Bumble's "Compliments" Feature Lets You Message Before You Match

You may have heard the saying “flattery won’t get you anywhere,” but there’s no denying that most people can appreciate a thoughtful, genuine compliment. Especially when you’re seeing someone new or chatting with a match on a dating app for the first time, complimenting a person’s style or sense of humor can actually get you somewhere — and it’s something that Bumble is championing with its latest launch.

On Nov. 30, the app announced its new “Compliments” feature, which allows all users to increase their chances of matching with someone by sending another user a nice message before swiping. While the dating app typically requires you to wait until you’ve connected with another user via mutual right swipes to message them, the Bumble Compliments feature lets you send a commending note to someone before they decide to swipe right on you and match. This gives you the advantage of not only having your profile stand out with the notification, but also starting your interactions off on a positive note.

“Compliments answer the what and why of dating. What is it about a person that you find fascinating? Why do you want to get to know someone better?” Shan Boodram, Bumble’s sex and relationships expert, said in a press release. “With that in mind, there truly is no better way to start a connection.” You can compliment another user’s impressive travel photos, their gym selfies, or even a funny prompt response they put on their profile. Even sending a note of admiration about something witty they put in their bio can start a fun and positive conversation.

The feature allows you to send one Compliment to another user per day. To use it, look for the heart-shaped button on a user’s pictures, bio, or profile prompts. Once you hit it, you can type a note (you get a max of 150 characters) into the pop-up box, and the user will be able to see the compliment message before deciding which way to swipe on your profile. This notification can be found in both your “beeline” (the area where Bumble premium members can see who swiped right on them) and on the landing page when you first open the app if you’re a free user. As Bumble’s vice president of product, Vivienne Sung, said in a press release, “We believe in the power of positive words and that kindness counts here at Bumble, and when compliments are the foundation of a conversation, it can set the tone and ensure that connection gets started in the best possible way.” Nice folks FTW.