Grindr, Meet Manhunt: The Gay App Launches Web Version

An LGBTQ+ dating app is going retro with a web version for a computer in an instance of “what’s old is new again.”

Grindr now offers a desktop version in addition to its mobile app, the company announced Wednesday.

"With Grindr Web, you can chat with a possible hookup while you answer your boss’s email on your phone," Grindr wrote in its announcement.

Grindr Web users can browse six profiles at once and utilize a chat feature as they look at possible connections on the grid.

“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,” CEO George Arison said, Fast Companyreports. “This is just the beginning.”

Grindr hopes its new features will appeal to people in their 30s to 50s who started meeting people on their computers rather than their phones.

Some app users may benefit from the web version. For example, on the app’s desktop version, users can change controls so that adult content will be available on both mobile and desktop.

Those active online before smartphone apps may recall the gay hookup site Manhunt. Gay men, in particular, quickly became fans of the site after its launch in 2001. The site offered a private online community for hookups with “any guy, anytime, anywhere.” Users could lock or unlock private photos, browse profiles by city or area, and initiate chats.

As the company rose to dominance in the gay adult tech space, it sponsored high-profile dance events and partnered with organizations that put on circuit parties nationwide, offering merch, subscriptions, and other branded materials to promote the website to consumers.

The company reached a wider audience and created a loyal customer base. Their marketing efforts were heavily focused on achieving their target demographic. Success followed these efforts, and the company continued to grow.

Although Manhunt is still around today, it suffered the same fate as MySpace after Facebook became popular, with a massive exodus from the service in favor of the location-based behemoth Grindr.

In addition to its website, Manhunt offers an app.

Grindr also said that some users who aren't out of the closet might also enjoy using the web version instead of keeping an app on their phone. Users will still need to download the app for the initial subscription, but after that, they can remove it and use the service from their browsers.

Grindr tweeted out a video of its new functionality along with its announcement.

The Grindr Web service is enabled for $19.99/month and $39.99/month to XTRA and Unlimited subscribers, respectively.

The company could make the beta service free to all subscribers during beta testing.