Grindr Founder Launches New Dating App Motto

Joel Simkhai, founder popular gay dating app Grindr, has launched a new queer dating app called Motto.

In an interview with NBC News, Simkhai said he launched the new app to “course-correct” the current culture of gay dating apps. He noted that many (including Grindr) have contributed to a rise in racial discrimination among gay daters, as well as contributing to feelings of body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem in regard to body image.

Motto provides features to counteract and prevent what Skimkhai called “toxicity” on gay dating apps, including requiring users to post photos with faces instead of the popular “headless torsos” that are prominent on apps like Grindr. He’s also limiting users to perusing 10 profiles per day, so they can take their time instead of endlessly swiping.

Motto will also require a verification process for each user to help reduce fake accounts and bots, which are a problem on all dating apps.

“At Grindr I was obviously aware of these issues, and it was tough to solve for a number of reasons,” he told NBC News. “Leaving Grindr and having a chance to think about these things, I thought about ‘what do I want my legacy to be?’” 

Grindr has survived several controversies, including exposing personal user data like HIV status and location to third party vendors. The company was also once owned by Chinese tech company Beijing Kunlun Tech, which was forced by a US oversight agency to sell because of the risk of user data landing in the hands of Chinese officials to potentially be exploited.

Racial discrimination has also been a problem for the app. In 2018 when Simkhai left the company, it had reached epidemic proportions, and the app launched an awareness initiative called Kindr to combat the problem.

But as recently as this month, Grindr was still addressing these issues. The company launched a video campaign to address “misconceptions” about user experience and to educate people about the app’s safety protocols, according to NBC News, including the ability to block and report “bad actors” and a 24-hour moderation team trained in LGBTQ-specific sensitivities and gender-inclusive content moderation.” The new audio and video chatting features also are geared to cut down on catfishing.

Discrimination on dating apps has become such a problem in recent years that in 2021 a group of HIV and STD-prevention agencies partnered with owners of 9 gay dating apps including Grindr to “reduce stigmatizing language” on their platforms that contribute to body shaming, sexism and anti-HIV discrimination. The group surveyed 5,500 people who regularly used at least one of the LGBTQ+ apps available.

Simkhai thainks Motto is already on the right track to provide a better, safer alternative for LGBTQ+ singles.