How to Use Bumble BFF

Creating Your Profile

Open Bumble on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. The app icon is yellow with a white hexagon inside.

Tap on the three bars in the top left corner. This is where you can switch between the three modes of Bumble: Date, BFF, and Bizz.

Tap on bff. This is the option with the blue circle next to it.

Go to your profile. Do so by tapping on the icon that looks like a person in the bottom left corner.

Tap on your profile photo. This is located at the top of your screen, right above your name.

Tap on Edit profile. This is the yellow button at the bottom of your screen. Our next steps provide pointers for building your profile. While most of them are not required, we recommend adding as much detail as you want to enhance your profile!

Add photos. At the top, you’ll see six squares where you can upload photos. Tap on a square, then tap on one of the options: Facebook, Instagram, Upload photo, or Take photo. Pick a photo from whichever source you choose, and add it to your profile. If you’re wondering how to select the best photos, here are some pointers: Pick a photo where you’re smiling. This will help show that you’re approachable and friendly. If you have a pet, don’t be shy to include a photo with them. I mean, who doesn’t want a bestie with a cat? Include photos that show off your personality and interests. Are you into nature? Maybe feature a hiking picture. Do you like to go out? How about including a picture of you at a bar. The opportunities are endless! Don't use a professional headshot as your profile picture.

Add a bio. Scroll down to the section labeled, “My bio,” and tap on the text box to start typing. Tap on Save above your keyboard once you’re done. A good bio should be relatively short, but still show off your personality and/or what you’re looking for on Bumble BFF.

Fill out your basic information. Scroll down to My basics and tap on the options below it to fill out information such as work, education, gender, and location.

Add information about your life under My life and My interests. If you tap on either of these sections, you’ll see a list of many different attributes and interests. Simply tap on any tag to add it to your profile. You can add up to three tags for “My life.” This includes things such as education, job status, living situation, and sexuality. You can add up to five tags for “My interests.” This includes a bit more specific information regarding your personality, preferences, and things you like to do.

Add profile prompts. Scroll down to Profile prompts, click on the rectangle underneath, and tap on a profile prompt that you want to use. These essentially give you prompts for you to fill out your own answer - pick whichever ones entice you the most! Simply tap on a prompt, type your answer, and tap Done to add it to your profile. You can add up to three.

Add extra information under More about me and My pronouns. Simply click on the options underneath each header to add more information about you.

Connect your social media. Scroll down to Connected accounts and tap on the Instagram or Spotify icon to connect your social media platform. Connecting Instagram will display your Instagram posts on your profile, and connecting Spotify will display your top artists.

View your profile. Once you’ve added everything you want, tap on the arrow in the top left corner, then tap on your profile picture up top. Now just scroll through your profile to view it! Don’t worry about building the perfect profile in one sitting - you are always able to go back and edit, delete, or add to it later.

Getting Matches and Making Friends

Go to your feed. Do so by tapping on the icon with three lines located at the bottom of your screen.

Look through someone’s profile. You’ll see profiles pop up just as you would on normal Bumble. Simply scroll down on someone’s profile to view their bio, photos, and any additional information.

Swipe left or right. If you like someone’s profile and want to match with them, swipe right. If you don’t want to match with them, swipe left. After you swipe right, you may see a screen that says “Boom!”. This means that you have matched with the other person - congrats! However, don’t get discouraged if this screen doesn’t pop up. This may just be because the person hasn’t seen your profile yet, meaning there’s still a chance you could match later.

Go to your conversations. Do so by tapping on the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner.

Tap on a match. At the top of your screen, you’ll see a list of all of your matches. Scroll through their profile pictures until you find someone you want to message. If you’re also using Bumble Date or Bumble Bizz, you’ll notice different colored rings around different matches. Blue corresponds to Bff, yellow corresponds to Date, and red corresponds to Bizz.

Send a message. After tapping on their profile, simply write out your message in the text box. Don’t worry too much about sending the perfect message - just be yourself and interact as you normally would with a potential friend! Keep in mind that Bumble will remove a match if neither person has messaged within 24 hours of matching. If there’s someone that you want to connect with, don’t be shy about sending the first message! While first messages can vary person-by-person, here are a few ideas if you’re wondering what to send: respond to someone’s funny or interesting bio, comment on a shared interest or activity, or ask them more about one of their profile prompts.

Continue conversations. The best way to make a connection is simply by engaging in a conversation! Simply tap on a user’s name in the conversations page to open up the chat. Now chat with the person just as you would with a normal text conversation.

Plan to meet up. The next step in making a possible friendship is to meet up with the person. Scheduling a first friend date doesn’t automatically mean you have to become besties, but it’s a great way to get to know them better! There are so many fun friend date ideas out there, but here are a few options to get you started: grab coffee and explore a new neighborhood together, go to a museum, try out a new restaurant, see a comedy show, or go to a concert of that niche indie band that you both like. Happy Bumble BFF-ing!