• Bumble has turned fictional dating app Bantr from Ted Lasso into a game in its app.
• The game will only be available for an hour every Thursday until the end of the year.
• Users won’t have any information about potential matches besides a name until both parties say “Yes” when their encounter is over.

Dating apps are terrible but in the year 2022, it’s how most people are meeting each other while maintaining an air of safety.

Dating app Bumble is trying something new out and while it’s a clear tie to another piece of media, it’s actually a decent idea.

That idea is Bantr Live. Fans of Apple TV+ hit Ted Lasso might recognise the name of the app as it features heavily in the show over two seasons. The idea behind Bantr is that daters can only communicate via text message there are no photos or videos, just a name and the mastery of your preferred language.

Now Bumble has brought Bantr to life and will continue to do so every Thursday at 19:00 whereever you are in the world. Bantr Live is presented as a game that Bumble users can opt into when logging in on Thursday evenings.

“Once you enter the game, you won’t be able to swipe on other daters’ profiles. Instead, you’ll be connected with one other player automatically, at random. This person will match up with your location, age, and gender preferences, but you won’t be able to see them or their profile. The only thing you’ll be able to see is their name,” Bumble explained in a blog post last week.

The platform says that users you have unmatched or blocked won’t be connected to you during Bantr Live.

Connections via Bantr Live will be limited to three minutes and users will be able to click “yes” or “no” when asked to match after the encounter.

Bantr Live ends at 20:00 on Thursdays and after that time period matches will appear in the regular Bumble messaging queue. To join you will need to RSVP by tapping the grey hive icon at the bottom of the screen on the Bumble app.

Then tap the blue stopwatch displayed in the right-hand corner to RSVP. This must be done for every event which seems like a bit of a pain.

This is digital speed dating and it seems like a bit more of a fun way to engage with the Bumble app. Bumble famously encourages women to message first and this causes confusion among some users. Bantr Live can help to mix things up a bit at least from the initial meeting.

Bumble says that Bantr Live will be happening every Thursday until “the end of the year” so take advantage and practice your best Ted Lasso Shuffle.

[Source – Bumble]