Grindr’s new desktop version offers “bigger” browsing & photos, but Gay Twitter™ is skeptical

Famously a “travel” gay for over 14 years, Grindr is switching up their preferences and is now officially hosting… a website.

The popular LGBTQ+ dating app announced today that, for the first-time ever, a desktop version of its social platform would be available, in addition to the same mobile app we know, love, and check impulsively every time we’re in a new location.

Grindr Web offers “a new way for our community to stay connected right from their computer,” the company shares in an official press statement, announcing that the Beta version of the site is now live exclusively to XTRA and Unlimited subscribers.

Now, you might be wondering what the point of a desktop Grindr is, when it’s long been available on our phones, which we’re all practically tethered too anyway. Well, Grindr knew you’d have that exact thought, and outlined a few benefits of its new service:

For one, it’s all about accessibility and being at your fingertips, wherever those might be. Grindr Web will maximize its slay by allowing you to see “six profiles across”—instead of the standard three on the app—and you’ll also be able to chat with someone while you’re browsing.

As they write, it’s also about ease and choosing the Grindr experience that’s right for you. “With Grindr Web, you can chat with a possible hookup while you answer your boss’s email on your phone,” they add. Okay, salient point!

And, finally, it’s about discretion. Some folks may be on the DL and not want that little skull-face logo popping up on their home screen—fair enough. They’ve even built in a fail-safe functionality that allows you to quickly escape the Grindr browser, popping open a Google search tab instead. Discreets, rejoice!

In a piece with FastCompany, Grindr CEO George Arison shares this web version is just the start of the company’s plan to expand its audience and offer even more features: “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.”

Of course, the response to the news has been a little more mixed. Gay Twitter—as Gay Twitter is wont to do—logged on today to file their hot takes about Grindr Web.

Here are just a few of the funniest and shadiest reactions:

pic.twitter.com/D5szgqcaiI— Fabian ︎ ︎ ︎ (@alwaysfabian) May 10, 2023

i am so ready pic.twitter.com/kyjZEg4JKN— nicolárs (@nicolarrrs) May 10, 2023