Saturday App: Bumble

If you’ve just moved to a new area or want to get out of your usual social circles, Bumble can help. Bumble aims to connect people on the romantic, professional, or platonic levels by allowing users to upload photos and bios to advertise what they are looking for. With a growing user base and the ability to switch between different sections based on your goals, Bumble could just be the one-stop shop for friends, dating, and professional contacts.

* This post is part of the iPhone Life Tip of the Day newsletter. Hire. *

Related: Digital Dating: Rules, Tips, and Hints for Online and App-Based Dating

Walking hesitantly (Free)

What it is

Bumble is well known for being a matchmaking app where women have to start a conversation within 24 hours or the match goes offline. But since 2014, Bumble has grown to over 20 million users and they’re not just using the app to find a date. Bumble has three distinct sections: Date for the obvious, Bizz for professional networking, and BFF for forging platonic same-*** friendships. For same-*** matches in all sections, either person can send a message first. While the app can be used by anyone for any of the purposes provided, there is no option to bypass identification as male or female, or choose an identifier other than male or female. You can create an account with just your phone number, but you can also connect your Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify accounts to Bumble, which could spark conversations with people you have things in common with.

Why we love it

Bumble combines the top three reasons why I try to break out of my usual routine. I wanted to expand my career options; And it would not be a bad idea to meet new people, both in friendly and romantic terms. Having all three options available in one app is great. I can make a different profile for each section and am impressed with the range of filters that I can use between them. Bumble can help me connect with people who have comparable political views, a professional connection to swap stories with, and a friend who definitely wants to see a dinosaur exhibit with me.

Dated

Bumble Date makes women the first to message a match within 24 hours. In-app purchases are available to extend the match timer (giving the woman more time to message), rewind to see someone’s profile she didn’t like again, and other features like seeing who liked you. first. Filters are more personal than age and distance. I can select if I want to filter by zodiac sign, smoking habits, political opinions and more. One thing that Bumble lacks in including as a filter option for Kids is “I don’t want to, but open to dating people who have children,” as current options strictly divide people who are and are not parents. Date lets you display up to six photos and provides Move Makers, which are pre-made blanks to reply to in an effort to start a conversation. Show your answer to questions like “I quote too much of …”, “Ideal night to go out” or the more polarizing question, “Nightclub or Netflix?”

Networking

Bumble Bizz asks you to fill in a minimum 100 character title to advertise what you are looking for or want to provide in a professional capacity. If you are retired, you can offer to mentor someone who is active or new to the industry. If you are just starting a hobby, looking to volunteer, or want to start working independently on your skills, Bizz can match you with people who can show you what to do with your experience and goals. You can upload a resume and have space to provide more information on what you want to achieve. Bizz isn’t designed for recruiting employees, just networking, so don’t expect job openings through the app. Bizz follows the women-first message method, except in a same-*** match.

Friends

Bumble BFF connects people of the same *** to establish friendships. In this section, anyone in a game can be the first to send a message. To be honest, I am more picky about my friends than about my dates. This is why I try to write a decent length bio for Bumble BFF that shows my personality (introvert with streaks of attending group outings), as well as the type of person I would like to hang out with (preferably someone I would like to see? like the museum’s movies and interactive exhibits). Writing a good bio about myself and what I like to do leads to matches with potential same-*** friends. I also try to take the initiative to be the first to send a message. You can’t meet someone you never talk to, right?

So far I have not met anyone that I have paired with in the app, but it has made me reflect on why I want to meet people and how I choose to represent myself to people I do not know. If you are trying to meet new people, Bumble offers three different means of communicating and, according to Bumble’s terms, letting people know who you are.