Making friends tends to be harder as you get older, but this new app – specifically designed for platonic relationships – could change all that
As we get older, our lives change and the friends we had in school, college or various jobs in our twenties, thirties or forties change with it. Paths diverge, close pals grow apart, priorities shift and many people can find themselves feeling lonely at a time when they most need friendship and support.
Have you ever wished that you could find your dream best mate the way others find their dream partner? Someone who shares your interests and hobbies but is also fully aware of your complicated life or hectic schedule?
Last month, Bumble Inc. announced the launch of Bumble For Friends, a standalone app for finding friends. The app creates a new way for people to grow their friendship circles by discovering meaningful, kind, and fun connections in their local area that is separate from the Bumble dating app.
If you’re thinking this sounds familiar, you are correct – in a way. The new app follows the successful BFF mode that’s been available within the traditional Bumble app since 2016, which features three modes for: romantic relationships (Date), platonic friendships (BFF), and business connections (Bizz).
Bumble For Friends is expected to be especially popular among Gen Z, as new research from the app reveals that over a third of 18-24 year olds in Ireland believe that platonic relationships are more important than romantic relationships. However, a quarter are stuck in outdated friendships and another third are not satisfied with the ones they currently have.
Why do we find it hard to make friends as adults?
According to Bumble’s research, while 57% of 18-24 year olds in Ireland want to make new friends, almost a third feel prevented to do so due to finding it difficult to approach people in person and a fear of being judged.
Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s founder and CEO said: “People are more open to making friends online than ever before. No matter your life stage – whether it’s moving off to college, looking for a travel partner or becoming a new mum – Bumble For Friends creates a fun way to connect with people while helping solve the extremely important issue of loneliness.”
How do I use Bumble For Friends?
- Create a profile with pictures reflecting your personality and interests and the type of friends you’d like to meet.
- You will be shown profiles of potential friends based on common interests. Swipe right on profiles you’d like to connect with and they’ll be notified that a match is made.
- If you’re using BFF mode with the Bumble app, you can easily transfer your profile and connections into the Bumble For Friends app – just download and log into the new app as an existing member.
- Once a BFF profile is moved over to the Bumble For Friends app, BFF mode is no longer available in the Bumble app. The Date and Bizz functionality remains.
