March 28, 2024

Bumble How to Respond to “Hey” Messages

You have probably just installed the Bumble app, uploaded the photos and created a profile to present your best self to the Bumble community. But this app is designed to be more than just simple swiping of other people’s pictures and profiles.

It requires some social interaction and after using it for some time you’ll notice people sending you hey messages. So you may be wondering how to respond to these messages, or if you should respond at all.

Hey messages are one of the basic ways to engage into a conversation and they exist in some form on all dating platforms. Although this kind of conversation starter does not make much sense to some people, it is very common in the online dating scene.

So let’s check out some tips on how to respond to hey messages.

How to Start Chatting

When two people swipe each other to the right in the app, a match is made and you can start a conversation. You will get a notification about the match and then you can start chatting.

As you can see, there is a small speech bubble just under your connection that enables you to immediately start chatting. People usually get very excited when they receive their first match and wish to start a conversation immediately. This is where most of the Hey messages come from.

You should note that only women are allowed to initiate a conversation on Bumble. If you’ve got a match but no messages after 24 hours, tough luck, your match will expire. On the other hand, these rules don’t apply to friendly connections and same-sex dating matches.

So if you are into same-sex relationships or just looking for a friend to hang out or chat with, your matches may hit you (or you may hit them) with a Hey message as soon as you get the match.

How does the Hive Work?

The Bumble Hive is the place where your matches live until you start chatting. Once a match is found for you, it will immediately appear in the hive and you will get a notification.

The hive is the upper part of the screen where you can swipe through all of your matches. Of course, if some of the matches shoot you a message they will immediately appear below in the Conversation section.

In the Conversation section you can swipe through all your Hey messages and choose the ones that you want to reply to. Conveniently, this section of the app also features a timer. This timer keeps track of the time you have left to reply to a message or when the matches you aren’t chatting with will expire.

What to do When You Get a Hey Message?

There is a chime, and boom someone is messaging you on Bumble. But instead of I like that you are into surfing or some other ice-breaker you just get Hey. Even though this might sound a bit too generic or dull, on Bumble it also means you liked someone and she liked you back.

Don’t forget that she also had enough courage to send you a message, assuming you are in the heterosexual dating scene. So apply some common courtesy and, at least, consider how to reply.

As you may see from the image above, you have 24 hours to decide how or whether to reply to the message. And there isn’t any single right or wrong rule about replying to hey messages. However, there are some tips that can help you make a decision:

  1. You should first check out the profile of the person that is sending you the message. It would give you a better idea if you want to engage in a conversation with that person. You can do it simply by clicking on the picture in the Hive.
  2. When you establish that you have mutual interests or you just like the person, feel free to respond to the message. If not you can leave it as is and the match will be gone in 24 hours.
  3. On the other hand, someone might double-message you if you don’t respond within some appropriate time. This usually means that they are really interested in you and you should at least give them a chance and start chatting.
Good Ways to Reply to Hey Messages

Not that we are any experts on online dating communication, but the same rules apply in any online communication. Here’s a list of tips that can help you start a conversation with the person who is sending you the Hey message. Of course, we assume that you are interested in matching up with that particular connection.

  1. So someone sent you a simple Hey, you checked out their profile and it looks awesome. But you should know that a lot of people are kind of shy when communicating online. These simple Hey messages help them break the ice without feeling too embarrassed.
  2. Once you understand this, it would be easier for you to reply. The simple way to reply is to send something like Hey back to them but it might not get you very far. So consider asking them some questions or sending a polite compliment.
  3. The better way to reply is to say Hey, how are you? / what’s going on? But these may also be overly simple conversation starters. Try asking them a more direct question so they understand you have checked out their profile and liked it.
  4. Utilize emoticons. Emoticons are a great way to give your messages some color. If you put an emoticon next to your response the other person will have a much better understanding of your tone.
  5. This should go without saying, but never be rude or too direct. There is no need to disappoint the person with your bad manners unless you’re looking to get blocked.
The Last Hey

Hey may sound simple, ephemeral even, but it is one of the basic ways to get someone’s attention. If we go way back to the days before online dating, the popular guys used to shout Hey at the girls passing by. There may not be any response but still, it was some sort of communication.

Only that Bumble is turning this upside down, allowing the ladies to send you the Hey. And you should consider replying even if these messages sound too basic.

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