Category: All Gay

Perry Street Software Acquires Bear Dating App Growlr From The Meet Group

Posted on October 6, 2026
Growlr dating app

SCHWULISSIMO – Perry Street Software, the company behind Scruff and Jack’d, has acquired gay bear dating app Growlr from The Meet Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. PSS plans to invest millions in the app, with a redesigned version due in early 2027. Updates will include new profiles, chat and video features, stronger action against bots, and the return of Flashes. The company will also expand Growlr’s presence at bear events and launch a clothing collection. Growlr says it has ~500K daily users.

See full article at Schwulissimo

Grindr to Acquire PrEP Provider Freddie for $250 Million

Posted on October 1, 2026
Grindr acquires Freddie

PRESS RELEASE – Grindr has agreed to acquire PurposeMed, the parent company of HIV-prevention telehealth provider Freddie, for $250 million. The deal includes $190M in cash and $60M in Grindr shares, with a further $70M tied to performance targets. Freddie has served ~55K patients across Canada and the US and expects 2026 revenue of ~$80M and adjusted EBITDA above $10M. Grindr plans to integrate Freddie into its app, allowing users to access PrEP consultations, testing, prescriptions and medication delivery. The deal is expected to close in Q4 of 2026.

See full article at BusinessWire

Straight Women Less Willing to Date Bisexual Men, YouGov Finds

Posted on September 24, 2026
Straight Women Less Willing to Date Bisexual Men, YouGov Finds

PINK NEWS – A YouGov poll of nearly 6,000 British adults found that 19% of straight women would date a bisexual man, compared with 53% of straight men who would date a bisexual woman. Concerns included cheating, insecurity, and discomfort with same-sex experiences. Older respondents were generally less willing than younger people to date someone bisexual.

See full article at Pink News

New Gay Dating Apps Put Privacy and Community Control First

Posted on September 7, 2026
Hank Social

OUT.COM – A new group of gay dating and hookup apps is putting privacy and community control at the center of their products. Meetmarket, founded by Calum Bowden, raised €161,456 through crowdfunding and is developing an ad-free app with end-to-end encrypted messaging and a decentralized identity system. Other newcomers include Goose, an “anti-algorithm” dating and sex app with human-screened applicants, and Hank Social, which is aimed at the kink and fetish community and emphasizes discretion and human moderation. The growth of these platforms comes amid wider concerns about how dating apps collect and manage sensitive user data.

See full article at Out.com

Dating App Goose Accused of Using AI-Generated Accounts for Promotion

Posted on August 3, 2026
Goose logo

MASHABLE – A Wired investigation found more than two dozen Instagram accounts that may have used AI-generated images to promote gay dating app Goose. The fake accounts allegedly contacted men through direct messages and Close Friends stories before advertising the app. Goose denied using fake profiles, stating that it hand-picked invitees and works to keep its platform free from inauthentic accounts.

See full article at Mashable

Turkey Blocks Access to LGBTI+ Dating Apps

Posted on June 25, 2026
Turkey Blocks Access to LGBTI+ Dating Apps

BIANET –  An İstanbul court has ordered an access block on several LGBTI+ dating apps. The banned apps are HeeSay, Taimi, SCRUFF, Jack’d, Surge, ROMEO, BEARWW, Shuggr, and Daddyhunt. During the 2026 Pride Month, authorities also blocked access to X accounts of many LGBTI+ groups.

See full article at Bianet

Turkey Blocks Access to Dating App Hornet

Posted on June 18, 2026
Hornet

BIANET – Turkey has once again blocked access to LGBTQ+ social networking and dating app Hornet, following a June 2026 court order. The platform has more than 100 million users globally and over 3 million users in Turkey. The move comes less than three years after Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that a previous ban on Hornet violated freedom of expression and freedom of communication, leading to the app’s reinstatement in 2023.

See full article at Bianet

These Privacy-Conscious Gay Dating Apps Want to Dethrone Grindr

Posted on May 25, 2026
Streakr icon

WIRED – New gay dating apps are entering the market with a stronger focus on privacy, niche communities, and alternative ownership models. MeetMarket, launched in March, uses a decentralised system where user data is stored on devices rather than company servers. The platform reached ~12K sign-ups within 48 hours and 60K users overall, with memberships priced at €12 per month. Meanwhile, Toronto-based developer Justin Finnegan launched Chunkr, a community-focused app aimed at the bear community, while also developing a second platform called Rush. Another app, Streakr, launched recently for both gay and straight daters.

See full article at Wired

Match Invests $100M in Sniffies With Option to Buy

Posted on April 28, 2026
Logos of Match Group and Sniffies displayed together

BLOOMBERG – Seattle-based Sniffies (3m MAU) has a real-time map for gay hookups and is web-only due to app store content restrictions. The news caused Grindr shares to fall 2.5%. Match’s stock was little changed. Last Match purchased HER app. Match is winding down its existing Archer app, which it launched in 2023 to serve queer men. It will focus instead on supporting Sniffies.

See full article at Bloomberg

France Signs Charter With Dating Apps to Fight Homophobic Ambushes

Posted on March 30, 2026
France signs charter with dating apps to fight homophobic ambushes

RFI – France has signed a charter with major dating apps, including Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, and Happn, to combat rising homophobic ambushes, where victims are lured by fake profiles and attacked. The agreement focuses on three pillars: prevent, report, and protect. Platforms will improve reporting tools, retain and share data with law enforcement (even after account deletion), promote verified profiles, and strengthen bans. France positions this as a first-of-its-kind coordinated effort between government, tech platforms, and advocacy groups to tackle targeted anti-LGBT+ violence.

See full article at RFI