Gay

Grindr is turning up the heat for summer with new features and an upgraded premium membership. The new subscription tier, dubbed Grindr Unlimited, will cost users $49.99 per month or $300 up front for a full-year membership.

Grindr Unlimited is being billed as “the most convenient and discreet Grindr experience ever.” In a statement, a spokesperson for Grindr said: “When it comes to your Grinding, every minute counts, and you can’t afford to waste time – or have your clients see you in the grid during dessert.”

Grindr Unlimited comes with all the benefits of Grindr Xtra, the platform’s original premium membership, plus five exclusive perks:

Scruff’s parent company, Perry Street Software, has acquired Jack’d in a deal that is expected to make it the largest fully LGBTQ owned-and-operated software company by both revenue and membership. Jack’d will continue to operate as a standalone app.

“For years, we have admired the diverse and global community on Jack’d. Since its launch in 2010, Jack’d has grown to more than 5 million members worldwide,” said Eric Silverberg, CEO of Perry Street Software. “This acquisition will provide Jack’d members with the same combination of technology and active moderation we have developed at Scruff, so that the Jack’d community members will be protected against harassment, spam bots, scammers, and risks while traveling.”

In big news for the dating app industry – Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg met his husband on Hinge. And after his public remarks praising the dating app, it seems Hinge has also seen a spike in gay users.

Fortune reported that the app has seen a 30 percent increase in gay memberships since April 1^st, around the time the rising star mayor of South Bend Indiana disclosed he used the app and ended up meeting his husband Chasten on it.

“We’re proud of all of the relationships we’ve helped set up — including Mayor Pete and Chasten,” Hinge CEO Justin McLeod told Fortune. “We’re happy to see that their love story has encouraged even more members of the LGBTQ community to find their person on Hinge.”

Lebanon’s Telecommunications Ministry has blocked access to Grindr on the country’s state-owned internet service provider, sparking concern amongst activists, allies and human rights organizations.

The local Daily Star newspaper was the first outlet to report on the ban. The Telecommunications Ministry reportedly sent a memo to Lebanese internet service providers ordering them to block the app. Within several days, users found they could not access Grindr over the state-run ISP Ogero. Amnesty International obtained confirmation from an official source at the ministry that a ban had indeed been put into effect.

Beijing Kunlun Tech, a Chinese company which owns the popular dating app Grindr, will now be forced to sell it by June 2020, according to a report by CNN.

Beijing Kunlun Tech owns 60% of Grindr, a popular dating app in the LGBTQ community. Last year the company was planning to take the app public but was stopped when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) intervened. The U.S. government agency oversees purchases of businesses by foreign entities and expressed concern that the national security of the U.S. would be threatened by the acquisition of the dating app by a Chinese tech company, because of the sensitive user information it had access to.

LGBTQ singles can face a challenging dating landscape. Bars aren't always the best place to meet, and though dating apps are an option, many cater to a hookup-oriented market and most focus solely on lesbian women or gay men. Qutie, a up-and-coming app from LGBT Media Inc., hopes to change that - with a helping hand from the iconic entertainment company Atari.

“We created LGBTQutie after being frustrated with the limited options for LGBTQ people looking for relationships, friendships and meaningful connections,” says Qutie’s campaign on StartEngine, an equity crowdfunding platform. “Our app is inclusive of the full spectrum of LGBTQ sexual orientations and gender identities. LGBTQutie is more than just another dating app. We are community-focused and provide users with content that is relevant to them including LGBTQ specific news, blogs and events.”