Founded in 2009 with the aim of connecting and enabling meetings between members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Grindr seems to be in the sights of the Chinese authorities.
However, whether on the App Store or on Android application download sites, the dating application is now not found in the Middle Kingdom.
But where did Grindr go?
Mainly targeting gay, bisexual or even bicurious men, Grindr has made a name for itself globally in just a decade for chatting and meeting people, including in China. However, the service disappeared from radar at the end of January. According to The Verge, Grindr was removed from the App Store in China on January 27, 2022, as well as from Android app stores on an unknown date. Remember that the latter are mainly managed by Huawei and Tercent, the Google Play Store having been banned in China for two years.
The practice is not really new, far from it. The Verge echoes, for example, the withdrawal from the App Store of an application dedicated to the Koran, Quran Madjid, in October 2021, but also more broadly, of thousands of games each year.
On the same subject :
Tinder: in the US users could soon have access to the history of their “date”
The service migrated from China to the United States in 2020
The motivation of the Chinese authorities, according to Bloombergis to promote an environment civilized, wholesome, festive and conducive to public opinion during Lunar New Year for this event and the Olympic Winter Games. While some testify to a growing intolerance on the part of the Chinese government, Bloomberg clarifies that local competitors of Grindr, such as Blued, are still available for download. It should also be remembered that Apple has already been singled out for its propensity to authorize countries to censor LGBTQ+ applications, in particular China.
In addition, Grindr was sold by the Chinese company Kunlun Tech to an American investment company, under pressure from the United States, two years ago. Kunlun Tech, owner of Grindr since 2016, then complied with the requirements of the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), in particular for a question of protection of the personal data of American users. This did not prevent Grindr from being, once again, singled out for sharing user data for advertising purposes, recently in Norway.
To download
- Expensive monetization system
- Aimed at the gay and bisexual community
- A classic and simple interface
Probably as well known as Tinder, Grindr is ultimately an equivalent designed for the queer community, more specifically gay and bisexual. For more than ten years (even before Tinder), the service has met with unequivocal success, in particular thanks to free functions that facilitate meetings. Still, like most apps of its kind, Grindr only opens up some features to subscribers. premiumat high prices.
Probably as well known as Tinder, Grindr is ultimately an equivalent designed for the queer community, more specifically gay and bisexual. For more than ten years (even before Tinder), the service has met with unequivocal success, in particular thanks to free functions that facilitate meetings. Still, like most apps of its kind, Grindr only opens up some features to subscribers. premiumat high prices.
Sources: French Culture
, Bloomberg
, The Verge
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