Dating app Bumble has been experimenting with a new way for its users to connect. The company has been quietly testing a speed dating feature in its U.K. market, which allows users to join the app on a designated night and time to engage in brief chats with other members before they\u2019ve seen their photo or matched. If the date goes well, the members can choose to match to keep the conversation going.<\/p>\n
Reached for comment, Bumble wouldn\u2019t confirm the details of the new service, but did note it had a product announcement pending.<\/p>\n
The speed dating feature\u2019s introduction follows a number of attempts by rival dating services to incorporate speed dating or fast chats into their own offerings as dating app users tire of the usual swiping. Some of these efforts have fared better than others.<\/p>\n
Tinder parent Match Group, for example, leveraged technology from its acquisition of Hyperconnect to integrate audio and video technologies into various brands like Meetic, Match and Pairs, including for \u201cblind date\u201d-style features. Tinder also launched a blind date feature involving in-app chats as well as a Fast Chats feature for connecting before matching as part of its larger social platform called Tinder Explore. Meanwhile, Facebook in 2021 tested a video speed-dating service, Sparked, but shut it down earlier this year after it failed to gain traction.<\/p>\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Bumble speed dating feature via Watchful<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Bumble\u2019s case, the new speed dating service is being presented to end users as a game where users are referred to \u201cplayers\u201d who click a \u201cplay game\u201d button to get started. The game starts when users see a \u201cLive\u201d icon appear in the Bumble app. Upon first launch, the players have to accept a set of dating rules \u2014 like \u201ckeep it respectful\u201d and \u201cdon\u2019t ask about their looks\u201d \u2014 before they\u2019re able to continue.<\/p>\n They can then chat with other participants in the app for 3 minutes before they\u2019re shown each other\u2019s photos. After the time is up, the players can decide to match and continue to a private chat.<\/p>\n According to data from product intelligence firm Watchful, Bumble has been offering speed dating on Thursdays at 7 PM in the U.K. However, according to some posts by users on social media, the service didn\u2019t always have enough users<\/a> to get the game started. Others who tried it had positive<\/a> things<\/a> to say about the experience, however.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> : Bumble speed dating feature via Watchful<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As younger users shift to new ways of connecting online, dating app makers have also been experimenting with different ways to connect people beyond the usual swiping. Video dating, for instance, has popped up in a number of dating startups \u2014 like Snack, Feels, and Desti \u2014 as companies try to appeal to the generation that\u2019s grown up with TikTok. But often, younger users are ditching traditional dating apps for lower-pressure experiences that are more friend-focused and casual. Snapchat\u2019s platform apps are an example of this trend in action, as is Gen Z livestreaming app Yubo.<\/p>\n Over time, as users turn to these newer apps to socialize and meet people, the trend could cut into the core audience for traditional dating apps.<\/p>\n Bumble wouldn\u2019t provide additional information about its plans for speed dating\u2019s expansion, but did acknowledge its interest in exploring new ways of facilitating online socializing.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Bumble, we are always testing new and different ways for our community to connect,\u201d a Bumble spokesperson said. \u201cLike all tests, we will collect feedback before deciding if we roll it out more widely,\u201d they noted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> : Bumble speed dating feature via Watchful<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bumble has also recently been spotted testing a number of other social networking-inspired features within a platform called Hive, as part of its revamp of its BFF friend-finding platform, including video calls, polls, chats, and more.<\/p>\n On its Q2 2022 earnings calls, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told investors the company was interested in helping people find friends and connections through smaller communities and interests \u2014 like \u201cmoving to a new city, navigating parenthood, finding a partner for hiking,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/gp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/speed-dating-2.png\")
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