Will there ever be a Grindr for straight people?

Have you heard of Grindr? Of course you have.

If you have, I’m going to guess that you’re male and gay. Or curious at least. It’s a bit like harmless window shopping. But what about Grindr for straight people?

Grindr has been the go-to app for some time now for gay/bi/curious men looking to find like-minded individuals for, well, sex. Using GPS technology Grindr will pin down the men closest to you in a grid format, turning the dullest of evenings into a giggling session at the streams of profile pictures on offer. The app itself is easy to navigate and explore, with a welcoming grid of guys close by and the ability to tap and enlarge their photo to find out more: How far away he is, how long he’s been online, age and any other information on his profile. Previously users were limited with profile text, a bit like Twitter, but now you can write as little or as much as you like.

But do you think a Grindr for straight people would work? Is it only gay men that are easily tempted into a quickie behind their favourite bar after spotting someone whose Grindr says they’re 10 feet away? Because when Grindr says their exact distance, they mean it. And with all kinds of offers pouring in after signing up, it seems like the apps users are very active.

I spoke to a few friends of mine that are more than familiar with the app who claim it’s one of few ways to meet other gay men near them. Although, it does get a little too close for comfort when one approaches you on a night out. Or so I’ve been told. “Especially if you’re totally not interested in them or ignored their message,” my friend Sam tells me, explaining his own experience: “You can’t go anywhere without seeing someone you recognise from Grindr… Some guy came up to me once and said 'you’re Sam aren’t you? From Grindr' which was beyond weird. And he wasn’t even hot.”
 

So is there something about Grindr that only appeals to gay men, or could a Grindr for straight people work?

Firstly, no woman really wants to admit that they’re just looking for a quick fuck, do they? Especially given the time that's already spent fending off unwanted attention. So by joining up to an app that is knowingly the port of call for sex, they’d be admitting that was what they were looking for. Let’s take Tinder for example, its ‘dating’ intention blurs the lines of its obvious undertone, yet women are happy to use it, and sex is just a bonus. I’ve used Tinder and all I’ve been subject to is horny freshers nearby that think a topless photo (or even one of their dog/favourite car/latest nightclub group shot) makes it perfectly acceptable to message me about tickling my fallopian tube. (That actually happened. Charming, I know.)

Horny straight people looking for anonymous sex do exist, too!

Enter ‘Blendr’ – The answer for straight people looking for “friendship”, apparently. From my own experience, lesbians and gay men are far more open minded when it comes to sex, and aren’t afraid to say that they’re looking for it. So why can’t the heteros do this too? Blendr tried to become the answer to these problems, connecting people through their interests via an app. Really though? I’ve made more friendships through drunken conversations in the local kebab shop at 4am than I have through an iPhone app. Blendr’s intentions of addressing the differences between straight and gay dating culture is almost laughable. If they put it out there as an app openly looking for a shag, then that is what it would become and everyone using it would know where they stand.

Even so, Grindr will still remain a source of entertainment for even the straightest of daters.