Bumble announced that it will release a bundle of customised features that will help improve how people can connect with each other during this period of social distancing and as dating moves online.
New features that are now live within the app include a 'virtual dating badge' that will appear in users’ profiles who are open to date via video chat. This badge will allow Bumble users to find and filter their prospective matches based on who is looking to date virtually.
During this time when it’s best to take dates virtual, Bumble is also expanding its distance filters to allow users to match with anyone in their country. Typically, the app allows users to connect with people within 1 to 100 miles of their location, but now users will see the option to connect with people nationwide in their app settings.
The company has seen a 29 per cent increasein messages sent on its platform in India and noted that more than two in five chats are turning into meaningful conversations with a large number of messages exchanged. With this increased usage of Bumble’s chat platform, the company is giving its users new tools to enhance their chat experience and enable them to get to know each other better. In addition to the app’s existing chat, voice call and video chat options, Bumble users can now record and send audio notes to their matches and reply to specific messages within their chats.
In India, Bumble saw a 17 per cent increase in video calls during the week ending March 27 compared to the week ending March 13. The average time for a video chat or voice call on Bumble in India is now 14 minutes.
Globally, more than 100,000 Bumble users have updated their dating profiles to mention that they are quarantining and have seen nearly as many mentions of COVID-19 and coronavirus.