Grindr have added HIV testing reminders to its service (Image: Flickr)
Gay dating app Grindr has is sending alerts to users reminding them to get tested for HIV.
The app added new features in 2016, beginning with new HIV status and ‘last test date’ fields to users profiles.
Now the app will send alerts to its users, of which there are around 3.6million daily users.
Grindr’s HIV testing reminders are opt-in
The new opt-in updates will remind users of their last test date, either 3 months or 6 months ago
The new function will also give help and guidance on nearby testing facilities
Grindr says it wishes to ‘reduce HIV transmission and support our whole community—regardless of HIV status—in living long and fulfilling lives’.
Jack Harrison-Quintana, Grindr’s director of equality said most men won’t download health-oriented apps that make them feel shamed.
‘We tried to make it feel inviting,’ he said, and opted for a ‘friendly, generally light color instead of a Red Cross that made people think about health,’ he told the New York Times.
Free advertising for testing facilities and LGBT community centers
The app is also offering free advertising to health clinics and LBGT community centres as part of an initiative.
According to reports, the free adverts, aimed at promoting awareness around sexual health, the have started rolling out in select areas such as Allentown, Pennsylvania.
‘With free ads for our services running on Grindr, we’ve been able to target users in our community and raise awareness for our center and HIV testing services,’ said Adrian Shanker of Allentown’s Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center to New Now Next.
(Image: Grindr)
‘We have seen a dramatic increase in use of our HIV testing site over the last two years, particularly in people that have never been tested before.’
‘[Without Grindr] we wouldn’t be able to do this work around prevention and awareness or reach those most in need.’
Gay Star News has reached out to Grindr for further comment.
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