Grindr is probably the most famous of all gay dating apps. It launched in 2009 and quickly became a leading player in the gay dating scene, facilitating hundreds of thousands of online chats between like-minded gay, trans, bi, and queer singles. The app instantly became a hit and super famous because of the technology used – mobile device location is harnessed to find people nearby that you can talk with. This is definitely the USP of Grindr, which has attracted over 27 million members worldwide.
Audience structure
With an average of 3.3 million daily active users, the traffic that Grindr receives surpasses just about any of the famous gay dating sites. A user typically spends around 50 minutes online, so you know that it is certainly engaging. So what is Grindr,and why is it so popular? Let’s find out.
Are there any specifications?
You wouldn’t use the Grindr app for Android if you were straight unless you were feeling curious about exploring your sexuality. Almost everybody using Grindr is either gay or bisexual, and it has become part of the everyday culture to assume that straight people are not using it. However, by no means do the creators of Grindr forbid or discourage straight people from using the app.
Geographical structure
Grindr app is successful worldwide, but you can expect to find more users in certain countries. The highest frequency of visitors comes from the United States, about 6 million members. The United Kingdom makes up the second largest portion of the audience, with around 2 million members, followed by Australia and New Zealand with 650,000 and 123,000 members correspondingly and so on.
Ethnic structure
The app is entirely open to all ethnicities and cultures. When you look at the ethnicity of the user base in a particular country, it reflects the typical composition of that country. There is no prejudice with this specific dating service – far from it!
Age structure
The vast majority of people who use the app are young, mainly because it is synonymous with quick hookups. The most popular age bracket is between the ages of 25 and 34. However, the older generation does not shy away from using the app by any means. Log on at any time of the day, and you will find people young and old. It can’t be stressed enough how many users are currently logged in at any given period.
Gender structure
Grindr is heavily skewed towards men, making up over 80% of the audience. There are also options to display several other types of gender, including no gender at all. Everybody can use this app to feel free with their gender identity.
Sexual orientation
As previously mentioned, almost everybody on the Grindr app is either gay, bisexual, or any orientation other than straight. It is a place for members of the LGBTQ+ community to gather and make connections. Grindr is not a dating service that associates with straight dating. You would be wasting your time if you wanted to use the app to make straight connections.
Getting started: Grindr sign up
Even though you can use Grindr without app in the form of a Grindr desktop version, we highly recommend using the app because it appears to be a lot more convenient. You can smoothly perform a Grindr app install by downloading the app either from Google Play or App Store. Registration is very quick, and you do not need to provide much effort to sign up.
Information you’ll have to provide
So how does Grindr work in terms of registration? To register, you will need either an email address or Facebook account. You will also want to upload a photo, and this needs to be approved by Grindr’s online team to make sure that it fits in with their policy, for instance, no nude photos are allowed. After this, you will provide details such as your age, gender identity, and date of birth to complete the signup process. Because this dating service is all about finding people who are now your location, you will need to allow Grindr access to your location to meet matches nearest to you.
Verification process
After you have completed your account, you can log in instantly on the application or access this purpose on your desktop computer via their website. Verification regarding your photography is rapid and rarely takes more than an hour. In terms of other dating sites’ standards, this is exceptionally fast. To increase your chances of being found online, you can add additional information to your profile, which will be very quickly updated.
Approval time
It takes a little bit of time to get a photo approved, almost no time, but you don’t need to wait for this to happen to enjoy the dating service. Once you have Grindr login details successfully created, you can begin to use the service immediately.
Grindr Account
When you create an account for Grindr online, the floodgates will be open towards meeting other like-minded individuals. It is very simple because most of the fields are not mandatory, and you are free to add details at any time. You can also link together different social media accounts and see how far the members are from your current location.
Grindr Profile structure
Filling in your profile and making it appealing is what the process is all about. Grindr works based on a very minimal profile approach, encompassing only five separate sections. When conducting our Grindr reviews, we found that you really need to fill these sections if you want to talk to someone. People will often ask you for a picture or some information if you haven’t provided it already.
- Info – this is where you put your display name and a blurb with a short description of yourself.
- Statistics – you can describe yourself in terms of height, age, body type, weight, relationship status, ethnicity, and even your favorite sexual position. There is also an option relating two sexual preferences known as “My Tribes”, where you can fit into a particular “Tribe”, from Daddy to Twink. It’s an enjoyable dating service! The “I’m looking for” section describes who you would like to meet best, for instance, if you are seeking just friends or looking to meet up right now (i.e., a Grindr hookup).
- Identity – this is where you specify your pronouns and gender. You can identify based on a series of characteristics and set your pronouns according to the gender that you have customized. It just goes to show how inclusive Grindr is.
- Sexual health – Grindr has done well to incorporate the aspect of safety into the proceedings. You can specify your HIV status when you are last tested and can look at the sexual health FAQ, which we found to be comprehensive and useful.
- Social links – last but not least, this is where you can link up your social media accounts, from Instagram to Twitter.
Grindr Search
Geo-targeting is the technology that makes up Grindr’s matching system. There is an interface on the dashboard that allows you to see who is online and how close they are to you. You will then be able to see all of the different profiles within a certain radius that you specify. The results come in the form of square pictures with the person’s name attached. If you find someone who looks appealing, you can tap on that photo to reveal more information about them. The search mechanism and results are heavily based on location details, and this just goes to so how much of a hookup style service this is.
Basic Search Features
Basic searches are carried out by scrolling through the list of people who are nearest to you. You can then connect to them with messages and taps. As a basic member, you will be able to facilitate as many conversations as you want with people in your country, which is really great if you are looking to try the app out before paying for premium.
Advanced Search Features
More advanced search features are available if you have paid for a premium membership option. Grindr XTRA allows you to search up to 600 profiles at a time, plus you can filter for those who have a profile photo or are online now. Purchasing Grindr Unlimited introduces slightly better search features whereby you can see who has viewed you in the last 24 hours, and you can search an unlimited amount of the profiles.
Matching process
Once you have searched for your match, you will typically send them a message, winks, and emoticons (known in the app as Gaymojis). Let’s look at how you can get in touch.
Getting in touch
The functionality of Grindr is relatively limited, which means that you can only communicate via text-based chat, and there are no options for either a phone or video call. It is a plain way of communicating with a prospective partner, which some find is too simplistic. We think that users could definitely benefit from some more advanced functionality.
Chat features and interface
Grindr has several distinct features, which make for an enjoyable browsing experience.
- Gaymojis are, as the name suggests, LGBTQ+ themed emojis that provide a fun way of speaking your mind in a flirtatious manner. You can pick from over 500 different types, and they are not available on other social media channels. Some of them are cute, and some of them completely outlandish! There is something for everybody, and it adds a light, fun touch to something that could otherwise be perceived commonly as embarrassing.
- The tap feature is much like any kudos related feature in a popular messaging app. You can show someone that you are interested in three different ways, namely Friendly, Looking, and Hot. These are pretty self-explanatory, and they really reveal the simplicity of Grindr’s service.
- You can bookmark profiles if you find a user interesting. This will allow you to message them at your earliest convenience.
- There is an explore feature which will allow you to search for members who live outside of your country.
- Last but not least, there is a discrete app icon feature. If you use Grindr on computer, then this will not apply, but on the app version, you can click it in order to add a layer of security. The feature will allow you to change the way the application icon appears on your phone. It’s a great way of staying anonymous and a remarkable feature if you are concerned about being discrete.
Is Grindr safe?
After assessing the site’s capabilities and reading numerous Grindr reviews from people who use the service, we can say with confidence that it is safe. The app has solid digital architecture and uses the latest encryption technology to keep things, both anonymous and safe for its users.
2018 saw some controversy whereby HIV status was added to the profile. This was done as part of a recommendation from HIV prevention experts. We see this as an added measure to ensure the safety of users, so do remember to include your sexual health status. This information will become public to other users.
Data privacy and protection
This app works by targeting the locations of exact users, which unfortunately makes it fantastic hacking material. Regrettably, Grindr was hacked after exploiting a bug in the system, thereby leaking millions of users’ locations. However, the company has come back stronger and has ramped up on protecting the privacy of its users. There is no doubt that this app improves the lives of many gay people, even if there have been some technical issues in the past.
Will users find many scam profiles?
Upon completion of an extensive Grindr profile analysis, we can say that there are many scam profiles lurking. Many people online have expressed their disapproval of the app having talked to about which would then send them some sort of phishing hyperlink. It is something that the team is always trying to deal with, but the vast majority of profiles out there are genuine.
How is it moderated?
The app has a strict code of conduct to follow. Users can also report any nefarious or suspicious profile activity, from using other people’s photos to fake accounts. We think that the social media linking feature undoubtedly helps to ward off scam accounts. It is a lot more challenging to be a scammer or create a bot by linking social media accounts with Grindr – this is one more step to make scamming difficult.
Help & Support options
The Grindr support team does a pretty good job as a whole. When we posed several questions to them, they were able to come back and swiftly provide answers. Online testimonials generally reveal that users are happy with the support service. A great thing about the help and support section is that you can read about how to stay on top of sexual health. When you have an app that is based on hooking up, we think that this crucial to help people.
Website usability
The interface of the website and the general design of the app lends itself to a discrete looking service. The intense color palette of yellow and black seems to suggest a secretive nature while also giving the impression of danger. It’s unique, and it certainly works! Everything is minimalistic and designed to be as easy to use as possible. One minor setback is that you may have to do a lot of scrolling through pictures, so if you’re easily getting tired of seeing too many faces, than it might be a downside!
Is there is a Grindr app available
At least 90% of users use the app rather than the website version. It has some slight glitches, but it is generally straightforward and easy to use. It can also be downloaded entirely free of charge for both Android and iOS. During the Grindr review, we did not have any unease about the app and thought it was simple to navigate.
There is a strong focus on meeting people, outlined by the fact that you see a bunch of profiles straightaway, with tiny green dots indicating if the user is online. Completing a profile almost guarantees some sort of communication pretty soon, as there are many members online. It is easy to find your matches, favorites, and open up the message center – some icons guide you every step of the way. It is undoubtedly an app that is built for people on the go.
Membership options
Once you have completed your Grindr sign up, browsing profiles is entirely free from the get-go. When you pay, you have better means of searching for a match. Let’s look at some of the features you can expect.
Grindr Free Version (or free trial)
Free users will be able to complete a profile and view up to a hundred different people. The great thing is that you can both send and receive messages for free, and you will be able to select one tribe to filter results. Grindr search filters will be basic, so do expect to take a longer time trailing round to find the one for you. That said, there is an impressive amount of free functionality.
Premium features
When you go premium, you will not receive any advertisements, plus you can view up to 600 matches at the time. You will also be able to sharpen up your search to look for members of many different tribes, plus you can search members outside of your country. The more advanced filtering will definitely streamline your experience.
Grindr Pricing: Plans and prices
If you want to go premium, the good news is that you can have a go yourself with a seven-day trial. Other than the free trial, Grindr Xtra will cost you $24.99 for a monthly subscription, and $47.88 for a 12-month subscription. Grindr Unlimited is more expansive and costs $49.99 a month, increasing to $299.99 for 12 months. These are rather expensive subscription costs, but you do get added functionality, which really saves time and is probably worth paying for if you want to get the most out of the application.
Cancelling Grindr subscription and deleting profile
The cancellation was quick and easy when we tried to delete the profile ourselves. We found no problems in performing a cancellation. The site and app have created a very quick way to remove your account. As soon as you click the option to remove it, this is basically the whole process!
Conclusion
This is one of the most successful dating applications for the LGBTQ+ community and has an enormous number of members. It is definitely a great choice if you are looking for a hookup or something quick. We wouldn’t rule out using Grindr for long-term dating altogether, but given the way that everything is laid out and presented, you’re probably better off using a different service. We enjoyed using their features, and they work very well with the simple design and interface. Whether you’re using Grindr for pc or your smartphone, you’ll be sure to engage in many exciting gay chats.
