• Bumble launched "Handles" on 14 October 2026, opt-in usernames that let verified US iOS members find and Like an exact profile.
  • The launch came one day after Bumble agreed to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings in an all-cash deal valuing it at $1.3B.
  • Bumble's Q2 2026 revenue fell 15.2% to $210.5M, and total paying users fell 16.4% to 3.2M.
  • Bumble will not issue a Q3 earnings release or hold a call, so uptake data may be scarce.

Bumble (BMBL) has launched Handles, optional searchable usernames that let a verified member find and Like a specific profile by typing its exact handle. According to Bumble's help page, the feature is available only to members in the USA on iOS. Mashable reported that it arrived on 14 October, one day after Bumble announced it had agreed to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings.

The pitch, per Bumble's X post, is to say 'Find me on Bumble' instead of handing over a phone number. Fast Company listed further uses: introductions between friends, and posting a handle on another social account.

The DII Take

Handles solve a real, small problem: the awkward phone-number handover. They are also a feature, not a strategy. Bumble's help page on Handles was last updated on 5 October, which suggests the feature was in preparation before the sale was announced, so it should not be read as a post-deal plan.

Safeguards are sensible, but a shared handle travels

Bumble's support article says a searcher needs the exact handle, and someone who finds a profile cannot message unless both sides Like and match. Members can turn on 'Hide me from search', and Incognito Mode profiles do not appear. A handle can be changed only once every 30 days, and blocked users cannot find the profile through it.

The article also concedes that a shared handle can be passed on to others. Whitney Wolfe Herd, quoted by Mashable, said: 'Discoverable doesn’t mean accessible.'

A username is cheap to ship and expensive to make matter when paying users have fallen 16.4%.

The numbers Handles have to move

Bumble's Q2 results, reported on 5 August, showed total revenue of $210.5M, down from $248.2M, with total ARPPU up 1.2% to $21.96. Match Group (MTCH) reported Q2 revenue of $853M, down 1%, with Hinge revenue up 22%, according to its SEC filing. Bumble's revenue is shrinking much faster than Match Group's, which was broadly flat.

The deal has not closed. Bumble said Ithaca co-CEOs Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman become Bumble co-CEOs only on closing. Bumble will not issue a Q3 earnings release or hold a call, and will file its 10-Q by 9 November. DII could find no Android or non-US timeline for Handles.

  • Handles address off-platform friction and referral, but they do not address the 16.4% fall in paying users that came alongside Bumble's 15.2% revenue decline.
  • With no Q3 earnings call, adoption evidence will probably have to come from Bumble's 10-Q, due by 9 November, or from the new owners.

Sources: Staying safe when using Bumble Handles (Bumble); Bumble X post on Handles (Bumble); Bumble borrows a major feature from social media (Fast Company); Bumble adds social media-esque handles (WDC News 6 / Mashable); Bumble Launches Searchable Handles for Dating Profiles (Online Personals Watch); Bumble Inc. to Be Acquired by Ithaca Holdings (Bumble Inc. investor relations); Bumble Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results (Bumble Inc. investor relations); Match Group second quarter 2026 results (Match Group, SEC); Bumble Inc. Form 10-Q for quarter ended June 30, 2026 (Bumble Inc., SEC)