- Feel Good
- 3rd Sep 2025
- 0
- 0 minute
Bumble BFF – your new bestie might just be a swipe away
I used Bumble BFF last summer and met girls who I’m still friends with to this day.
You’re probably thinking exactly what I was thinking when I downloaded it. “Is it weird meeting a friend on an app?” And my answer is, well yes.
BUT it also works.
I had just moved to Newcastle and didn’t know anyone, let alone people who I thought were cool, interesting and fun to hang out with.
It didn’t help that I worked from home and wasn’t going to uni. My social interactions were limited to Zoom meetings with clients and my local coffee shop’s barista. I’d do my best to start up a conversation when I went to workout classes or give compliments when I liked someone’s outfits but it never really led anywhere.
I knew I needed to try something else when on a phone call my Grandma told me to ‘really try and put myself out there’.
So, I downloaded Bumble BFF and set up my profile.
PROFILE TIPS
When setting up your profile, it’s hard to know exactly what to add. So I have some tips.
Share your hobbies, things that you love to do (the more niche the better). You don’t need to worry about impressing anyone, you’re trying to find people who are actually listening to the same music as you, playing the same sports and getting just as excited about your life as you.
Skip the list of qualities. Some people’s profiles have a long list of what they’re looking for in a friend: loyal, kind, funny, etc. But everyone has different definitions of these traits. Instead, get straight into what you’d want to do together. Do you want friends who come to Pilates classes with you? Or give you business advice? Or knit with you?
IT’S A MATCH
Matches are pretty common on Bumble BFF – unlike dating apps, it’s easier to give everyone a chance. You’re not looking for ‘the one’, in fact, it’s normal to have running friends, work friends, creative friends, long distance friends and so on.
Plus, physical appearance doesn’t really play a role the way it does in a romantic relationship.
But what surprised me most, was the amount of people who were simply happy to have a text exchange and never cared to hang out in real life. The thing is, I wasn’t looking for a pen pal, so here’s what I did…
Extend an invite asap
I tried to keep hi and hellos limited to a few messages then invite them to something I was already planning on going to do. If they come, we can get to know each other right away and see if we get along, and if they cancel it’s okay because I can still get on with my day without being too inconvenienced.
Become Insta friends first
Follow them on Instagram and start responding to their stories. The key here is to interact with stories that actually interest you. It’s so easy to go from ‘I love that coffee shop!’ to ‘we should go this week’. Plus, you’ll weed out anyone who doesn’t bother to follow you back or even answer your DM.
Avoid the first date interview
Don’t get me wrong, I like a coffee and chit chat or matcha and walk around, but sometimes this puts too much pressure on the conversation – we’re not looking for a marriage partner here.
It’s okay to have friends with different values and interests than you, so I’m more focussed on seeing if we find each other funny, if the conversation flows easily, if they make me feel understood. And if I leave feeling happier and lighter than I did when I came.
Give yourself an out
This is also good dating advice. Whenever you make a plan with someone, also give them a time that you need to leave by (this can be real or fictional). If things aren’t going well and they’re making you regret the moment you ever downloaded the app, you have an easy out. And if you’re enjoying yourself and their company, you can always say that the other plans can wait.
LONG STORY SHORT
When I moved to Newcastle, even though I didn’t know anyone, I still wanted to explore. I went to Tynemouth and sunbathed on the beach by myself. I drank flat whites at Laneway & Co. on a single bar stool. I showed up to yoga classes and entertained myself with other people’s conversations.
I was making small talk, introducing myself and doing all the things that I heard you’re supposed to do when you want to meet new people in a new city, but it wasn’t getting me anywhere. It wasn’t until Bumble BFF that I was actually meeting girls who were in the same position as me.
They had also moved from other cities (or countries) and were just as new to Newcastle, just as excited to go to my favourite coffee shops and just as happy to do all the things I used to do alone, together.
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