Bumble’s paying users are slipping as it bets on an overhaul later this year

As Bumble gets ready for a big overhaul meant to win back Gen Z users (who are pretty over dating apps right now), its latest earnings still reports that paying users are declining. In the first quarter of 2026, total paying users fell 21.1% to 3.2 million, down from 4 million a year ago. This has been the story for a few quarters now. However, during the call to investors this afternoon, Bumble has framed this as a deliberate shift toward higher-quality, more intentional users. So while total revenue dropped 14.1% to $212.4 million (though it did beat expectations), and Bumble app revenue fell to $172.7 million, its total average revenue per paying user increased nearly 9%. It also reported higher profits: Net earnings increased to $52.6 million compared to $19.8 million in the year-ago quarter (largely from cutting sales and marketing expenses). On the company’s investor call, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd described the paid-user decline as part of an intentional reset. “This is a period of real transformation at Bumble over the past few quarters,” she said. “We have executed a deliberate reset of our member base. We made a clear choice to prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on well-intentioned, engaged members. That decision reduced overall scale, but meaningfully improved the health of our ecosystem.” Still, even with that framing, a shrinking paying user base is hard to ignore. That’s why much of the conversation on the call was more about what comes next. Bumble is asking investors to look ahead to its massive overhaul, which it hopes will eventually reverse the trend. “When do we start to see a rebound in the numbers you’re all looking for? Well, the answer is very simple. When our technology and our next-gen recommendation engine can actually help better connect people more compatibly and show people who they want to see and out on great dates. That’s where the magic happens,” Herd said. The overhaul refers to replacing Bumble’s old technology platform with a cloud-native, AI-powered one so it can improve matches and roll out updates more quickly. This is already starting to roll out to some users and will expand over the next few months. Techcrunch event San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 The more noticeable changes, though, are coming later. Bumble said on Tuesday that its full “reimagined” experience for members is now expected to launch in Q4, with a broader rollout continuing into late this year and early next year. That’s a bit later than earlier expectations and shows this is going to be more of a phased rollout than a single big relaunch. And the changes themselves sound pretty significant. The company is making a big bet that the swiping model is outdated and most matches never turn into actual dates. The company wants to fix that by redesigning profiles, changing how people interact, and focusing a lot more on getting users to meet in real life. AI is a huge part of that plan. Earlier this year, Bumble introduced something called “Bee,” a built-in matchmaker that learns daters’ preferences, relationship goals, and communication style, then suggests matches based on those factors. In a feature called “Dates,” Bee may even explain why two people are a good fit before they connect. Profiles are changing too. Bumble has been experimenting with more detailed, “chapter-style” profiles that go beyond just photos and a short bio. Additionally, Bumble is seeing some momentum outside of dating. Its friend-focused app, Bumble BFF, added a Groups tab last year where users can join chats, plan hangouts, and organize events. According to Herd, engagement there is growing, especially among Gen Z women. Group joins nearly doubled between December and March, the company touts. For now, Bumble is kind of in wait-and-see mode. The hope is that by fixing how people go from matching to actually going on dates, it can bring users back. But until that new experience is fully out there, it’s still just a bet.