Bumble For Friends, an app for making friends nearby with shared interests, adds two notable updates - AI-generated conversation starters and Plans - to get offline and make local friends.

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The Bumble For Friends app is adding a Plans section for groups of friends to meet. To make it easier to build a community of friends, people can now organize in-person group get-togethers and discover nearby activities to join. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Introducing Plans: A New Way to Gather as a Group

• Bumble For Friends is rolling out a highly-requested feature known as Plans, which helps members meet IRL with groups of up to 15 people. Whether you're planning a monthly book club or seeking concert buddies, Plans simplifies the process of organizing and participating in group get-togethers. For anyone navigating being new to an area or starting afresh, finding like-minded individuals to do things with can be a challenge; Plans on Bumble For Friends helps solve that problem by facilitating connections to nearby group activities.

"When someone asks what your weekend plans are, and you don't have any, it can make you feel even lonelier. We want to eliminate that feeling and give members an easy way to enjoy fun plans with amazing people,” said Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s founder and CEO. “Plans is designed to be the bridge that brings online connections to life in the real world. It's about more than just meeting people; it's about forming deeper connections with those who share your interests. With Plans, you can get to know not just one, but an entire group of like-minded individuals with one gathering. It's all about creating opportunities for lasting friendships and meaningful experiences."

How to Create & Share a Plan

• Skip the swipe. Anyone using the Bumble For Friends app can create a plan by tapping the Plans tab at the bottom of the app.
• Plans can be public or private. Private plans are invitation-only. Public plans are discoverable in the Plans tab, and any member can request to join.
• Once admitted to attend, the person joins a group chat with the other members and sees the location details.
• Want to share your plan? Tap the share icon at the top right side of the plan details screen. When the receiver opens the link they'll see an overview of the plan and an invitation to download the Bumble For Friends app if they haven’t yet downloaded it.

Additionally, Bumble For Friends is making it faster to get conversations going with new friends.

No More Fretting Over First Messages: Your Personal Icebreaker AI Assistant

• Breaking the ice just got easier with Bumble For Friends' latest chat update. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Bumble For Friends’ new personalized conversation starters assist with crafting the perfect icebreaker to initiate a conversation. This feature is currently available in English.

How Do the Conversation Starters Work?

• When you connect with someone new, the AI magic kicks in, presenting you both with an in-chat prompt asking if you'd like help with what to ask in the first message.
• Tap 'get started,' and voilà! AI crafts a personalized icebreaker question based on their profile.
• You're in control. Use the suggested question as is, tweak it, request another one, or go back to writing from scratch.
• Only one AI-generated icebreaker per chat is allowed, and it disappears once used.

Herd shared: “AI can be a supercharger for getting to know new online connections faster. A pain point we hear is the uncertainty of what to message a potential friend. By leveraging AI as an idea generator, we're not only jump-starting conversations but also speeding up the process of discovering if there's a true connection. In our early testing, we are seeing a percentage of our members choosing to use AI to help them break the ice."

With these new updates, Bumble For Friends continues to be at the forefront of fostering meaningful friendships and memorable social experiences redefining the way people connect online to get offline.

To use Plans, download the free Bumble For Friends app on the App Store and Google Play in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

ABOUT BUMBLE INC.

Bumble Inc. is the parent company of Bumble, Badoo, Fruitz and Official. The Bumble platform enables people to build healthy and equitable relationships, through Kind Connections. Founded by CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, Bumble was one of the first dating apps built with women at the center and connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble For Friends) and professional networking (Bumble Bizz). Badoo, which was founded in 2006, is one of the pioneers of web and mobile dating products. Fruitz, founded in 2017, encourages open and honest communication of dating intentions through playful fruit metaphors. Official is an app for couples that promotes open and honest communication between partners and was founded in 2020.

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"Plans is designed to be the bridge that brings online connections to life in the real world," said Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s founder and CEO.