Whatever you do, do not call Bumble a hookup app.
The dating app appears to be doubling down on branding itself as a destination for finding "empowered and lasting connections," rather than "hookups."
The stats behind this claim? A new survey of Bumble's users reveals that 85 percent say they're "looking for marriage or a boyfriend/girlfriend."
The survey also found that less than 4 percent of men and less than 1 percent of women on the app "are looking for a hookup," and 25 percent of users say they "went on a first date with someone they met on Bumble in the last month."
The survey results also play up the popular dating app's defining feature -- that only women users can start conversations with matches -- as an example of how the app has "empowered" women in online dating.
"Female Bumble users are empowered and ready to make the first move. These women have established their careers, experienced love, had families, and know what they want in their next relationship," Jess Carbino, Bumble's in-house sociologist (formerly of Bumble rival Tinder) said in a statement.
Bumble has long positioned itself as more than a dating app -- it has other features, Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz, which are meant for friendship and networking, respectively.
But Bumble isn't the only online dating company working to distance itself from the label of "hookup app." Tinder unveiled similar data last year that claimed its users were more interested in finding serious relationships than were non-users of online dating tools.
In recent months, tensions between Bumble and Tinder have skyrocketed. In March, Tinder's parent company Match Group filed a lawsuit against Bumble claiming its use of right and left swipes infringes on Tinder's intellectual property. In response, Bumble hit Tinder with a counter lawsuit, claiming Match had attempted to buy the the company in 2017 for $450 million.
Their common ground? Both companies seem intent on branding their products as fosterers of long-term dating, not casual sex.
