How To Use Opening Moves On Bumble To Get More Dates

Many women love Bumble because only they have the power to start the conversation. But what if you don’t always want the responsibility? You’re going to love Bumble’s Opening Moves feature because it lets you pre-select a question that’s automatically sent to the men you match with. 

So how exactly does it work? Our dating experts are about to break down for you! 

We’ve spent thousands of hours swiping, messaging, and arranging dates on Bumble, so we know all the ins and outs to help you make the most out of your Bumble experience.

Let's dive in!

What Is Bumble’s Opening Moves? 

Opening Moves is a feature designed to kickstart conversations while saving women from the stress that often accompanies staring at a blank message box and wondering what to write. 

Lidiane Jones, Bumble’s CEO, explains the biggest benefit this way in an interview with Fortune: 

"This feature enables Bumble users to more quickly send a message without having to come up with new things to say for each match."

During its testing phase in various markets, including New Zealand and Australia, "Opening Move" proved to be a hit, and the feature was widely released in April of 2024. 

As Bumble notes in their press release, "The feature led to higher reply rates and longer conversations." 

How Opening Moves Works

This is a feature you can turn on and off from the profile editing menu. From the profile editing screen, scroll down to where you see “Opening Move.”

Tap “Choose your Opening Move”, and you’ll be presented with 13 stock options to choose from. 

These pre-written prompts range from thought-provoking questions like "What book or film changed the way you think" to questions like "What are your red and green flags” to “What TV show would you be a main character in”. 

The questions you can choose from may vary by location and periodically update to offer a fresh selection. You can also write your own. Opening Moves can be up to 160 characters.

Once your question is set, it will be automatically sent to every guy you match with unless you decide to override it by writing a custom message instead.

Related: Best Bumble Pick Up Lines [6 Openers That Guys Will Love!

It's worth noting that for heterosexual matches, the woman is the one who has the option to send an "Opening Move." However, in non-binary and same-gender connections, either person can send a question. 

What Happens When An Opening Move Gets Sent? 

After getting your Opening Move, the ball is in your match's court. He’ll get a notification, and he has 24-hours to respond. If he does, you have 24 hours to decide he’s someone you want to keep chatting with. 

When you send another message before the countdown ends, the message exchange can continue with no further time restrictions. If you don’t respond, the match will expire.

To help keep track of your "Opening Moves”, Bumble has made it super convenient. On the chats tab, ladies will be able to see their "Opening Move" question listed prominently at the top. 

And if your current prompt doesn’t seem to be leading to fruitful conversations, no worries. You can go in and change it at any time. 

Why We Love The Feature

Our dating experts use Bumble daily on behalf of the hundreds of clients we represent. We’ve been using Opening Moves since it launched, and here are 3 things we love about it:

1. You Don’t Have To Pay For Bumble To Use It

Bumble’s Opening Moves feature is free, which is a major plus. You don’t need a Boost, Premium, or Premium+ subscription to use it.

2. It Gives You Options

Bumble requires women to send the first message, with the only exception being guys who use the Compliment feature. 

That level of control can be great, and it’s a core part of Bumble’s brand. But it also means if you don’t take the time to reach out to someone you’re interested in, you risk losing a promising match.

Breaking the ice isn’t always easy, and thinking of the perfect opening line can be time consuming. You’re up against the clock, which is why many women default to sending something simple like “Hi”, and let the guy pick up the conversational reins. 

Having a thoughtful question queued up and ready to go helps you engage more meaningfully with a match while simultaneously saving you time. It’s a win / win. 

3. It Helps Screen Your Matches

You’re setting the conversational bar high from the outset, so it gives you another way to screen your matches. 

Does he take the time to write a thoughtful response that gives you a glimpse of his personality and conversational skills? Or does he fire off a one-word response and call it day?

You can also choose - or write - your Opening Move strategically, letting you dig into an area of compatibility that’s a deal breaker for you.

Hoping To Find Your Perfect Match On Bumble?

Scrolling through photos, checking out his bio and prompt answers, artfully asking the right questions to determine if he’s worth meeting in person… 

Screening your matches is hands down one of the most time consuming aspects of online dating. But it’s essential, because who has time for bad first dates that go nowhere?

If you want to meet quality men with true relationship potential, but you’re tired of spending so much time staring at your phone, VIDA Select can help.

With VIDA, you’ll be paired with a dedicated matchmaker who does all the screening and match selection for you. In fact, we can handle every aspect of modern dating, so you can look forward to dates with men who check all your boxes.

If you’re ready to start meeting the right men, go here to see how VIDA Select will make it happen for you.