
2026 Latest Best AI Expense Trackers: Top-rated tools to scan receipts & categorize corporate spend automatically. Discover powerful, game-changing solutions for effortless expense management, accurate financial tracking, and streamlined compliance. Our curated, weekly-updated comparison of free vs paid options helps you find the perfect fit. Unlock your AI edge with XIX.AI's expert picks.
10 tools
xix.ai
Business
Best AI Recruiting Tools: Screen Resumes & Automate Candidate Interview Scheduling
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI recruiting tools on XIX.AI. Our curated list features powerful, game-changing solutions for screening resumes and automating candidate interview scheduling. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Find your perfect hiring assistant and streamline your recruitment today!
10 tools
xix.ai
Productivity
AI Personal Wellness & Focus Coaches: Manage Burnout & Boost Mental Energy Levels
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Top-Rated AI Romantic Chatbots: Build Long-Term Relationships with Consistent Personalities
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Education and Learning
Best AI Data Science Mentors: Master SQL, Pandas & Machine Learning Workflows
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Best AI Flirting & Conversation Trainers: Improve Social Charisma and Confidence in Real-Time
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Comments (0)
0/500
Could the growing frustration with dating apps finally end the swipe? For Bumble, it appears so.
During an Axios interview on Thursday, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Heard confirmed the company is removing swiping — the signature feature of 2010s dating apps.
“We’re saying goodbye to the swipe and welcoming something I believe will revolutionize the category,” Wolfe Herd said.
Bumble plans a major app overhaul later this year after several lackluster quarters where it steadily lost paying subscribers. In Q1 this year, paid users dropped roughly 21% to 3.2 million, down from 4 million a year earlier.
A full redesign is a drastic move, sending a clear signal to investors that the situation is serious. Yet, like any capable CEO, Wolfe Herd has performed some verbal acrobatics to frame Bumble’s money-losing trajectory as a success.
“This has been a period of genuine transformation at Bumble over recent quarters,” she said during the quarterly earnings call. “We deliberately reset our member base. We chose to prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on well-intentioned, engaged users. That decision shrank our scale but significantly improved the health of our ecosystem.”
Given Wolfe Herd’s previous remarks on Bumble’s new direction, the company is expected to double down on AI — it’s even developing an AI dating assistant named Bee. Wolfe has frequently stated over the years that AI will serve as “a supercharger to love and relationships.”
Dating apps already rely on AI to determine which users are shown to each other. However, Gen Z is increasingly skeptical of overt AI features, and Wolfe Herd has hinted at even more futuristic scenarios, such as personal AI bots dating other AI bots on your behalf. It remains uncertain whether these Black Mirror-like pitches will actually resonate with users in their 20s. Bumble’s overhaul isn’t set to roll out until Q4 of this year, so swiping continues for now.
WordPress.com now allows AI agents to write and publish posts, plus more
WordPress.com, the popular web hosting and publishing platform, is now embracing AI agents—a move that could reshape the look and feel of the web. The company announced Friday that it will allow AI agents to draft, edit, and publish content on custom
Kakao Mobility outlines Level 4 autonomous driving roadmap for physical AI
Kakao Mobility is planning to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technologies internally as part of its physical AI strategy.
At the 2026 World IT Show conference in Seoul's COEX, Kim Jin-kyu — vice president and head of Kakao Mobility's Physical AI
Barry Diller: Trust in Sam Altman irrelevant as AGI nears
Barry Diller, the billionaire media titan, does not believe OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is untrustworthy, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's "Future of Everything" conference this week, Diller defended Altman
2026 Latest Best AI Expense Trackers: Top-rated tools to scan receipts & categorize corporate spend automatically. Discover powerful, game-changing solutions for effortless expense management, accurate financial tracking, and streamlined compliance. Our curated, weekly-updated comparison of free vs paid options helps you find the perfect fit. Unlock your AI edge with XIX.AI's expert picks.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI recruiting tools on XIX.AI. Our curated list features powerful, game-changing solutions for screening resumes and automating candidate interview scheduling. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Find your perfect hiring assistant and streamline your recruitment today!
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
