You can now swipe your way to a BFF after dating app Bumble announced it has released a function that allows users to look for friends as well as lovers.

 

最近，一个名为“大黄蜂”的手机App出台了新功能——用户只消用手指一滑，就可以找到恋爱对象和朋友。
 

 

The app, which was launched by a group of former Tinder employees in December 2014, previously¹ enabled women to approach men - but not the other-way around - for potential dates...but has now added a similar function for finding new friends.

 

Bumble's founder², Whitney Wolfe, 26, has extended the app's dating function to allow users to adopt the 'friend mode', meaning you can swipe right on pictures of anyone you'd like to be gal³ pals⁴ with.

 

Bumble, which has more than 500,000 users in the UK, was designed to appeal to women in response to Tinder which its creators believe is full of 'creepy guys' and 'cheesy pickup⁵ lines'.

 

The app instead allows women to message men first and its creators claim its female-freindly approach makes it safer and users are 'will never receive unwanted messages'.

 

'It's almost easier to find a date than it is to find a friend,' Wolfe said on CBS This Morning on Monday.

 

She said the move is a response to a demand for a platonic⁶ dating function from users.

 

'We have an incredible user base, and so many of them were using this app to find friends. And they've been requesting a feature for -- 'Hey, I'm in a relationship, but I love Bumble. I still want to be able to use it.' '

 

Finding friends works the same way as finding a date on the app. Users can swipe right on the people they are interested in and if there's a match, the two can start chatting. If no message is exchanged within 24 hours, the connection disappears from both users' messages.

 

However, detractors have criticised the fact that the app only allows users to 'friend match' with members of the same sex.

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