What Is Backtrack on Bumble?

Backtrack is Bumble's undo button for a left swipe. If you pass on a woman by accident, or change your mind a second later, you tap the undo arrow in the top-right corner of the People tab to take the swipe back. Bumble says you need a Boost, Premium or Premium+ subscription to use it.

You use Backtrack in the People tab, where you swipe through women who fit your preferences.

Swipe left on someone you meant to keep, then look at the top-right corner of the screen. Tap the undo arrow there, and the swipe is reversed. Now you can look at her again and decide properly.

It is easiest to use straight away, while you still remember exactly who you meant to keep.

Bumble lists Backtrack under its paid plans. Its plan page puts unlimited Backtrack under Bumble Boost, described as undoing a no swipe on someone you liked. Premium includes everything in Boost, and Premium+ includes everything in Premium, so all three cover it.

Bumble's People tab page says the same thing from the other side: you need a Boost, Premium or Premium+ subscription for Backtrack. Prices change, so check them on the plan screens in the app rather than trusting an old figure.

Backtrack only works on left swipes. Bumble states plainly that it is not possible to Backtrack or undo a right swipe.

It also cannot take back a SuperSwipe. Bumble says SuperSwipes cannot be undone.

If a right swipe or a SuperSwipe you regret turns into a match, Bumble points to two exits: unmatch her, or stay silent and let the match run out.

Most accidental passes come from speed. A man sits on the couch after work and flicks through the People tab like he is scrolling a news feed. His thumb goes left before his brain has finished looking. Half a second later he realizes the woman had a great smile and a funny line about her dog.

The other common cause is judging on one picture. Her first shot is a bit dark, or taken from a strange angle, and you pass. Then you catch a glimpse of the next one and wish you had waited.

Backtrack fixes both after the fact. The better fix is to stop them happening.

Pay attention to the women you reach for the undo arrow over. Usually something beyond her first picture pulled you back: a line she wrote, a second shot of her laughing, a bar you both know. That tells you what you actually respond to, and it tells you how fast your thumb is moving.

If you find yourself using Backtrack several times in one evening, the issue is pace, not luck.

a dating coach's general view on paid features is that men are too quick to refuse to pay for anything, and that your time is worth money too. If a feature saves you hours, it often earns its keep. He also says to test paid features rather than buy on faith.

Backtrack on its own is a small convenience. It will save you a handful of women you nearly lost. That matters most in a smaller city, where every woman you pass by mistake is hard to replace.

If you are weighing a plan, count the whole package, not just the undo button. Boost also covers things like extra time on matches through Extend and Rematch for expired matches, and Premium adds the Liked You queue, Advanced Filters and more.

The habit that makes Backtrack less necessary also gets you better matches.

Give every woman a few real seconds. Scroll past the first picture, read what she wrote, glance at her interests. You are looking for two things: whether you would enjoy meeting her, and whether there is something specific you could ask her.

Swiping that way costs a little time per woman. It pays you back twice. You pass on fewer women you would have liked, and the matches you do make come with a ready-made first message.

When a woman you rescued with Backtrack matches with you, treat the chat like any other. You have one opening message and three days from the match to send it.

Write about the thing that made you want her back in the first place. If it was the line about her dog, ask what the dog has destroyed lately. Keep it brief, and when the chat is flowing, ask her to a drink.