Grindr reports 22% revenue growth in Q3 2026, raises full-year forecast. Grindr reported revenue of $141.4 million in Q3 2026, up 22% from $115.8 million a year earlier. The company raised its full-year revenue forecast to $560 million and its adjusted EBITDA forecast to $236 million. The Grindr Q3 2026 results showed adjusted EBITDA of $61.7 million, compared with $54.8 million a year earlier. Despite the revenue growth, Grindr recorded a net loss of $6.6 million, compared with a profit of $30.8 million in Q3 2025. The loss was largely driven by $32.3 million in litigation-related costs, including settlements and legal fees. Grindr is preparing to launch Edge, its AI-powered premium subscription, globally on 17 November after several months of testing. Early access begins on 10 November, with subscriptions priced at $120 per month. Nearly 400,000 people registered their interest within 72 hours. Grindr plans to limit subscriptions to 1% of its nearly 16 million monthly active users. Alongside the Grindr Q3 2026 results, the company issued its first forecast for 2027, expecting revenue of at least $705 million and adjusted EBITDA of at least $275 million. Grindr also recently acquired PurposeMed, the company behind HIV prevention service Freddie. The acquisition, completed on 2 November, will help expand Grindr Health's sexual health services, including access to PrEP.

Grindr uses your profile to train AI unless you opt out. Ronan Farrow's exposé highlights how Grindr uses photos and other profile data to train its AI technology without asking users to opt in. Grindr's default settings allow it to use users' profile data to train its artificial intelligence technology, gAI, journalist Ronan Farrow reports in an investigative series examining how companies collect and use people's data. Under CEO George Arison, Grindr has aggressively integrated gAI (pronounced "gay-eye") into its app. The technology powers Edge, a premium subscription service that Grindr has tested at prices as high as $499.99 per month. In his video investigation, posted to X and Instagram, Farrow reports that Grindr needs users' explicit permission to train gAI on "special-category" data - including gender, sexual preferences and orientation, racial and ethnic origin, chat content, and precise location. But the company doesn't ask permission to use so-called "limited data," including users' photos, ages, taps, and display names, to train gAI. Training AI involves using data to help a system learn patterns so it can perform tasks or make predictions. Grindr says gAI is intended to personalize the user experience, summarize chats, recommend potential matches, and support platform safety. Grindr acknowledges on its website that its default settings allow limited data to be used to train gAI. Users can opt out by changing their privacy settings in the app. Farrow cites dozens of studies showing that most people keep apps' default settings, then demonstrates how to turn off the data-use options in Grindr's privacy settings, noting that all toggles must be set to "off." He cautions that opting out applies only to future use of users' data. Farrow also details Grindr's history of privacy controversies. In September, Grindr agreed to pay £26 million - about $35 million - to settle a lawsuit brought by thousands of users in the United Kingdom who claimed the company had shared sensitive personal information, including some users' HIV statuses, with advertising companies between May 2018 and April 2020. * indicates required In 2021, Norway's data protection authority fined Grindr 65 million Norwegian kroner - about $6 million at the time - for violating the country's data protection rules. Grindr appealed, but a Norwegian appeals court upheld the fine in October 2025, concluding that the company's claim that it did not sell users' personal information to third parties for advertising purposes was "clearly misleading." Farrow also warned that data breaches or unauthorized access could endanger users in countries that criminalize homosexuality and same-sex relations. In a statement to Queerty, a Grindr spokesperson said: "Privacy and discretion are fundamental to Grindr, and we provide our users meaningful control over how their data is used." The spokesperson continued: "Our AI features are designed to help users make better connections, and they can opt-out at any time of having their information used for AI-powered features and AI training. More details are available to Grindr users in the in-app Safety and Privacy Center, Privacy Policy, and AI explainer." Commenters on Farrow's Instagram video expressed anger over Grindr's use of their data to train AI. "This is important and why we also need to learn to cruise analog!" wrote one Instagram user.

Grindr hooks up with SAMY as influencer marketing agency of record. 22/10/2026 Gay social meeting app Grindr, serving the international GBTQ+ community, has appointed global social-first agency SAMY as its agency of record for US and global influencer marketing. Following a competitive pitch, SAMY is leading Grindr's US and global influencer strategy and execution, with a particular focus on strengthening brand reputation and relevance within GBTQ+ communities worldwide. Grindr books SAMY for influencer marketing. The work encompasses always-on editorial storytelling, timely community-led activations and major cultural events in the US and globally. It forms part of Grindr's ambitions in playing a more active role in creating and amplifying the right moments alongside communities, influencers, and creators. The partnership has already seen early success, with SAMY supporting the brand's official global Pride tour, Grindr Rides Again and Grindr Presents: Madonna's Confessions II Live in NYC - the surprise pop-up concert in Times Square celebrating new music from the iconic Queen of Pop. Developed and delivered on a tight timeline, the multi-layered strategy included pre-event creator livestreaming, stories told on-the-ground, and amplification support. The activation generated 3.2 million video views and more than 174,000 social media engagements. Under a separate Latin American brief, SAMY is helping Grindr increase brand engagement and relevance across the region, while driving measurable brand and community growth through content that reflects local GBTQ+ identities and cultures. The appointment comes as Grindr looks to focus on market-specific strategies informed by local language, humour and cultural moments. SAMY's immediate focus will be Mexico and Brazil, including support for local IP development and Pride celebrations over the last few months. Dee Nuncio, VP and head of strategy at SAMY, commented: "Grindr has a unique and important legacy in gay and queer culture. The opportunity is to build on that equity, working with the community to create content that features their lived experiences. That requires a deep understanding of the conversations, creators and cultural moments shaping these GBTQ+ communities." "SAMY's role is to combine that cultural understanding with influencer and social expertise to amplify the Grindr brand in a way that feels relevant, and most importantly, earned." Benjamin Cooper, Director of Consumer Content at Grindr (US), said: "Gay culture moves fast - and the most resonant content starts with a deep understanding of what its community is talking about, sharing, and shaping. "Our focus is on partnering with the creators and storytellers leading those conversations to make work that feels culturally relevant, unmistakably Grindr, and worth engaging with." "SAMY showed a clear understanding of the role of influencers and creators within these communities and how we can turn major moments as well as everyday interactions into stronger connections with our users." Igor Carvalho, International Marketing Manager at Grindr, added: "Latin America is not a single audience or culture, which means our social presence needs to reflect that. This partnership gives us the local insight and social expertise to keep building the Grindr brand genuinely alongside the communities we serve."