Grindr is limiting location services at the Olympics to protect LGBTQ+ athletes

People searching for romantic connections with Olympic athletes might encounter difficulties this year as Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app, has disabled certain location-sharing features. The app’s ‘Explore’ feature is unavailable at the Olympic Village in Paris, preventing users from changing their location and viewing profiles. Grindr justified this decision by stating that athletes who are not out or belong to countries with strict LGBTQ+ laws could be at risk of being exposed or harassed. The app can still be used within the Village, albeit with limited location services. Approximately 155 LGBTQ+ athletes are attending the Olympics in Paris. Grindr is implementing other changes at the Olympic Village to ensure athletes can connect without revealing their whereabouts. These changes include adjusting profile settings to hide the distance between users and allowing unlimited disappearing or unsend messages for free. Grindr has temporarily disabled sending private videos and disabling screenshots within the designated radius. The company made similar restrictions during previous games. Grindr aims to transform its reputation as a hook-up app and has recently unveiled plans for growth, introducing new tools to facilitate long-term relationships and in-person events. The stock has seen a notable increase of over 30% this year.