Is Grindr Trying to Become Sniffies?

Is Grindr Trying to Become Sniffies?

Grindr celebrated its 8th anniversary yesterday, and Fleshbot Gay celebrated with some new Grindr Fails. To celebrate the big day, the app announced that it was rolling out its "Right Now" set of features to 15 new cities for testing. What is "Right Now?" Well, it sounds a lot like Sniffies, so we have to ask, is Grindr trying to become Sniffies?

The Right Now feature was introduced by Grindr last year in Australia and Washington, D.C. (Um, Washington, D.C.? All those Republican politicians who can't host.). Separate from the main grid that we are used to, the Right Now section on Grindr is separate, and you can upload texts and photos to a rolling feed. Um, sounds a lot like Sniffies' post menu that has posts available in a real-time scrolling menu. Grindr says that it is for people who know what they want and when they want it (aka right now) without wasting time. That's what we love about Sniffies in the first place, it is for immediate hookups, there is no guess work.

Sniffies has really taken off and has become a fierce competitor in the gay hookup app market. Some Grindr users have complained that the app acts up, messages get lost, guys aren't ready to hookup, and that they just want to chat. Sniffies is really for the immediate hookup, and we've had many easy experiences from it. Also, Sniffies allows explicit profile photos and lets you put together events and groups. It really is for the aggressive cruiser. So this new Right Now feature by Grindr seems like it is trying to get in on the Sniffies market. Smart move or just copying?

Grindr's Chief Product Officer made a statement, “Too often, people start a conversation only to realize they’re looking for different things – one person wants a date, the other a quick connection. Right Now makes it clear who’s available and what they’re looking for, in real-time.” Yeah, so basically their version of Sniffies.

In addition to major cities in the US, the Right Now feature is being released internationally in London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Amsterdam, and São Paulo. For those who want to try the new feature are receiving ten hours of free use per week. Users who love the feature can buy additional hours at a separate charge. That's a smart sales move. Guys are going to get used to being horny and getting an immediate hookup, but sometimes it still takes time to arrange an immediate hookup, they will pay to keep those convos going.

Grindr really is trying to become the one stop place for gay dating and sex. In addition to the Right Now feature, they are rolling out AI assistance, instant matching, traveling tools, and more. Can Sniffies keep up? We shall see. For now, we actively use both! (Truth be told, Sniffies is more of a hookup success by number of sessions we've been able to coordinate.)

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