Is Bumble BFF a Separate App From Bumble?

In the United States, Canada and Mexico, yes. BFF is its own standalone app there, and members have to download it to keep using it. BFF Mode inside the Bumble app, and the old Bumble For Friends app, no longer work in those three countries. Outside them, BFF is not offered as its own app, so it is still a mode inside Bumble.

In the US, Canada and Mexico, the friend side of Bumble lives in the BFF app. You cannot reach it from inside Bumble anymore.

BFF builds on what Bumble For Friends and BFF Mode did, and adds Groups, events and group chats. It is a different download, so it is not something you flip on in your dating settings.

Outside those three countries, BFF is not offered as a standalone app, and people there can still use BFF Mode in the Bumble app and the Bumble For Friends app.

To switch, open Settings in the Bumble app, tap Type of connection and choose BFF. To go back, choose Date. That is the whole switch, and it is also where the trouble starts.

Read this before you tap anything. Bumble says that switching from Date Mode to BFF Mode removes any existing matches you currently have.

For a man with live chats, that is a real cost. A woman you were two messages from asking out is gone the moment the mode changes. You cannot message her, and she cannot message you.

So do the housekeeping first. Go through your list. For anyone you want to keep talking to, get a phone number before you switch, or make the plan you were about to make. For everyone else, there is nothing to save, and the switch does your cleaning for you.

If you would rather not touch your dating matches at all, there is a second route. Use the standalone BFF app where it is available, and keep Bumble for dating.

A BFF page is separate from your dating page. You can tailor the bio, photos and interests for friendship and leave your dating setup alone.

That is a good thing. The photo that works for a date is not always the one that works for a game night, and a man should have both. For a friend page, a picture of you doing the thing you want company for, such as climbing, playing pool or hiking, tells people more than a posed headshot.

Write one line about what you want to do and how often. "Looking for someone to play pool on Thursdays" gives a stranger a clear yes or no. "Looking for new friends" gives them nothing to say.

Do not use BFF as a back door to dating. It is built for platonic connections, and the people on it signed up for that. A woman who joined to find a friend and gets treated as a date feels tricked, and she can report you.

If what you want is dates, that is Date Mode in Bumble, or whichever dating app works best where you live. Keep the two purposes separate and honest. A man who says what he wants is a better prospect than one who hides it.

Check which situation you are in. If you are in the US, Canada or Mexico, download the standalone BFF app and set up the friend page there. If you are anywhere else, find Type of connection in Settings and read the screen before you change anything.

Then decide whether you want BFF at all. Friendships grow from repetition, and an app only gives you the first introduction. A weekly climbing class, a league or a game night does the rest. Use BFF to follow up with the two or three people you liked.

• Work out whether you are in the US, Canada or Mexico
• If you are, use the standalone BFF app, not Bumble
• If you are elsewhere, remember that switching to BFF Mode removes your matches
• Save phone numbers for any chats you want to keep before you switch
• Keep your friend page and your dating setup separate