Check that your number is typed correctly with the right country code, then wait a few minutes, because Bumble says codes are sometimes delayed. If nothing arrives, tap Didn't get an SMS or Didn't get the call, whichever the app shows you. Still nothing? Restart your phone or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, and if that does not work, contact Bumble's support team.

The fixes, in order

Bumble's help page lists five steps for a code that does not show up. They are worth doing in this order, because each one rules out a cause before you try the next.

  1. Check the number. Make sure every digit is right and that it includes the correct country code.
  2. Wait a few minutes. Bumble says there are sometimes delays.
  3. Tap Didn't get the call or Didn't get an SMS, depending on which one the app shows you.
  4. Restart your phone, or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
  5. If none of that works, contact Bumble's support team.

The country code is the easiest step to overlook, because the number looks right. A number typed without its country code, or with the wrong one, can look fine on screen and still send the code nowhere useful. If you are traveling or using a phone from another country, check this first.

It is also worth a look at your own phone. If your messages app sorts texts from unknown senders into a separate folder, the code may be sitting there.

When the code comes as a call

Bumble does not only send codes by text. Its pages say that when you create an account, log in or verify your number, you can choose to receive a phone call instead of an SMS code.

The call is automated, and you do not need to answer it. Instead, Bumble asks you to enter the last six digits of the number that called you. So if the text never comes, the call is a good second route. Let it ring, read the caller's number and type in its last six digits.

This is also why a missed call from an unfamiliar number during sign-up is not something to worry about. Bumble's page on phone calls says the automated verification call is the only call you may get from it. If you asked for the call option, that unfamiliar number is most likely the one you need. Check that the timing matches, then use its last six digits.

If your number has changed

A code can only reach a phone that still has the number on your account. If you changed numbers and never updated Bumble, the code is going somewhere you cannot see it.

This is where a second login method saves you. Bumble recommends adding one, such as Facebook or Apple ID, if you usually sign in with your phone number. With it in place, you log in that way, then go to Settings, then Security and privacy, then Ways you can log in, and change your number from there.

Without a second method, the news is worse. Bumble says that if your number changed and you did not set up another way to log in, you will not be able to access the account and it cannot recover it. You can ask Bumble to delete the account to protect your data, and it will verify your identity first.

If none of it works

Contact Bumble's support team. Its pages describe the Help Hub in the app, an AI support chat and email as the ways to reach it. Bumble notes that for some queries it may ask you to log in first, so if you are locked out, say so clearly.

Tell them exactly what you tried: that the number and country code are correct, how long you waited, whether you tried both the text and the call, and whether you switched networks and restarted. That saves a round of questions and gets you back to your matches and conversations sooner.

Keep the code to yourself before you get back to swiping

One rule matters more than any fix. Never give your verification code to anyone.

Bumble says it will never ask for your login details or verification codes. Its page on phone calls says the only call you may get from it is the automated verification call, and that it does not offer support over the phone at all. So a caller claiming to be from Bumble and asking for your code is not from Bumble.

The same goes for a match. Bumble's page on fake profiles lists requests for passwords, verification codes and personal information among its warning signs. If a woman you have been chatting with asks you to read her a code, stop replying, block the account and report it.