THEGAYUK

Tag: Grindr

All the latest breaking news on Grindr. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on Grindr and the LGBT+ community.

  • Wondering why your phone battery keeps dying? Maybe you need to chill with Grindr

    Wondering why your phone battery keeps dying? Maybe you need to chill with Grindr

    The thirst from Grindr is real…

    A new report has shown that dating apps are thirsty… and not just in a Chris Pine thirst kinda way.

    The online comparison site, Uswitch analysed 50 of the most popular apps of all major app stores, taking into account the permissions they allow and how many each app has access to, constantly draining the energy from your phone.

    The results revealed that gay favourite Grindr is the most draining dating app, using 28 permissions in total including location, photos and identity.

    Now that social distancing has been encouraged to delay Coronavirus, this has resulted in a spike in online dating app activity. As more find themselves caught indoors, many are relying on digital to ignite romantic and social conversations, here’s a guide to the apps to use to limit your usage (and the ones you will need your charger for) as you look for love.

    What Uswitch found was that Grindr asked for way more permissions (28) that other dating apps including, Bumble (20), Tinder (18) and Hinge (13).

    But if you’re looking for the most permission seeking apps – and therefore most battery-intensive, look no further than Google (72), Facebook (50) and Facebook Messenger (46).


    Based on the permissions they require, Google, Facebook and WhatsApp are the biggest drains on our batteries.  

    Facebook amongst others in the top 10, runs constantly on our mobile phones in the background and is accessing over 50 permissions including; contacts, location and media. 

    It might appear that Amazon’s Alexa is listening more than we realise. The Alexa app requests 39 permissions on our mobile phones ranging from location, camera and photos/media even when it’s not running. 

    Uber also makes the top 10 with 35 battery-draining permissions constantly accessing our location causing your battery to die faster than others. Waze is one of the most raved about map applications but is found to be more draining than Google maps. 

    Other apps such as Tik Tok, Mcdonalds, Grindr and Snapchat all make the top 20 list which can be found here. 

    Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com advises on how to preserve your mobile phone battery, “It’s estimated that over 5 billion people in the world now own a mobile phone, it’s our main form of communication and for some people even a method of payment. 

    It can cause issues when you’re caught out with a drained battery. There are a few simple ways to preserve your mobile phone’s battery life, such as turning off WiFi/Bluetooth and making the most of low power modes. 

    If all else fails, remember to put a portable charger in your bag on long journeys”. 

  • Grindr is looking for a new buyer and the price tag is hefty

    Grindr is looking for a new buyer and the price tag is hefty

    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    The world’s busiest gay hook up app, Grindr, is about to sell up and the asking price is a lot.

    Reuters is reporting that the current owners of Grindr, Beijing Kunlun Tech will be selling off the app immediately and the price tag is reported to be around $600 million.

    That’s quite the mark up over what it paid for the app just a few short years ago.

    In 2018 a majority stake in the world’s most popular gay hookup app was sold to the Chinese gaming firm in a deal that was worth nearly $100 million.

    The tech company is selling up because the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) the United States, ordered the company to sell off a majority stake in the company in 2019.

    The CFIUS ruled that the treasure trove of data held by Grindr would be a concern for the national security of the United States so it effectively forced the sale of the company. The ruling from the Committee on Foreign Investment also ordered that the firm cannot share any data harvested from the app.

    The ID of the buyer is said to be San Vicente Acquisition LLC who will have a mound of data on around 4.5 million users.

    According to Reuters, the CFIUS will need to approve the latest deal.

  • There’s now a way to chat on Grindr via your computer

    There’s now a way to chat on Grindr via your computer

    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    Behold! you can now pretend to be in 1997 and check your hook up messages on your computer.

    Those of us who were around in the glory days of Gaydar – that was the website which basically kickstarted the online gay hook up revolution, way before Grindr, you would log on to the service, on your computer and check your profile, messages and chat online.

    Well, now you can do that with Grindr. Instead of using your phone and zapping up all that valuable battery power, you can log onto Grindr’s chat website using your computer – all you need to do is log on to web.grindr.com/mail.

    How do you log into Grindr’s Website?

    You’ll need to open the app on your phone and open up Grindr on your desktop computer. On your phone, go to settings (by clicking on your profile and clicking on to the settings options) You’ll see an option saying, “Log in to Grindr web”.

    You’ll then have to scan the QR code, with your phone, shown on your desktop screen and voila, Grindr will link your phone and your computer.

    Once linked, you’ll be able to see all your previous messages, respond to them, check profiles and basically use Grindr as you normally would.

    It will require access to your location in order to use the GPS function.

    In-office view, no one will be able to tell that you’re using Grindr to check for messages as it looks just like a normal webmail service.

    There’s also a work/ office view – which means that no one can see that you’re actually on Grindr.

  • Grindr’s take on Eminem’s Dolly Parton Challenge is whithering

    Grindr’s take on Eminem’s Dolly Parton Challenge is whithering

    Grindr has slapped back at an attempt by Eminem to use its brand.

    It’s the social media story of the moment, the Dolly Parton challenge as it has become known, features four pictures of yourself in four different poses for four different platforms, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder – however, GayTwitter TM has obviously swapped out Tinder for Grindr.

    Entertainer Eminem thought he’d get in on the action and posted his challenge, asking his fans, “Did I get this right” but instead of Tinder he also used the world’s most popular gay hook up app, Grindr – inexplicably – as he’s not gay or bi – as far as we know.

    Grindr took no time in responding with one of the most whithering clap backs we’ve seen in a long time.

    Instead of welcoming the mention of its brand, Grindr responded with a simple, “Who”…

    The response became an instant hit and was liked over 100,000 times and retweeted over 11,000 times.

    Homophobic?

    Embed from Getty Images

    In 2018 Eminem apologised for using the homophobic slur “faggot” toward the rapper Tyler The Creator, in his track “Fall”.

    This isn’t the first time he’s used homophobia in his music, even going as far to explain his usage of the slurs to the Rolling Stone in 2013, as “… more like calling someone a bitch or a punk or asshole,”

    Ah… next he’ll be telling us some of his best friends are gay…

  • This guy is using Grindr to get you to vote

    This guy is using Grindr to get you to vote

    More like Registr

    A Grindr guy has found one of the most engaging ways to get people to register to vote in this forthcoming General Election, before the registration deadline on the 26th November.

    As the election in the UK looms ever closer, people of all political persuasions are imploring people to register to vote and one guy has taken to Grindr to get that message out there.

    It may seem a little one-to-one, but hey, every registration counts if the country is to have a meaningful voter turn out on December 12th.

    Writer and LGBT+ rights activist, Tom Knight, has it seems, stumbled upon the perfect way to get a hookup and someone to register to vote at the same time. Win-Win.

    He’s using Grindr to spread the message that it’s important to register to vote before the cut off on the 26th November 2019.

    Want a drink? Get registered

    In a recent exchange on the hookup app, he questioned a potential hookup whether he had “registered to vote”. When the potential beau answered in the negative, Tom simply replied, “come back to me when you are”.

    When asked if he was “serious” Tom simply answered “Yep”

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com, Tom told us, “anything that can engage others is a good thing.”

    Are you registered yet? If not, visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote before the 26th November 2019.

    Are you decided?

    In a recent flash poll on Twitter by THEGAYUK, 62 per cent of those who took part said that they had decided on who they’d vote for, while 38% said they had yet to decide on which political party they’d vote for.

  • GHOSTING: These guys share what it feels like when a Grindr guy suddenly goes quiet on them

    GHOSTING: These guys share what it feels like when a Grindr guy suddenly goes quiet on them

    If you spend any length of time on Grindr, you’ll probably have experienced the ghosting of Grindr.

    It can be entirely frustrating especially if you’ve arranged a meet after spending hours on a conversation – and then nothing, nada, zilch. You’ve been blocked. Welcome to the world of ghosting.

    These guys on Reddit spill the beans after one poster wrote about how much it “sucked” when someone he had been conversing with blocked him with no reason.

    He wrote, “Boy does it suck when you vibe with someone on Grindr, and then a couple of hours later you looked back at the chat only to realize you were blocked. What similar story have you experienced

    [totalpoll id=”126854″]

    The responses came thick and fast – as you might expect.

    Not out

    what is ghosting, why do guys ghost on grindr
    Pexels / Pixabay

    One user revealed, “Met this boy and we really vibed. Had a great time together and spoke about meeting soon again. A couple of days later he blocks me on everything (had him on WhatsApp, snap etc). He just totally ghosted me. It really sucked because I liked him a lot.

    “Couple months later I get this message from him how he is sorry and that he just didn’t know how to handle something like this. He wasn’t out yet and he didn’t know how to handle the feeling of liking someone genuinely”.

    Playing games?

    is ghosting common on grindr
    TheHilaryClark / Pixabay

    Another victim of ghosting shared, “I matched with a guy on Tinder a while back. It was quite a nice surprise because it had reached that point where I had swiped all the available people and the app was stagnating.

    He messaged me first (which is rare) so I thought there was genuine interest. We really hit it off and we were having a rather nice, meaningful conversation. Lo and behold, two hours later he unmatched me.

    I feel like people are just playing games on these apps. You have to take everything they say with a grain of salt. It’s better for me now just being off the dating apps altogether.

    Often

    CREDIT: ©-Vadymvdrobot-Depositphotos

    Another shared how he’d be blocked, a lot saying “About 16 times to be exact in the last week… ??‍♂️” – Now that’s a lot of ghosting.

    Catfishing?

    ©-Maridav-Depositphotos

    Another explained how you might be better off being blocked, “Boys are scared. Trolls are asshats. Just be thankful u didn’t have to waste any more time on them. Probs a catfish anyhow.”

    Missing a date with destiny?

    CREDIT: Minerva-Studio-bigstock

    One user shared how he also missed out on meeting the love of his life because of ghosting saying, “I think it’s just being scared of what it could be. I had almost flaked on my now fiancé. We matched tinder. At that point I was beyond done with dating apps.

    “I had just been swiping for fun and was about to delete it and then I came across his profile. I was intrigued but didn’t think we would click but ultimately just said “wth” and swiped right and we matched and started chatting (which surprised me cos hardly anyone really chatted back even though you’ve matched). We chatted for a week and then decided to meet up. On my way to meet up I was so nervous that I almost flaked but so glad I didn’t.

    “He’s the best guy ever! I love him to pieces. we clicked instantly and now I can’t wait to marry him”.

    Explanation?

    As a way of explaining why this might be happening, one commentor suggested that it could be a touch of narcissism, he wrote,

    “I am ashamed to say I have done this in the past and I really do regret my actions, I am just one of those people who don’t know how to properly decline someone.

    “the feeling that they are not the unwanted piece of crap they believe they are) I don’t know.

    “In the past I have been on there, vibed with guys and realised I have bitten off way more than I can chew and told them I wasn’t interested in the first place maybe a little bit too late (you know, I was the type to say just making conversation in the bio, but if the right guy comes along type), and then blanked them when they repeatedly message me. I have never made promises. But I know some people will have done so and chicken out realising that it wasn’t really what they wanted and without telling the other person.

    “Is it good? Hell no. But when you feel like you have let someone down the last thing you want to do is to confront the issue, at least for me it is anyway, and at the end of the day, both sides lose. But because it’s on the internet, with strangers, the moral burden really doesn’t sink in as much, which sucks because they don’t know who they could have upset.

    “Either way I’m sorry you had to go through something like this, either you encountered a narcissist or just someone with cold feet. I wish you luck on your hunt though”.

  • Grindr users are being targeted with this scam

    Grindr users are being targeted with this scam

    Have you received a message from a really cute guy – only to be asked to sign to a verification service?

    Be warned – it could well be a scam.

    Some guys on Grindr are being asked to visit a website called IPHSID.com in order to verify their identity. The site claims to be the only “website that links public state, territorial, and tribal sex offender registries from one national search site” however, there’s no evidence to back this up – what’s more if you want to join the register you have to pay – $1 for a month or $39 for a lifetime membership.

    How does it happen

    Well, out of nowhere a guy – with a super hot picture slides into your DMs – and says something like “Hey dude, how are you? Into kissing, cuddling, rimming, 69 – 8 inches open for anything, what are you looking for?” which is followed up by a topless picture and a dick pic.

    After you reply – a seemingly standard reply is sent, “nice, that’s great, I’m down to hook ups. I can do travel or host. BTW do you have IPHSID – I will meet you if you already had it”

    And then he sends another hot pic.

    Then an explanation about IPHSID “Let me explain it to you. It is an IPHS identifying and preventing harassment system to protect, lesbian gay bi-discreet trans in meetup. This is the safe way to check you’re LGBT sex-offender. There’s nothing wrong if we talk about our safeiness [sic] right?

    And then a picture of the same dude with a badly busied and cut face, to show that he’s been a victim of an attack.

    “I’m not saying you’re one of a [sic] bad guy I just want you (to) get a IPHSID so we can know that we are both safe to meet up – can I sent [sic] you a link if it’s okay?”

    The guy then sends a picture of his “profile” and tells you that the $1 will be donated automatically to an “LGBT harassment victim”

    1% Trust rating

    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    According to ScamDoc, the site has a 1% trust score – which is very very bad.

    But just taking a look around the site you’ll notice that there’s no evidence or links to any of the partnerships they say they work with.

    It even uses a Gmail account for contact – not a branded one. Sounds kinda phishy right?

    If you need any other reasons not to 100% trust this, its links to social media have nothing to do with the site – the Twitter one goes to an account that hasn’t been used since 2017, the Facebook link goes to Facebook’s own LGBT+ page, the Insta goes to news-brand LGBTQNation and the YouTube links to a SoulPancake video.

    Dodgy? We’d say so.

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to IPHSID for comment and guess what – the email bounced right back.

    Our Advice

    If someone asks you for money or links away from Grindr to another site which asks for personal details – don’t. Instead, use our safety guidelines on how to have safer dating hookups.

  • Is ghosting on Grindr very common?

    Is ghosting on Grindr very common?

    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    If that hot guy you hooked up with isn’t getting back to you, chances are you’ve been ghosted.

    First of all, what does being ghosted mean?

    The process of being ghosted means that a person that you’ve gotten to know well, perhaps over the course of a few weeks or months, suddenly and inexplicably disappears.

    They cease all communications with you.

    They don’t even seem to have checked their messages.

    Does ghosting only happen online?

    Does ghosting only happen online?
    Mimzy / Pixabay

    You can be ghosted in a real-life relationship and in an online relationship. basically they’ve turned into a ghost.

    Now sometimes there could be a very good reason why they’ve become ghosts and some may even have a legitimate reason for the disappearing act – perhaps, maybe they actually did die! There’s no way of knowing whether they did, particularly if your relationship was solely online via a private app like Grindr.

    They could have also been banned from using apps or social media for breaking rules and community guidelines, such as Facebook’s notorious crackdown on sex talk between consenting adults.

    And perhaps they already had a partner who found out about the affairs and has ground their partner’s phone into a fine dust – unfortunately, you’ll probably never know.

    So how often does ghosting happen on dating apps?

    We ran a quick poll on our social media and it turns out is very very common. Around 83% who answered the poll said that being ghosted “happened a lot” and that it happened to them in the past.

    So to answer the question, yes, ghosting does happen a lot of dating ups.

  • REVEALED: This is what to should do if you don’t find someone attractive on a dating app

    REVEALED: This is what to should do if you don’t find someone attractive on a dating app

    In an exclusive poll by THEGAYUK, lots of people say they just want to hear the truth…

    CREDIT: GaudiLab/bigstock

    What do you do when someone you’re not interested in, messages you on a hookup app like Grindr? Do you ignore, block or tell them truthfully that you’re just not into them? Trouble is, it’s quite difficult to be truthful to someone about your lack of attraction to them, without coming off rude.

    Well according to our research users of dating apps would prefer that you told them directly that they aren’t your type. In fact, overwhelmingly, 68 per cent of us would, apparently prefer to know the truth.

    Twenty-five per cent would prefer to just be ignored and the other seven per cent said that they’d be happy to just be blocked.

    How do we actually react?

    However, in contrast, when asked how people actually react when someone they don’t fancy hits them up on a dating app, most people admitted that they just tend to ignore or just block. Only around 44 per cent of guys say they are actually truthful and tell the other person that they’re not interested.

    What’s the best way to tell someone you’re not interested?

    What's the best way to tell someone you're not interested on a dating up
    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    We asked our readership on Facebook what the best way of letting someone down. Jonathan told us, ” Imagine that it is you who is being rejected. Speak to them as you would like to be spoken to”

    Whereas, Robert kept it nice and simple saying “Not my type, sorry fella”.

    Gaz revealed that he’d write, “Hi, thanks for dropping me a message. Great profile but don’t think we are a match. Gaz”

    Billy suggest that typing, “Politely say sorry I’m not interested we are looking for different things” might be the politest way of letting someone down gently.

  • Grindr killer’s drug dealer found guilty of murdering James Bond actor

    The man who was Stephen Port’s drug dealer has been found guilty of murdering the James Bond actor, Eric Michels, 54.

    ©-ia__64-Depositphotos

    From the DailyMail.co.uk, “Stephen Port’s drug dealer was today found guilty of murdering a man almost 30 years his senior he met on Grindr in a case with chilling similarities to the serial killer’s own crimes”

    READ MORE

  • Gay man found dead, house sitting for a friend

    Gay man found dead, house sitting for a friend

    An Irish man was found dead in a luxury flat he was housesitting after inviting a man for a dating app hook up.

    Adrian Murphy, 43, was found dead in a flat in Battersea, London, which he had been house sitting. It is thought that he may have laid dead for up to three days before he was discovered, on the 4th of June.

    The man, from Kilkenny in Ireland, had apparently organised a hook up on a dating app and has the hallmarks of a similar attack on a 40-year-old man in east-London just days beforehand.

    The flat in which he was staying had been ransacked and property allegedly was stolen.

    It is thought that he may have been drugged, police are still awaiting upon a toxicology report from Mr Murphy’s autopsy.

    A post-mortem examination at St George’s Hospital on Wednesday, 6 June failed to determine a cause of death and detectives are now awaiting the result of further tests.

    Arrests made

    A Detective with the Metropolitan Police, Rob Pack confirmed that a 24-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were arrested on the 12th June on suspicion of murder, rape and theft.

    A 24-year-old man [A] was arrested late on Tuesday, 12 June, on suspicion of murder, rape and theft. He has since been bailed to attend a police station at a later date.

    A 17-year-old girl [B] was arrested earlier on 12 June on suspicion of murder and theft. She has been released under investigation.

    Detective Pack said, “We have linked these two incidents through our suspects and our enquiries continue to establish the exact circumstances.

    “We know the victim in the Walthamstow incident met the male suspect through a social networking site and we are investigating whether there is a similar connection in Mr Murphy’s death.

    “Both incidents happened over a short period of time and thorough enquiries have led us to make these prompt arrests. However, there is a possibility other offences may have been committed before 30 May.

    “Has anything similar happened to you, or someone you know? A meeting arranged online that has led to intoxication, robbery and possibly sexual assault. Please have the confidence to approach my team so we can investigate what happened to you. You can also contact third party organisations such as the charity Galop. You will be taken seriously and treated with sensitivity.

    “I would also be keen to talk to anyone who saw anything suspicious on the afternoon of 4 June around Lombard Road, anything that looked out of place.”

    Enquiries have linked this incident to an earlier allegation of rape at an address in E17 on Thursday, 30 May at around 13:00hrs.

    READ ALSO: How to stay safe when meeting people from dating apps

    Echoes of Barking Murders

    Stephen Port
    CREDIT: met police

    Similarly to the Stephen Port murders, in which the serial killer drugged, raped and the murdered his victims, he found on gay daying apps, the 40-year-old victim who survived his ordeal, believes he was drugged by a man he had invited to his flat after meeting him on a social networking platform.

    He became unconscious and was found later that day by a friend who raised the alarm.

    The victim was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital and has since been discharged.

     

    Anyone who can help is asked to contact 101, quoting CAD 6467/4 June, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or the charity Galop or via their Shoutline on 020 7704 2040.