Delete Gribder and Re Installing Gives Chats Back

Based on my own experiences as well as topics I see users are searching for when coming across my blog I decided to start an unofficial FAQ for Grindr. I hope it's helpful to some people.


How do I stay safe when on Grindr?
It comes down to this: a degree of mutual trust. You must trust the person you are meeting and the other way round. Still, there are things you can do to protect yourself. See my Top Tips for Staying Safe here!

I can't access Grindr and get an error message "Please check your connection settings and try again"

First, check:
1) are you actually online and connected to the internet?
2) are you using the latest version of the app? If not, updating it may help. Updating to the newest version seems to fix most issues!

The reason you get this error message is because there has been an error in communication between your Grindr app, and their servers. Sometimes it seems to be caused by the Internet connection you are on blocking Grindr, and sometimes it's a technical issue with the Grindr servers. They seem to have had lots of issues with this lately and have pushed out many updates. Their latest version seems to be good on my Android phone.

Simple test if your Internet provider is blocking:
If you are on data change to an open wifi, if on wifi change to data. Then open Grindr a nd pull down to refresh the cascade/grid. If that works - no error message - then switch back your connection and try again. If you then get an error message it means your provider is blocking the Grindr app.
Note: One version I had seemed to have an issue where I got an error message - I then turned off wifi and went on data - refreshed grid - then went back to wifi and it worked. This bug seems to now have been fixed.

You can check for new versions of the Grindr app by going to your profile --> Settings, then tap "Check for updates"

Usually when you get this message it's because your cell/mobile provider blocks the connection from the Grindr app on your phone to the Grindr servers. Grindr is usually classed as an "adult" service/site and is therefore often blocked by default. Since Grindr is so well known it is usually included in the "adult filter" of a provider. While you may find other apps like Romeo, Hornet etc still work because they are less common and not in the providers adults only list. You can often contact your provider to get them to remove/lift the block for adult sites from your phone. Some providers even allow you to turn off the adult content filter yourself from their self-service website.
It may also be that you are using an old version of the Grindr app. Older versions had a lot of issues connecting to the Grindr servers; most of which now seem to be fixed. Therefore, try updating to the very newest version.

In the background the app connects to multiple endpoints on different ports (see reverse engineered API here). Providers will block in different ways, some may block all traffic to *.grindr.com and others may allow *.grindr.com but disallow *.grindr.mobi which is used by the app only.

What happens when you block someone on Grindr?

• The chat and chat history in your inbox disappears for you and the blocked user
• The blocked user disappears in the grid for you and the blocked user
• You can no longer contact or view the blocked user
• The blocked user disappears from your favorites (if you had made them a favorite)

What happens when you unblock someone on Grindr?

• The blocked user becomes visible again and the blocked user will see your profile in the grid (it takes a few minutes until the user shows up again in the grid)
• The chat history is lost. Any chats you had with the blocked user are deleted when you block them and not recovered when you unblock.

What happens if someone blocks me?

• You will no longer see the users profile in the grid

• The chat disappears from your inbox

• If you are messaging from your inbox and the user blocks you, you will get an error message saying the profile is not available

• The only indication that you have been blocked is that the users profile is no longer visible/accessible from your profile, and if you go into your inbox you will also see that the chat with that user has now disappeared

Does deleting the Grindr app also take me off it?
No! Just deleting the app on your phone will not remove your profile from Grindr. Your profile is stored in the Grindr systems and not on your phone. You have to remove your profile from the Grindr app. To remove your profile see here.

Can you use Grindr offline?
No - you have to have a live connection to the internet to use Grindr.

What does it mean when it says a user is "offline"?
This means the user has not opened/used the app for the past 12 hours.

I lost all my chats on Grindr. Why?
You probably deleted the app from your phone. This will delete your chat history. To keep your chat history, set your Grindr to periodically back up your chats to the cloud. Then, when you re-install the app you can get all your chats back from the cloud backup.

Do I have to be 18 to use Grindr?
Yes. If you are under 18 your profile will likely be deleted pretty quickly. This is to protect both you, and other users.

A guy lied about his age on the app and he was under 18. What do I do?
You can report him through the app. His profile will then be deactivated and the email address associated with the account banned.

Before you report - and maybe also block him - you should think about what you said to him and if you sent nudes of yourself. In some countries sending a nude to someone under 18 is not legal, even though being gay is. My advice:

1) Delete any photos from him
2) If he explicitly said he was 18 when you asked, screenshot that part of the conversation and keep safe
3) If he approached you rather than the other way round, screen shot that part as well
4) Screen shot his profile, stating he is 18

In some countries you could carry on with the conversation with someone who is under 18 but you are entering a legal minefield and it's at your own peril. The rule of thumb is that as long as they are over the age of consent in your country and homosexuality is legal you are probably alright as far as the law is concerned. However, there are more things to consider - for example he could at any point in time "expose" you or threaten to go public or tell your family or employer. Not a nice position to be in. Also if you are in a position of authority such as a teacher, politician, high profile businessman - you may still get into legal trouble since in many countries abusing your position of trust/authority with someone under 18 would still be a criminal offense.

I discovered my husband/partner/boyfriend is on Grindr - what do I do?
Ouch. Opinions differ on this one. Should you just keep quiet and observe, or confront him? You should ask yourself this question: Why is he on there in the first place? Perhaps it is best to confront him. Or just observe for a while? Make a fake profile, chat him up and see what he says? The options are many and I don't think there is a right answer.

There could be a number of reasons for someone to use Grindr and they may not always be what you think. For example, there are guys who are purely looking for transgender women and are "not interested in guys". Then there are "men who have sex with men"; men who are curious about having sex with another man but do not seem themselves as gay - and some are clearly not but enjoy the pure raw sexual relations between two men but do not have any romantic relations or feelings. Therefore, it is easy to jump to conclusions. The only conclusion you can make is that he is seeking something different from what he gets from you. Dr Joe Kort has an excellent TikTok page on Men who have Sex with Men.

Leave a comment below to say what you think is best to do in this situation!

Also: If your boyfriend/partner/husband is on Grindr it's likely he has had sex with other people. You don't know if they had protected sex or not. For your own sake, get yourself tested. Now.

Is Grindr popular everywhere?
Actually, no. In some countries you will find there are hardly any users at all. To check, use the "Explore" function to check out guys in other areas and countries. Note Explore may show no users when in fact there are many. Example: Do an explore search for Kigali, Rwanda - no users found. Then use fake GPS and set your fake location to Kigali - and presto you will see many users. So, Explore search is not always a reliable indicator.

Can you fake your location on Grindr?
On Android, yes. It is almost impossible to do on iOS (iPhone) but very easy on Android. It is unclear if Grindr have some sort of mechanism that automatically catches people who do. If you want to explore guys far away from you, tap the Explore "rocket" icon top right.

Grindr displays users in a grid or "cascade", with the closest to you on the top left. Even if you do not show your distance to other users its still pretty easy to figure out how close a user is by looking at the users next to them in the grid. Be careful.

Can someone find out where I am if I am on Grindr?
Not precisely but they can get pretty close. They may be able to narrow down your location to a small "quadrant" on the map and it's surprisingly easy to do. For example, that you are likely to be inside a large mall. Grindr has been criticized for not doing enough to hide user locations. You can turn off showing your distance to other users - go to Settings and select "Show My Distance".

How much of my personal information is shared with others?
On the app its up to you how much to share with other users. My advice:
- Do not share your HIV status
- Do not link to Twitter or Instagram (especially if those display your real name!)
- Turn off "Show me in Explore searches" and "Show my distance".

What does the green dot next to the user mean?
It simply signifies that the user is online and active. Note that users may still be on their phone, and receive a notification when you send a message. Once they have not been active on the app for a while they will drop off the grid.

Can you see if someone has read my message?
Not unless you pay for a subscription to Xtra or Unlimited.

Can I see who blocked me?
Nope. Sorry. There is no way.

Is Grindr just for gay people?

Users on Grindr are mostly men who are looking to meet other men. Grindr allows you to specify your "gender identity" such as man, cis man, trans man, trans woman, crossdresser etc. on your profile. However you can't filter for these so you can't specifically look for a specific gender you will have to check out each users profile - but mostly it's clear from the users profile pic!

Can my Grindr profile be seen anywhere on the internet after I delete it?

Your profile is not deleted just because you delete the app. You must actively delete your profile from within the app, then delete it from your phone. Grindr profiles aren't indexed by search engines like web pages are so no one will be able to search for your profile and find it after it's been deleted. The only way to look for profiles is on the app itself and if your profile has been deleted, well it's gone forever. Keep in mind though that someone may have screenshotted your profile or taken a screenshot of any photos you sent and you can't protect yourself against that. These screen shots may be circulating on the internet. Always send expiring photos!

When I tap "Explore" and look at users outside of my area, do I appear in the regions I am exploring?

No, you will not appear in the grid of users in whatever location you have selected.

Delete Gribder and Re Installing Gives Chats Back

Source: https://mylifeongrindr.blogspot.com/2019/09/unofficial-grindr-faq.html

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