The iPhone is a hotbed for location-based social networks, which tap into the phone’s geolocation features to help users find nearby friends and strangers that they might like to meet. We’ve seen a handful of dating applications that cater to the straight community, and today brings the launch of Grindr (iTunes Link), one of the first iPhone applications geared towards gay and bisexual men.
While privacy is an issue for all location based social networks, it is of the utmost importance on gay networks. Without proper security measures, bigots could easily download such applications and use them to pinpoint targets for hateful slurs and potentially even violence. Grindr deals with these issues by obscuring a user’s absolute location by default. Rather than plotting each user on the map. Grindr displays how far away they are (distances can range from a few feet to miles away).
The application presents users with a list of nearby strangers, arranged in a grid of photos (you can click on a photo to see their personal profile). From here, users can strike up a real-time chat. If they decide they like their new acquaintance, they can they optionally choose to reveal their exact location.
One of my concerns with new iPhone-based dating networks like Skout is they they have to face off with huge, well established players like Match.com, which are slowly releasing their own iPhone applications. Grindr’s Joel Simkhai says that there are a number of well established dating sites for gay men, but says that many of them feature adult content which Apple likely will be opposed to, giving Grindr a better shot.
Other gay dating apps on the iPhone include The Gay Community App, which appears to have been hampered by a number of bugs that were recently fixed in an update.
I think there’s a pretty big distinction between geoshagging apps like this that are designed to help facilitate one-time hookups/encounters and sites like Match that are more geared towards actual dates (dinner, movie, THEN hookup). Apps like this or WhosHere or Loopt’s iMix are more of a mobile Craigslist than Match.
Jason is GAY! Busted !
What else was he doing checking out gay apps on his iPhone ?
PS: Call me.
Lolz..TC is accessed by Gays too..But I don think Jason is a Gay
http://www.smartbloggerz.com
I do. In Jason’s article with video showing lala’s beta app, right on the screen is the yellow/black mask icon for the Grindr app… still on his phone.
What’s wrong with craigslist?
So what?
Demographic headline baiting, and as such I dropped you guys down from top spot to middle of MyYahoo home page.
Jeeze…………..!
Wow… you really are a force to be reckoned with!
You just have to love the fact that companies are still using ‘porn names’ when they want to sell anything to sexual minorities..
Cause you know that the gay and lesbian crowd needs things to be named after Prince lyrics and vibrators if they are gonna be interested?
I thought this already existed… it’s called Loopt!
gay dating big business
Manhunt owns this space. Unfortunate for this guy, it is only time before MANHUNT launches their mobile strategy and puts this and other small app out of business.
Yeah, gay.com owned it at one time as well. Newsflash: things change rather quickly on the Net.
So Loopt finally has some competition in gay dating scene!
If you’re a guy and you ever try Loopt, you’ll be inundated by guys who want to hook up.
thats hilarious, i think that is happening to all dating apps even on android
iphone在中国没什么戏
I guess the authors, and Jason, never played “hunt the thimble”.
I think it’s crazy that people have to look online to meet new people. Why can’t they meet someone in person? But of course there are going to be plenty of people using the service.
So, what happened to gay and bisexual women? Is there an app for them too?
the dialogue in the screenshot is amazing. A++
that, alone, just made my day.
New iPhone app to be released soon: HoeFinder, with integrated GPS and profiles.
coming really soon, under the makeoutspace domain.
Great post!
Thanks,
Ben Fryxell
http://macmaniapodcast.com
Loopted is nothing but gay dating.
lol..
NIce! also look at the iphone gay porn app http://www.TapGay.com the best i’ve seen yet!
You guys should check out these sites for links to more iPhone adult dating and chat:
http://www.iPho...AdultDating.com
AND
http://www.iPhoneAdultChat.com
While Grindr is a great idea, to be sure, the application (or more precisely, the servers behind it) are DREADFUL. It’s nearly impossible to sign on, the app will freeze up requiring a reboot of the phone. I’d be willing to chalk this up to growing pains, but the ‘team’ at Grindr have been squirrelly, evasive, non-responsive and downright hostile to users complaining about the pi**-poor performance of their application. Long on promise, short on delivery.
I have to agree. The Grindr team is horrible at addressing even the most simple of bug fixes in a timely manner. They beg for money from users with the promise that every penny goes toward development, and yet no development seems to happen. iPhone OS 3 has been out for months now and they implemented in-app purchasing right away, but we’re still waiting on push notification.