Paying Bumble users are taking a step back and betting on a major overhaul later this year

While Bumble is gearing up for an overhaul aimed at winning back Gen Z users (who have moved on from dating apps for now), its latest earnings still report 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 last year.

This has been the story for a few quarters now. However, during its investor call this afternoon, Bumble framed this as a deliberate shift toward higher quality, more intentional users.

So, while total revenue fell 14.1% to $212.4 million (although it beat expectations), and Bumble’s app revenue fell to $172.7 million, its total average revenue per user paid roughly 9%. It also reported higher profits: net profits rose to $52.6 million compared to $19.8 million in the same quarter last year (mostly a result of reduced sales and marketing expenses).

In a call with the company’s investors, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd described the decline in paid users as part of a deliberate reset. “This is a period of real transformation at Bumble over the last few quarters,” she said. “We have implemented a deliberate reset of our member base. We made a clear choice to prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on engaged members with good intentions. This decision reduced overall scale, but significantly improved the health of our ecosystem.”

However, even with this framework, it is difficult to ignore the shrinking paid user base. That’s why a lot of the conversation on the call was about what comes next. Bumble is asking investors to look forward to its overhaul, which it hopes will eventually reverse this trend.

“When do we start seeing a rebound in the numbers you’re all looking for? Well, the answer is pretty simple. When our technology and next-generation recommendation engine can help better connect people more compatible and show them people they want to see and go on great dates with. That’s where the magic happens,” Heard said.

The overhaul marks the replacement of Bumble’s legacy technology platform with a cloud-native, AI-powered platform so it can improve matches and roll out updates more quickly. This has already started rolling out to some users and will expand over the next few months.

However, the most noticeable changes will come later. Bumble said on Tuesday that it is now expected to launch its full “reimagined” experience to members in the fourth quarter, with a broader rollout continuing into late this year and early next year. This is a little later than previous expectations and shows that this will be more of a gradual rollout rather than just one big relaunch.

And the changes themselves seem very significant. The company is betting big that the swiping model is outdated and that most matches never turn into actual dates. The company wants to fix that by redesigning profiles, changing how people interact, and focusing more on getting users to meet in real life.

Artificial intelligence is a big part of that plan. Earlier this year, Bumble introduced something called “Bee,” a built-in matchmaker that learns people’s preferences, relationship goals, and communication style, and then suggests matches based on those factors. And in a feature called “Dates,” Bee may also explain why two people are a good match before connecting.

Profiles also change. Bumble has been experimenting with more detailed “class-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 Heard, participation there is growing, especially among Gen Z women. Joining the group nearly doubled between December and March, the company says.

For now, Bumble is in a wait-and-see mode. The hope is that by fixing how people go from matching to actually dating, it can bring users back. But until this new experience is fully available, it will remain just a bet.