While Grindr can be a fun and exciting way to date and meet new people, the app is not very privacy-friendly. Grindr collects a significant amount of user data and is not always transparent about where this data ends up. Some of the biggest safety risks of using Grindr include:
- Data sharing: Grindr has been found to share user data with third-party companies. On top of that, the privacy policy is not always clear and data breaches have occurred in the past.
- Location tracking: Grindr tracks your location to match you to other users in your area.
- Scams: Users are regularly targeted by (romance) scammers and cyber criminals.
- Harassment, abuse, extortion: One of the biggest risks on Grindr is (sexual) blackmail.
Luckily, there are lots of ways you can improve your safety on Grindr. In the first place, you should optimize your in-app privacy settings and disable location sharing. Be careful when it comes to sharing private information and never click on any links or external apps.
Moreover, one of the absolute best things you can do, is optimize your security by using a VPN for Grindr! NordVPN will hide your real location and protect you against any malware and spam.
Keep reading to learn more about the app’s risks and how you can stay safe on Grindr.
Grindr, everyone’s favorite LBGTQ+ dating app, connects millions of users every single day! But how privacy-friendly is this app? And what can you do to increase your Grindr safety?
We put Grindr’s privacy and safety features to the test, waded through its privacy policy (so you don’t have to!), and compiled a list of every step you can take to swipe and date without risks. The bad news is that Grindr is definitely not without security risks: from location tracking to data breaches and romance scams — it’s good to remain cautious.
But the good news is that using a VPN for Grindr increases your privacy a great deal! With a VPN, you can hide your IP address (your real location). On top of that, a VPN blocks all sorts of malware you don’t want to have to deal with.
Our #1 VPN for Grindr is NordVPN, which has a month-long free trial if you make use of the 30-day money-back guarantee. You can get started right away!
*Discount applied automatically
How to Protect Your Privacy on Grindr: Start Here
If you are thinking of joining Grindr, you may be wondering, “Is Grindr safe?” To cut straight to the point (no pun intended): you need to update your Grindr privacy settings to protect your privacy on this platform. We get it — you’d rather be using the app than reading through statements and trying to find the privacy risks in user agreements.
So, to save you time, we’ve listed the most important steps to increase your privacy on Grindr right away.
1. Update your Grindr privacy settings
Before you do anything else, these quick changes will immediately make Grindr a lot safer to use.
| Feature | What to change |
|---|---|
| PIN | Set a PIN code on your account: Profile > Settings > Security and Privacy > PIN > Enable PIN |
| Show Me In Explore Searches | This ensures people won’t find your profile via location-based searches (city or zip code): Profile > Settings > Security and Privacy > Show Me in Explore Searches (toggle off) |
| Show Me in Viewed List | Hide your profile from people’s “Viewed Me” lists: Profile > Settings > Security and Privacy > Show Me in Viewed Me List (toggle off) |
| Discreet App Icon | If you don’t want people to see Grindr on your phone for privacy or security reasons, you can replace the icon with a different one: Profile > Settings > Security and Privacy > Discreet App Icon |
You can find all these settings under “Security and Privacy.”
2. Think before you share!
This is one of the most obvious tips, but not any less important. While Grindr certainly has a responsibility to treat your private information with care, it helps if people can’t get their hands on sensitive information in the first place.
As with other dating apps like Tinder or Happn, you shouldn’t share your full name, phone number, and email address with complete strangers. On Grindr, you also want to be careful with health information, including your HIV status. You can’t trust everyone right away.
Pro Tip:
Upload a profile photo that doesn’t appear anywhere else on social media. If you do, people can easily do a reverse image search of your photo and get access to different accounts.
Most of the time, when you’re getting to know someone, you’ll take the conversation off the Grindr dating app at some point. Be careful! Make sure to always verify someone’s identity before you meet up with them. That way, you lower the risk of being catfished!
On top of that, if you can, use a service like Google Voice to keep your real phone number private and work with a secondary number. When you’re off Grindr, moderators can’t help you out. Moreover, other users can use your personal information to scam you.
3. Remove metadata on your photos
Any time you take a photo, tiny bits of information known as metadata are automatically stored on it. Whenever you upload a photo that has metadata attached to it on your Grindr profile, a tech-savvy user will be able to see when and where the photo was taken. This can reveal all sorts of information about you, including where you work or live.
You can delete any metadata by going into the settings of your phone. On iOS, all you have to do is click the little Info button of a photo in your gallery and erase your metadata. Android app users can open the Gallery app, click the Share button and “Remove location data” underneath the photo.
In general, you want to be careful with the types of photos you exchange on Grindr. No need for exclusively chaste photos! But always make sure there is nothing that identifies you personally or can be used against you by anyone.
4. Protect your Grindr account with a strong password
Another basic security measure, but one that’s absolutely essential for better privacy, is to protect your account with a strong and complex password.
What’s the risk, you may ask? If someone manages to figure out Grindr logins, they’ll get access to a lot of private information without your consent. This can then be used to blackmail you or worse.
We get that it can be annoying to remember complicated passwords, though. If you don’t want to worry about this, NordLocker has a free (!) password manager that generates and saves any password you want for you.
5. Disable the ‘Show Distance’ feature
Grindr uses your phone’s GPS location to match you with people in your area and show you the distance between you and someone else. While this is convenient for meeting up, it means other users can know your exact location.
For privacy and safety reasons, you can disable the “Show Distance” feature in your settings. Here’s how you do it:
- Open the Grindr app on your device and go to your profile.
- Tap on “Settings” at the bottom.
- Scroll down to “Security and Privacy,” and click on “Show Me.”
- Toggle off “Show My Distance.”
- If you want to be extra safe, toggle off “Show Me in Explore Searches” and “Show Me in Viewed Me List,” too.
Once you’ve disabled this feature, your profile is still visible to other people based on approximate distance. If you don’t want to show anyone your actual location, you can turn off location sharing altogether in your device settings.
If you want, you can even change your location completely. You can use a fake location app, but a more reliable choice to get a spoofed location would be a virtual private network (VPN).
Use a VPN to Keep Your Real Location Private on Grindr
Now that you’ve updated your privacy settings and have taken some precautions to stay safe on the Grindr dating app, it’s time to go all out. For ultimate Grindr privacy and protection, we recommend using a VPN service for these kinds of online dating apps. This has two major advantages:
- With a VPN, you will be able to change your location at will. If you’re worried about people finding out where you are, a VPN can help you with this, as it will hide your location. Plus, a VPN will help you unblock Grindr in places where the app is banned.
- A VPN has a ton of extra security features that can protect you from malware, malicious ads, and other forms of cybercrime.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN lets you change your IP address, which is the virtual location of your device. On top of that, a VPN encrypts your internet connection, which means no one will be able to look over your shoulder and monitor your online activity. For this reason, using a VPN with Grindr is really a massive privacy boost!
Best VPN for Grindr: NordVPN
We tested over 20 different VPNs to find the best VPN for Grindr and dating apps like it, and we concluded that NordVPN is the best. After conducting an extensive review of NordVPN, we can confidently say that it will keep your data safe, provide you with thousands of IP addresses to choose from and get rid of any annoying ads and malware for you.
What We Like
- Fantastic app for iOS and Android that's easy to use!
- 5,500 VPN servers to choose from
- Super fast VPN – you won't even notice it
- 256-bit AES encryption to keep your data safe
- Unblocks Grindr in places where the app is banned
- Adblocker and malware protection
What We Don't Like
- To get the best deal, you have to commit to two years (but: two years of safe swiping!)
The moment you connect to a VPN server, other Grindr users will only see the location of the server, not your actual location.
With NordVPN, you’ll be able to enjoy Grindr to the fullest extent and with much more peace of mind. If you’d like to give the VPN a try, we recommend making use of NordVPN’s free trial, which comes in the form of a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you’ll get to test the app for yourself for one month without paying a cent!
How to Block and Report Someone on Grindr
If someone is making you feel uncomfortable on Grindr, all you need to do is go to the user’s profile and select the little blocking icon in the corner. Once you click it, you can choose “Block” or “Report.”
When you block someone, your profile won’t be shown to them, and their profile will be removed from your view, too. When you report someone, the Grindr moderators will review the user’s profile and take action. If they’ve violated the Community Guidelines, their account might be suspended for a while.
However, sometimes Grindr can ban users accidentally and when there’s no good reason. This is the result of the platform’s attempts to keep the platform as safe as possible. Have you been banned but don’t know why? Check out our guide on getting unbanned from Grindr!
What Privacy Risks Does Grindr Have?
Grindr’s privacy risks range from the type of data it collects to the app sharing your location and other users scamming you. Even though Grindr itself claims they believe in supporting a thriving LGBTQ+ community, sex positivity and consent, and the right to privacy, the app is not entirely without risk. We’ve listed the main Grindr privacy concerns for you here.
Data collection
Like many dating apps, Grindr is free to use. This means that, in order to access it, Grindr will collect some of your personal data. When agreeing to Grindr’s privacy policy, you give the app permission to collect the following data:
- Email or phone number
- Date of birth
- Any information you disclose on your profile
- Your precise location
- User activity and cookies
- Hardware and software information
What happens to all this data? Most notably, the service provider specifies that this data can be used to “protect our interests as a company” — whatever that means. On top of that, your data can be used for machine learning and is shared with third-party marketing partners. From a privacy point of view, this basically means Grindr can share your data with anyone.
If you’ve never used Grindr before or you’re creating a new account, you do have the option to reject the collection of cookies:
You also have the option to download your data.
It can be really good to check what data Grindr has on you! In 2022, the Wall Street Journal discovered that Grindr had been selling sensitive data to third-company ad agencies for years. Grindr has also come under fire for data breaches, including not complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and leaking health data (including users’ HIV status!).
GDPR violations
In early 2021, Grindr faced a fine of millions of dollars when accused by Norwegian data privacy watchdog Datatilsynet of non-compliance with the GDPR. The watchdog accused the app of sharing data with third parties without first asking its users for consent.
In response to this accusation, Grindr altered how it asks for certain permissions within the app. Still, when data is being shared with third parties, it’s easy to lose track of it. Whether you live in the EU or not, it’s something to keep in mind, especially when it comes to sensitive data such as health information.
Data breaches: Your health data could be at risk on Grindr
In April 2018, Grindr’s reputation got tarnished when it was revealed that the company was sharing users’ HIV status with other companies, along with location data and email addresses.
Grindr representatives initially defended the practice. They claimed that data-sharing was widespread and that users consent to data-sharing when they sign up for the app. However, many users were unaware that Grindr was sharing their health information.
Pro Tip:
If you use Grindr, be careful about how much health information you disclose on your public profile.
Location sharing
We already touched upon this, but one of the biggest Grindr privacy risks is location tracking. Sure, it can be fun to see which other users are in your geographic area. However, letting strangers have access to your location, even on dating apps, comes with serious risks.
When someone knows your location, it increases the risk of physical danger. On top of that, the more frequently they can track your location, the higher the risk of stalking.
You can always disable location services on your device:
- For iOS: Settings > Privacy > Location Services
- For Android: Settings > Location > Grindr > Permissions > Location.
Blackmail, revenge porn, and sextortion
One of the biggest risks with any dating app, but especially Grindr, is blackmail or extortion, usually in the form of compromising photos or videos.
When someone threatens to share sexual material of you, this is known as sextortion. It is a very serious form of blackmail that can be very harmful to the victim. What to be aware of?
- Sextortion via video chat: The scammer will ask for sex calls on Skype, Instagram, WhatsApp, or any other platform and secretly record it to be used for blackmail later.
- Screenshots of nudes/saved photos: The scammer will request nude photos, screenshot or save these, and threaten to put them on the internet or share them with your friends, family, or colleagues.
- Discreet encounter scam: In this type of scam, the targets are people who don’t want their use of Grindr to be known. Scammers will threaten to share intimate photos or videos with your contacts unless you send them money.
Sometimes, these scams will go as far as to become acts of revenge porn, especially if you’ve dated someone you met on Grindr. Be careful and, if you can, make sure not to show your face in any nude photos or sex videos.
Scams
Grindr warns users about potential scams on their website. The app uses detection tech, machine learning models, and a team of moderators to try and prevent scams from happening, but it’s possible that you will be targeted by someone with bad intentions. Unfortunately, social media accounts and dating apps like Grindr are a great way to target people.
You should be most wary of romance scams. Cybercriminals will make use of people’s desire for connection, love, or sex and exploit it. Here are some general Grindr safety tips to avoid such scams:
- Never send anyone any money, especially if it involves third-party platforms or external payment services.
- Don’t share any of your login credentials with anyone.
- Be cautious when it comes to exchanging personal information (name, employer, family, etc.).
- If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t fall for anyone’s stories.
- Always check the country code on phone numbers that others share with you. If it doesn’t match their claimed location, it can be a scam.
- Don’t click any links, and don’t download any unknown apps. Sometimes a user will claim they’d like you to verify your identity with a “security app.” Don’t fall for it.
On their website, Grindr has a complete scam awareness guide that gives you very specific examples of what to look out for.
The Risks of Anti-Gay Regulations: When Is It Illegal to Use Grindr?
If you are wondering, “Is Grindr dangerous?” you must first consider that Grindr is not legal in every country in the world—and unless you take several privacy precautions, using the app can be very unsafe.
If you find yourself traveling to a country where Grindr is banned or where same-sex acts are not condoned, you have to act accordingly. In some cases, using a VPN will keep gay and bisexual men safe enough, but for areas where homosexuality is a capital offense, such as Iran or Qatar, you might have to get rid of Grindr, and dating apps like it, altogether.
We’ve included some extra tips and advice for using Grindr in these regions.
Be extra mindful with location sharing!
With Grindr’s popular location-sharing feature, the privacy risks in places where being gay is considered a criminal offense are even higher.
Previously, the government of Egypt has been found to use Grindr to track and arrest gay citizens, despite the fact that homosexuality isn’t technically illegal in Egypt. In 2020, people in Morocco started creating fake profiles on dating apps like Grindr to out others. As a result, multiple gay men ended up on the streets, shunned by their families.
Taking Grindr abroad safely
Dating on vacation can be a nice way to pass the time and meet new people. However, in certain areas, you might have to be a lot more careful than at home. Grindr automatically adjusts your location every time you activate the app.
This means your internet service provider (ISP) at your holiday destination will be able to know you are using the app and potentially block it.
Do you use Grindr and are about to travel? Always make sure to check your destination’s local laws and general attitude towards homosexuality. The interactive map of ILGA (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association) gives an overview of worldwide legislation on sexual orientation.
Want to change your IP address and bypass your ISP? With a VPN like NordVPN, you get quick and easy access to thousands of global IP addresses.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
Stay Safe on Grindr: Take Your Privacy Seriously
Grindr can be a fantastic app to meet new people and date! Unfortunately, some security risks come with using the app, including blackmail, location tracking, and data collection. In countries where Grindr is illegal, the risks are even higher.
Luckily, you can take steps to protect yourself on the app:
- Don’t reveal any sensitive personal information that can be used against you, including photos.
- Disable location-sharing features.
- Update your Grindr privacy settings.
- Block and report Grindr users you don’t trust.
- Use a VPN to spoof your Grindr location.
With a VPN, you also won’t have to worry about malicious links or messages since the VPN keeps you safe from these! We recommend NordVPN for its extensive server network and easy-to-use app that runs in the background without slowing down your device.
For less than the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can protect yourself and have as much fun on Grindr as you’d like!
Want to know more about other frequently used apps and privacy? Check out the articles below:
- Safe Online Dating Tips: 15 Ways to Safeguard Your Privacy
- How to Manage Your Privacy on Tinder
- How to Protect Your Safety on Happn
Wondering how to protect your privacy on Grindr? Check out our frequently asked questions for some quick answers!
Grindr is not the most privacy-friendly app. There are several privacy risks that users should keep in mind:
- Location tracking is possible on Grindr.
- The app collects lots of data that is shared with third parties.
- You can be targeted in (romance) scams.
- Blackmail, sextortion, and revenge porn is not uncommon.
However, it’s possible to tweak your safety settings and improve your privacy on Grindr, so you can date safely!
Yes, people can see your location on Grindr and can track this. In this case to hide your location, you can use a VPN to change your IP address or you can disable this in the settings of your own phone:
- For iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services
- For Android, go to Settings > Location > Grindr > Permissions > Location
In most places around the world, it’s legal to use Grindr. However, Grindr is banned in certain regions, too. If you’re traveling and you have Grindr on your phone, always make sure to check your destination’s laws and general views on homosexuality.
No, people on Grindr can’t see your phone number, unless you’ve shared it publicly on your profile. Grindr does show your location to other users. However, you can mask your true location with a VPN.
What worked for me - uninstalled the app, started fake gps, installed the app. V6.5.0. Now grindr works fine with fake GPS. Everything is lost but it doesn't bother me too much ;)
Thank you for sharing this useful advice!
Bluestacks wouldn't work on my mac so the easiest thing to do was just download a prior apk of grindr. Fixed the issue completely and I can use my fake location app on my android phone.
Downgrading the app could indeed help to solve this issue. However, since updates for the app (and for any sort of software) keep their users safe online. Not updating your apps in time could leave you vulnerable to hackers and malware. Any weaknesses in older versions could be exploited, leaving you with all kinds of possible problems. That's why we're constantly looking for other solutions to use Grindr safely, also on Mac. There are special versions of Bluestacks out there that will also work on Mac, which might be worth trying out. We'd advise you not to use the downgraded version of Grindr for too long. Stay safe!
Yes, but they have been forcing the old version apps to update with a pop up dialog with no 'cancel' option. Unless you do it, it locks your app offline.
We weren't aware of this, but it does make sense that Grindr would opt to do this for security reasons. Hackers won't be able to take advantage of weaknesses of the system this way. Thank you for sharing!
Where to find a lower version of the app, as far as I know if you try to install the app always will be the recent one. Is there a database where with an emulator we can have access to an old version?
There are several ways to downgrade an app. You can uninstall updates in your settings, or you could use an APK, meaning you download a file containing an older version of the app from the internet and install that on your device. You can usually find these APKs by googling, but do make sure you download these files from a trustworthy website. A good start would be APKmirror.
Any news about how to fake gps-location on grindr? Please, help us to write it into the comments. We need to know how to change the gps-location after the terrible new grindr update late december.
Yes, we're currently researching the matter and have found a way in which location spoofing is still possible. The article is updated with this information and a step-by-step guide to make it work. By downloading an Android emulator on your computer and using Grindr and the location spoofer on that, you'll still be able to hide your location. We understand that this isn't an ideal solution, as it doesn't allow you to use Grindr safely on your phone, but are working on finding other ways to make this work and will update again as soon as we know more. In the meantime, we hope this'll help! Stay safe!
Hi guys, I found a workaround on xdadevelopers, which is a forum of android developers. The workaround only works if you are rooted (with Magisk) and you need just to install smalipatcher (via a tutorial on xdatutorial) and then your mock location apps will come back to work. I personally tried it and it works fine. If you really need to hide your location I suggest you to root, otherwise don't do it if you don't need it and you don't get anything about IT lol. :)
Looks useful indeed! It does require a bit of technical know-how, so we agree with your suggestion. Grindr users who really need to hide their location (and won't be able to use the Bluestacks workaround as described in the article) could try to use Smalipatcher, but anyone who doesn't feel as comfortable with technology would probably be better off trying something else. Thank you for your suggestion!
Some very good advice, but I think since the latest Grindr update, faking your location is no longer working, I used to use fake GPS with Grindr but now Grindr will not refresh if there is an active mock location. If anyone knows a solution to this please post here.
It has indeed come to our attention that the spoofing-app no longer works with Grindr. We're looking into it and will update with new information as soon as possible. For now, it has been suggested that using BlueStacks on your computer and going on Grindr through that might enable you to use a spoofing app still. However, we haven't tested this out ourselves yet so can't guarantee that it will work.
Grindr is dead. The location spoofier doesn't work anymore on Android. I bought an Android phone just to use Grindr, but now it don't work. I normally use a nearby location, I never use my real location nor give my address. I meet guys outside then bring them in. But now the fake GPS or VPN doesn't work anymore and I sent my location to one person and it sent my full address to him like my door number, name of my building, and full post code, which I wasn't happy about.
You're right. The latest update for Grindr has made it much harder to spoof your location. We understand that you'd rather be able to do this to protect your privacy and keep yourself safe. For now, we'd suggest being really careful with sending your location to anyone. We're looking into new ways to protect your online privacy on Grindr and will update our article accordingly as soon as possible.
No one app of fake GPS location is sported on Grindr's new app. Tell which 1 is sported to change the location for Grindr. Asad here.
Hello Asad,
Spoofing your location on Grindr has indeed become harder since their last update. We'll look into safe ways to use the app without revealing your location as soon as possible. One solution that might help you for now (but we haven't tested this yet, so we can't guarantee it will work!) is to use the app via BlueStacks on your computer. Once we know more, we'll update our article accordingly.
Doesn't work anymore on BlueStacks neither NoxPlayer as far as my tests. I used both emulators. I also use a VPN, and nothing works. Further more, they banned me from opening a fresh account from my mobile, as I am not allow to create new account.
In my opinion people on Grindr are trying to make the app safer but it's come at a cost of the people who want to keep their privacy like us. Let's hope for the best, that Grindr realises it needs to do more and make an update where we can still use that platform without compromising our location.
We absolutely agree. Grindr very likely is trying to ensure that all accounts on the app are genuine. However, in their attempt to get rid of scammers, they're compromising the safety and privacy of users who don't wish to share their location. We hope they find a better solution soon.
As for BlueStacks, this method of changing your GPS location appears to be working fine for us, even with the newest Grindr update. Could you let us know what exact problems you come across? Are you receiving an error of some kind?
I put a fake location by mistake in North Korea and my account is blocked now. What should I do to recover it?
Does it help to change that fake location and set it to the USA, for example? If you do this, you should be able to access the app again. If your account remains blocked, you might have to contact their customer support in order to recover it.
Not only do they now restrict your usage of spoofing apps, they also ban your phone and account once they find. What a big joke this app has become.
We've contacted Grindr to ask about these recent developments, but have yet to receive a reply. Once we know more, we'll let you know and update the article accordingly!
This is great article and resource. Thank you. Do you know how one might delete messages, etc. using the Bluestack Grindr? Some of these photos we get... Thank you!
You can delete an entire chat by clicking on a conversation in your inbox and holding the cursor down for longer than usual. Then click the trash can in the top right corner and then 'delete'. You can only delete your own photos by going to your personal 'My photos' section by clicking on a picture and holding it - just like with the conversation, you'll now be able to delete it. I don't think there's a way to delete someone else's specific messages from a conversation, although if someone is making you uncomfortable on a dating app like Grindr, I'd advise you to just delete that complete conversation regardless. Hope this helps!
Spoofing with an app on my Android tablet has worked well for me for several years. However, a couple of days ago I did a factory reset of my tablet. When I reinstalled everything, absolutely none of the spoofing apps worked with Grindr.
When I use any of the GPS spoofing apps, Grindr refuses to Let me refresh the page. I cannot load anything. The spoofing app works fine in nearly every other program. For example, if I load up Google apps, it sees me at my fake location. Grindr on the other hand will no longer work.
Interestingly, I tried a different device ( without factory resetting it) and had no problems.
Are you aware of any new limitations being put on the software or limitations specifically with tablets?
For very personal reasons, that you mentioned above in your article, it was absolutely necessary that I mask my location. Being able to do so allowed me to use Grindr.
I hope you can offer some insight :-)
We've gotten some more comments like this lately. It indeed seems like a recent Grindr update makes users unable to use a GPS spoofing app during online dating. As you mention, it's very important for some users to mask their location, so we'll definitely look into this and update our article accordingly as soon as possible. In the meantime, please take care while using Grindr.