The Bumble Algorithm Explained: How Does Bumble Decide Who to Show You?

Last Updated: April 25, 2022 References

Are you wondering how Bumble's algorithm works? While most details are secret, we do know that Bumble uses a combination of your preferences, community filtering, and app features to determine who appears in your match queue. Understanding Bumble's algorithm can help you see more relevant people in your stack. We'll break down why you're seeing the profiles you see in your Bumble queue, and help you use that information to get better matches!

Section 1 of 6:

Your Filters

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Bumble only shows you matches who meet your filter requirements. If you have a free Bumble account, you can control who Bumble shows you based on gender, age, and distance. If you're subscribed to Bumble Premium, you can further customize your stack with Advanced Filters, which let you search by height, smoking preference, star sign, education, kids, and more.^{[1]
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- Bumble doesn't learn your preferences over time. The only preferences of yours that Bumble takes into consideration when showing you matches are your filters.
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You'll occasionally see matches who fall slightly outside of your filter preferences. If you run out of people to swipe through, Bumble automatically relaxes your filters so you can check out users who are close to your preferences, but don't fall neatly within your boundaries.^{[2]
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- For example, if you have your distance range set to 30 miles and someone is 31 miles away, you may see them at the end of your stack when you run out .
- If you want to stick to your hard limits, you can tell Bumble not to relax your filters at all—just tap the filter icon at the top-right corner of your Hive and deselect "See other people if I run out."
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Upgrading to Bumble Premium gives you access to better filters. If you want more control over who appears in your queue, Bumble Premium could be a worthwhile investment. For example, if you only want to see users who are verified, observe a certain religion, or have particular political leanings, Premium's Advanced Filters will greatly improve your match queue.

Section 2 of 6:

People Who Swiped Right on You

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If someone likes you, their profile will appear near the top of your list. While you won't know that they've already liked you (unless they've SuperSwiped you or you're a Premium user who can see the Beeline), users who've already shown interest will always appear near the front of your match stack.
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Bumble may penalize you if you swipe right on too many users. If your strategy is to swipe right on everyone and wait for people to swipe back, there's a chance your profile might be shown to fewer people.
- Since Bumble keeps their algorithms private, this isn't a scientific fact.
- However, many Bumble users have speculated that their profiles were pushed to the back of the queue after right-swiping sprees, resulting in lower profile visibility and fewer potential matches.

Section 3 of 6:

Profile Popularity

More popular profiles are shown to a larger audience. While Bumble doesn't say much about their algorithm, many surmise that profiles who get more right swipes are shown to more people, much like Tinder.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
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Go to source} This type of collaborative filtering generates recommendations based on majority opinion, which means that if a lot of users swipe left on a particular profile, that profile will be shown to fewer users.
- Having great photos is key to getting right swipes.^{[4]
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  Research source} To improve your chances of a right swipe, add 4 to 6 attractive and well light photos to your profile, using your best close-up shot as your main image.
- Bumble has found that using Basic Info Badges on your profile can increase your chance of making matches.^{[5]
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Section 4 of 6:

Bumble Spotlight Users

If someone is using Spotlight, their profile will show up for more people. Bumble Spotlight is a paid feature that moves the purchaser's profile to the top of the stack.^{[6]
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Research source} When you're swiping through profiles, users with Spotlight will always be featured, but you won't know who is using Spotlight.

Section 5 of 6:

Why am I seeing someone I already swiped left on?

Even if you've already swiped left on a profile, you might see that person again. According to Bumble's support team, Bumble shows you profiles you've already swept left on in case you made a mistake or changed your mind.^{[7]
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Research source} It's also possible that someone you're seeing a second time has deleted and recreated their profile, which would add their new profile to your stack as long as they fall within your filter requirements.

Section 6 of 6:

Why did I run out of people to swipe on?

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Your filters might be too restrictive. The stricter your filters, the fewer potential matches you'll see as you swipe. Expand your distance and age range a little bit to see what you're missing out on!
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You've hit the swipe limit. Are your filters loose enough but you're still getting the "All caught up" message? If you swipe too many profiles in a 24-hour period, you'll have to wait another 24 hours before you can see the next profiles in your deck.^{[8]
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Research source} The swipe limit only affects free accounts—if you subscribe to Bumble Boost or Bumble Premium, you'll get unlimited swipes.
- Bumble doesn't specify how many swipes you get per day, but many users think it varies depending on how you're using the app. For example, if you're swiping right on everyone, you'll run out of new people to swipe on sooner than you would if you were putting more effort into looking at people's profiles.