Bumble, the dating app with feminist roots, is ditching swiping in favour of something new. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced this change during an interview with Axios, saying it’s part of a ‘deliberate reset’ aimed at improving user engagement and quality.

The move follows several quarters of declining paid users, with the number falling from 4 million to 3.2 million in just one year. Bumble plans to overhaul its app later this year, suggesting that swiping is no longer seen as a key feature.

Wolfe Herd argues that prioritising quality over quantity will benefit the overall health of the app’s ecosystem. However, with Gen Z increasingly wary of overt AI features, Bumble may face challenges in attracting younger users to this new format.

Bumble is also investing heavily in AI, developing an assistant called Bee and exploring future technologies like personal AI bots that date other AI bots. Only time will tell if these futuristic ideas resonate with users or make them run for the hills.