Grindr, the mobile dating app for gay men, is not just about sex, its founder has insisted as he prepares a marketing campaign aimed at straight women.
Joel Simkhai, who was in London this weekend to prepare for the launch of a version for straight people, is trying to shed the app's sleazy reputation.
Grindr, which has more than 2 million gay users, had hoped to launch its straight version this spring but difficulties adapting the app for heterosexuals have delayed it until next month.
Simkhai, who is based in the US, in Los Angeles, said that once Grindr's developers "took the gay out of it" they needed to add more detailed profiles to make the new version, codenamed Project Amicus – from the Latin for friend – appeal to straight users. The gay version provides only basic details of nearby men, whose pictures are shown in order of proximity, based on their phone's GPS location.
Simkhai conceded that Grindr's reputation, as a service for quick, anonymous sexual encounters, might deter some women from using the straight version but suggested they give it a try. "We're helping people meet new people. It's then up to them to decide what to do," he said.
Project Amicus would be a "more broad experience" than Grindr, said Simkhai. "It is for if you're looking for a date or [someone] to play tennis with."
The straight version will still put location and photos at the heart of the service. "It's nice to know what someone looks like even if you're just playing tennis with them," he said.
The new app, which will be free to download, will be followed by a premium version similar to the gay Grindr Xtra, which costs £1.79. A test version is already available from Grindr's website.
Simkhai says he has received numerous offers for the company since the service launched in 2009. London, with 86,000 downloads, has the most Grindr users in the world.
