Tinder Update Adopts Bumble's Female-Driven Conversation Model

Tinder's new update will allow female users to take the lead in conversations with matches in a setting dubbed "women-talk-first."

The dating app's new feature is optional for female users. By entering the app's settings, women will soon be able to change it so that they are required to initiate dialogue before men. Therefore, this feature would allow for women to not be on the receiving end of an assortment of messages from every person they'd ever matched with.

Match Group, a company that operates Tinder alongside other dating websites, claimed the change is great for women if they don't mind the "pressure" of initiating a conversation with a new match.

"Often, women don't really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that's great," Mandy Ginsberg, Match Group CEO, told MarketWatch. "Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference."

"We have to constantly listen to what women want and address their needs, not just on Tinder but on all products. The feedback that we’ve heard is that women don't always want to be forced to make a move, so we want to give people the ability to choose," Ginsberg added.

The new setting has similarities to a model created by Bumble. First unveiled in December 2014, Bumble requires women to always kickstart conversations with matches, but "if she doesn't say something to a new connection within 24 hours, that connection disappears forever," the app's website claimed. In same-sex matches, either party is allowed to speak first.

The two app's female-driven feature differ greatly as Tinder users will have the option to abandon the setting at any time. However, Ginsberg asserted to Market Watch that adding the new element to the app's update is "not a reaction to any competitor," which was likely said as a way to address the seemingly similar feature that tends to rival Bumble's model.

This wouldn't be the first time Match Group has catered towards women. The company is an investor in Vina, a social networking app that allows young women to build friendships with other women.

"We started this company in Summer 2015 with the belief that all it takes is one friend to change your whole life," Vina's website read. "With the right set of people to support you in your journey and a culture of [a] community over competition, we can change the world in all the best ways."

Bumble also has a feature accessible inside of its app that's similar to Vina, called Bumble BFF.

Tinder didn't immediately respond to International Business Times' request for comment.