Why Does Bumble Need Your Phone Number?

Bumble requires every active account to be associated with a phone number. Its help page says this helps make sure everyone on Bumble is real, and that if you signed up with Facebook or Apple ID, you will still be asked to confirm your number as a required step. So an active account without a number is not an option.

Bumble gives one plain reason: a verified phone number helps confirm that the people on the app are real. Its page on phone calls from Bumble adds that the verification process helps confirm your number is real and belongs to you.

The number also works as a way into your account. When you sign up with your mobile number, Bumble sends a code, and you use the same number to log in later.

If you would rather not give a number at all, Bumble's page answers that directly. It points you to the steps for canceling a subscription, requesting a refund or deleting your account.

When you create an account, log in or verify your number, Bumble sends you a code by text message, or gives you the option of a phone call instead.

With a text, you simply enter the code. Bumble's sign-up page describes it as a six-digit code.

The call works differently. Bumble says it is an automated call and you do not need to answer it. Instead, you enter the last six digits of the number that called you. So there is no need to pick up at all. Let it ring, look at the caller's number and type in its last six digits.

Signing up with Facebook or Apple ID does not skip the step. Bumble says it will ask you to confirm your phone number, and calls it a required step.

It is quick. Enter the number, then enter the code from the text or the digits from the call, and you are done.

A common worry is that giving Bumble your number means handing it to every woman you match with. Bumble's safety page describes its in-app voice and video calls as a way to connect without sharing your phone number or email until you are ready. Its page on those calls says there is no need to exchange numbers, so your details stay protected if the connection is not right.

That gives you control over when your number changes hands. A good moment is once a date is actually set. Swapping numbers then makes arranging the evening easier, and it feels like a natural step rather than a request.

Pushing for her number in your second message usually works against you. Bumble's own page on phone calls warns members to take extra care if someone asks to move conversations off the app too quickly. A woman may read an early number request exactly that way.

A simple way to handle it: suggest the plan first, then offer the number as the practical part. "Drinks Thursday at eight? Here's my number in case anything changes" gives her a reason to have it and leaves her free to share hers when she is ready.

Bumble recommends adding another way to log in, such as Facebook or Apple ID, if you sign in with your phone number. Its reasons are practical: your phone could be lost, stolen or broken, your number could change, or you might not be able to receive texts.

Phone companies reassign old numbers. Bumble points out that if someone else gets your old number while it is still linked to your account, they could access your information. You need at least one other login method before you can swap an old number for a new one. And if your number changes with no second method in place, Bumble says you will not be able to get into the account and it cannot recover it.

To add one, open the Profile tab, tap the gear icon for Settings, go to Security and privacy, and tap Ways you can log in. Pick the extra method you want from the list. The same screen is where you change your number later.

Bumble is clear about when it will call you. Its page says the only call you may get from it is the automated verification call. It will not ring you about account problems, bans, payments or refunds, and it will not ask for your password or a verification code.

So if anyone asks for the code Bumble just sent you, whether a caller claiming to be from Bumble or a match in your chat, treat it as a scam. Bumble's pages list requests for passwords, verification codes and personal details among the warning signs. Hang up, stop replying, and report it.