July 4th fell on a Tuesday this year, giving most Americans the gift of a four-day summer weekend. So what is a person to do on the one of the biggest dating holidays of the year? Well, Bumble users figured they’d end the weekend with a bang. So much so, that the app broke.
During Independence Day, Bumble froze while bringing up profiles, instead just leaving users with an endless loading screen. Some users also lost their matches and conversations, essentially ruining some solid 4th of July plans.
https://twitter.com/TheModernMedici/status/882275447496728578
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Eventually, Bumble acknowledged the problem and explained that the service “overheated” because conversations “were sparking like fireworks on the 4th of July.” By the end of the day, the app was largely back to normal. But the conundrum still left a few Bumble users heartbroken.
Bumble overheated because convos were sparking like fireworks on the 4th of July. We're cooling off. Be back up soon, honey! 🎇🐝
— Bumble (@bumble) July 4, 2017
I hope the conversations come back because right now mine are missing.
— Jackie Batchelor (@jackiebees) July 4, 2017
Mine half loaded and all the matches were there. Still not working, but a good sign.
— Pete Spuckler (@PeteSpuckler) July 4, 2017
Bumble is a dating app that allows women and queer men to selectively choose potential dates by making contact with their match first. Matches only last for 24 hours, so if contact isn’t made, then the match is lost forever and the two are thrown back into the wild.
The service has been hailed as an accessible dating platform that helps cut down on harassment against women by men. But its time-sensitive nature means that maintenance issues can significantly impact dates.
Tasked with a disabled app, some users decided to take the situation into their own hands and go old school: meeting dates in real life. Whoa.
https://twitter.com/AvgAmericanM/status/882318140696383488
https://twitter.com/MMoyer27/status/882285401494487040