Grindr to start sending HIV testing reminders to users

The app will start sending alerts to its 3.6 daily million users, reminding them to get tested for HIV and pointing them toward nearby testing facilities.

The reminders will be opt-in, and members can set them to appear every three or six months.

Starting this week the company will also offer free advertising to health clinics, LGBT+ community centers and other testing sites, as part of an effort “to reduce HIV transmission and support our whole community—regardless of HIV status—in living long and fulfilling lives”, said Jack Harrison-Quintana, Grindr’s director for equality.

Grindr has been testing the free ads in 15 underserved areas.

It’s estimated more than 107,000 gay/bisexual men in the U.S. have HIV but do not know it.

“All effective efforts to increase testing are welcome”, said Jonathan Mermin, chief of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases at the CDC.

The Gayly. March 27, 2018. 11:12 p.m. CST.