Grindr Launches Web Version of Its App
Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, May 19 2023 @ 02:03 pm
Last modified on Friday, May 19 2023 @ 02:27 pm
Grindr has launched a web version of its popular LGBTQ+ dating app, allowing people the choice to see more profiles at once and larger photos of potential matches.
According to an exclusive report from Fast Company, the new desktop version will be available to paying users, and will show six profiles on one screen as well as a chat box to message. The web version also offers larger photos of each potential match.
Some Grindr users aren’t comfortable with having the Grindr app on their phones, so this new web version provides a way to use the service more discreetly. Users will still have to download the app on their phones to set up their accounts and subscribe to the service, according to Fast Company[*1] , but would be allowed to delete it after it’s established and use the web version going forward.
This throwback to the old days of online dating holds appeal for older singles. Daters now in their forties and fifties were introduced to online dating on their desktops, sorting through profiles at a more leisurely pace rather than swiping through an app on their phone. Tinder was the first breakthrough dating app to move people from their desktops to their phones. It launched in 2012.
The initial web version of Grindr will be called “Grindr Web,” according to Fast Company. The beta version is currently available to its “XTRA” subscribers who pay $19.99 per month as well as its Unlimited subscribers who pay $39.99 per month. The service could expand to non-paying users down the line.
CEO George Arison said in a statement to Fast Company: “I’m excited, too, about what this sets us up to do with Grindr’s future, including: more discrete payment options, edgier content, and even whole experiences more specific to hooking up. This is just the beginning.”
Grindr went public in November of last year, and showed a strong performance out of the gate. Since then, like rival dating app companies Bumble and Match Group, their stock has fallen due to economic uncertainty and inflation concerns, but despite this, the company has seen continued growth and wants to capitalize on that.
Grindr’s first earnings report showed that monthly active users were at almost 12 million, and paying users were around 873,000.
Grindr has also had some setbacks due to increasing violence against the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, the company warned users in the Middle East of potentially being targeted through the app. In Egypt, police officers were posing as users on the platform in order to target and arrest LGBTQ+ people on the grounds of breaking “morality laws.” Grindr said it has also added security features to help keep users in these countries safe.
For more on this dating service you can read our Grindr review.