| Blendr | |
| Developer: | Blendr LLC |
| Discontinued: | yes |
| Ver Layout: | stacked |
| Operating System: | iOS, Android |
| Size: | Android: 28.21 MB iOS: 166MB |
| Genre: | Online Dating |
Blendr was an online dating application based on geosocial networking for Android, iOS and Facebook. It is designed to connect like-minded people near to each other. It was created by Joel Simkhai and patterned after his previous app Grindr which is instead aimed at gay men. Blendr claims to be "powered by" Badoo[1] but largely appears to be the same service. As of 2022, it had 200 million users worldwide and requires users to be over the age of 18.[2]
On 31 October 2022, Blendr ceased activity in all territories worldwide. A statement on the Blendr website stated that all user data would be deleted by 30 November 2022 and the website would go offline from 7 December 2022.
The application combines GPS location sensing with a social networking framework, to provide users with the opportunity to meet people who are near to each other.[3] The application can also be used to communicate with people in real time about a location, such as getting information about the current status of a local restaurant,[4] or for determining whether a club currently holds people that the user might want to meet. Users must be over the age of 18.[5]
Users provide a photograph and basic information about their interests (though they are not required to give out their actual name or other personal details), and then are able to browse other people who are nearby to their present location. In order to protect the privacy of its users, the application only provides a rough estimate of the user's location, and also allows users to limit themselves to contact to people who meet their self-defined criteria.[6] Simkhai specifically designed Blendr to be less focused on casual sexual encounters than Grindr, intending it to be a tool for meeting new people who share common interests from business to hobbies and relationships of all types.[7] The company has strict rules forbidding the use of nudity, pictures or written descriptions of sexual acts, and racist statements or other hate speech.[8]
Blendr was available through the website, or for iOS devices through the iTunes app store and for Android through Google Play. As of September 2012, the application was free and supported by advertising, with a subscription option for increased functionality.
Blendr was announced to the press at SXSW on March 14, 2011, under the code name Project Amicus. The name "Blendr" was ultimately revealed when the app launched in the iTunes app store on September 8, 2011.[9]
Blendr released a statement that the service would cease activity in all territories worldwide on 31 October 2022, and all user data would be deleted by 30 November 2022.[10]