3 days ago
Grindr rolls out new in-app, live feed ‘Right Now' with disappearing posts
Gay dating app Grindr has introduced a new social media-like live feed feature called Right Now. The new feature is being rolled out to all users of the platform globally after conducting a pilot test in select markets.
The Right Now feed is different from the traditional Grindr interface, which shows users a host of other users' profiles along with details such as how far away they are from the user's location.
Instead, it resembles the feed on X (formerly Twitter) and shows users a stream of posts with text as well as photos, according to a report by The Verge. However, all user posts that appear in the Right Now feed disappear after an hour. The feed is currently accessible only in hour-long sessions that are free for users in certain locations, Grindr said, adding that users will soon be able to purchase more Right Not sessions as well.
The Right Now feed has been designed to help people 'find exactly what they want, when they want it – without the guesswork,' according to AJ Balance, the chief product officer at Grindr.
'We built this intention-based feature based on feedback from our community so they can connect with like-minded people without wasting time on mismatched expectations,' Balance said. 'The response to our initial March launch was so strong we accelerated the global rollout ahead of schedule because it's clear people want this… well, right now,' Balance was quoted as saying.
The expanded access to Right Now is part of Grindr's broader efforts to generate more revenue by rolling out new features and monetising them through in-app purchases. The company is facing financial woes with its stock price plummeting by 70 per cent since its initial public offering (IPO) in 2022.
To turn things around, Grindr is betting big on AI. 'For all the new things that we build, I want them to be built as if we are an AI-native startup. If you're going to do marketing for this, great; start thinking with AI first and then go to people because that's how I think companies are going to be built moving forward and that's what we should be doing as a business as well,' Grindr's CEO George Arison was quoted as saying.
He was speaking at the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything conference last week
Some of these AI features include A-List, which shows users summaries of chats in order to help them rekindle 'meaningful past connections' and pursue 'high-potential matches.' Grindr has also introduced an AI assistant named Wingman to help users draft chat responses as well as figure out dating spots and receive sex tips.
The platform's AI features are reportedly powered by Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 3.7 model and Amazon Web Services' Bedrock models. While some of the features have a free trial, continued access to them requires users to sign up to the platform's monthly subscription plans.
