Is Grindr a scam?
Grindr itself is a real, long-established dating app, not a scam. But recent reviewers say it is overrun with scam and bot profiles that they suspect outnumber real users, and that reporting them produces no visible action. Several also describe in-app ads that mimic virus warnings, which are a scam vector even though they are not from Grindr itself.
Waste of time. Ads are aggressive and disruptive. I got premium, and they still put users in randomized order where distance fluctuates from 1 to 40 miles away side by side. Scam/Bot accounts seemingly outnumber real users, I suspect they pay the devs to let them run their scams. Do not reccomend, do not use.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Grindr legit?
Yes, it is a legitimate and widely used app, but recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative about the current state of it. Long-time users repeatedly say it has gotten worse with each update, citing ads, bugs, fake profiles and pricing, and many are moving to competitors.
Avoid! this app is getting worse and worse!
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why does Grindr have so many ads?
Ads are the single biggest complaint in recent reviews. Free users describe multiple full-screen ads just to open the app or send a message, ads that force the browser or Play Store open, ads appearing inside the message inbox, and ads that run for a minute or more. Reviewers say the free experience is close to unusable without an ad blocker, and see it as pressure to pay for an ad-free tier.
An obnoxious quantity of ads, most are for game and temu. The ads go on way too long (> 2 minutes) and you end up force closing the app and going back in to get around them. Many ads will also open your browser and try to trick you with fake warnings of security issues on your phone that tell you to "click here" to scan. Grindr should ban these advertisers but they don't. The app often just hangs and is unresponsive and again you have to force close and reopen it.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why does Grindr say "unable to refresh"?
A large number of recent reviewers report a constant "unable to refresh" error even on strong Wi-Fi or mobile data, with the grid and messages failing to load while ads still play fine. Reviewers say restarting the app or toggling Wi-Fi sometimes helps temporarily, but that the bug has persisted across updates.
the ads are absolutely overkill for free version to the point of being unusable. and everytime I open the app it says " unable to refresh " and im sat there with a WiFi connection and phone data. apps become a joke.
10
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Grindr full of fake profiles and bots?
Many reviewers say yes and describe it as severe: spam bots with stock or stolen photos, accounts linking out to other platforms, sex-work spam and scam profiles making up much of the grid. Reviewers say paying for premium does not change the quality of profiles shown.
9 out of 10 people in the grid is a spam bot, you can tell cuz it's all Asian girls with profile pictures that day 1 day authentic grindr photo and they all have a X link to some more spam or they are super hot guys with the same X link to more spam accounts, don't pay for premium your getting the same quality of service, except your just paying for it.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why was my Grindr account banned or suspended?
Recent reviewers report sudden bans and suspensions with no clear reason given, sometimes tied to a failed payment or profile wording, and say the appeal process is broken, sometimes the appeal form will not submit, and that support replies with automated messages. Several say they were left banned with no way to appeal.
I was banned with no reason and when I tried to appeal my ban it didn't allow me to submit my ban appeal in their website. I sent multiple e-mails asking on how to appeal or if there was another process to manually review my account and got an automated AI message that I needed to submit my appeal through their page and when I explained that the page didn't allow me to log in to submit I got 0 response. I'm banned and with no options.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Grindr XTRA or Unlimited worth it?
Recent paying reviewers are largely negative. They report still seeing ads or promo interruptions, continued bugs like failed refreshes and missing messages, and pricing they consider very high, with tiers ranging into the hundreds of dollars a month. Several say premium did not noticeably improve their experience.
I pay for this app and it still works terrible. Bugs all the time, filters never update, locations never update, messages don't send. It's not worth having anymore, do not get this app.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
How do I cancel my Grindr subscription or dispute a charge?
Manage or cancel the subscription in the Google Play Store under Payments and subscriptions. Some reviewers report unexpected or high charges they say they did not knowingly authorize and unhelpful support; if that happens, disputing the charge through Google Play or your card issuer is the route reviewers describe using.
Predatory interface. Was somehow subscribed to Grindr Edge ($269.99/week) - and only found out from a notification email that said I had made a purchase in Grindr and to open the app within 3 days to confirm. How could a large purchase be made so easily, that I didn't even engage with the app after? Crickets from Grindr support, and now I'm needing to pursue legal options. Don't use this app
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Answers above are generated from real Google Play reviews of Grindr - Gay Dating & Chat, not editorial opinion.