Ladies first: Tinder to offer Bumble-style messaging where women talk first

Women will soon be in charge of their dating destinies, as Tinder has announced it will enable women to contact their matches first to start a conversation.

Like Bumble, a rival dating app which only allows women to initiative conversation, Tinder will introduce this function as optional. Women will be able to change their settings so that they only get to know their prospective partners if they want to.

It is unknown when the feature will become available and is thought to be part of a future update.

Currently, men or women can send the first message on Tinder after a match has been made, which has led to women sharing countless stories of abusive or inappropriate messages from men.

Tinder is one of the most successful dating sites to date, with over 100 million downloads since it launched in 2012. Its chief executive Mandy Ginsberg told MarketWatch that the firm wants to "curtail bad behaviour, any negative behaviour or advances, and inappropriate communication".

She said: "Often, women don't really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that's great. Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference.

"We have to constantly listen to what women want and address their needs, not just on Tinder but on all products."