Sniffies’ Users Worry About a ‘Straightification’ of the Gay Hookup App

Of each the cheery hookup apps Brennan Zubrick uses, Sniffies, a cruising app for men funny successful discreet sex-positive casual encounters with different men, is by acold his favorite. Some of the most fashionable kinks among members connected the level see edging, cum play, and BDSM. “I overwhelmingly similar the acquisition I get and the assemblage I tin access,” helium tells WIRED. But Zubrick, who is 40 and based successful Washington DC, has a atrocious feeling that could soon change.

Tinder and Hinge genitor institution Match Group announced connected Monday an concern of $100 cardinal into Sniffies. The woody gives Match Group a ample number stock and the prime to go the sole proprietor aboriginal on. The announcement has acceptable disconnected an aggravated firestorm of reactions from users who are second-guessing the absorption of the company, and the longterm sustainability of the app.

“Sniffies has agelong held its marketplace presumption arsenic the small guy, catering to a circumstantial conception of the cheery assemblage and is determination radical who mightiness not beryllium comfy with Grindr—where nary face-pic, no-chat civilization runs rampant—go to link with different like-minded radical successful a much nonstop and discreet way,” Zubrick tells WIRED.

“This concern is astir supporting that, not redefining it,” Sniffies laminitis and CEO Blake Gallagher said successful a statement, noting that the concern volition assistance the level absorption connected 3 cardinal areas users want: “stronger spot and safety, expansive web growth, and continued merchandise improvements.” According to the agreement, Match Group volition connection guidance connected the close roles, procedures, and tech to assistance the Sniffies physique connected its spot and information efforts.

But users aren’t buying what Gallagher is selling. The Instagram post announcing the quality was inundated with antagonistic reactions, arsenic users expressed interest implicit the strategical partnership. “Please don’t fto this beryllium the straightification of sniffies,” expressed one. “You sold out. Plain and simple. Where we moving to adjacent boys?” added Marc Sundstrom, a idiosyncratic successful Philadelphia. “Partnering with Match feels precise gentrified and straight. Highly acrophobic astir the app being allowed to beryllium what it is successful bid to tribunal investors,” wrote another. By Tuesday afternoon, comments connected the station had been unopen off.

Though it remains to beryllium seen however Gallagher volition presumption Sniffies successful the months ahead, already users are saying this marks the opening of the end for the app. “Straight radical shouldn’t adjacent cognize what Sniffies is for fuck sake,” 1 wrote successful the r/askgaybros subreddit. And contempt promises, immoderate accidental a large corp similar Match is not ethically aligned with the indie tone of Sniffies. On LinkedIn, the top comment nether Gallagher’s station questioned the existent intent down Match Group’s investment. “Interested to spot however ties to Palantir impact Sniffies’ growth. Hopefully this doesn’t go a surveillance application.”

Spencer Rascoff, who became CEO of Match Group successful 2025, antecedently served connected the committee of Palantir, the defence tech and information mining institution that has go a “technological backbone” of the Trump administration.

Sniffies maintains that it volition proceed to ain and power however its idiosyncratic information is stored, handled, and protected. According to the company, determination are nary changes planned to its information practices arsenic portion of the investment.

But the outrage underscores the value of platforms similar Sniffies, and what it would mean to a assemblage of radical who already consciousness similar they person truthful fewer prime options for seeking tendency online.

“It’s a messiness and evidently to beryllium expected. It’s decidedly an indicator of its accelerated rise, truthful nary shade, but we saw what happened with Grindr,” says Brad Allen, a 34-year-old lawsuit shaper and the creator down Club Quarantine who joined Sniffies successful 2023. “I truly americium pulling for them to someway navigate this otherwise since it’s indispensable to the cruising assemblage now. Hopefully the pop-up Candy Crush ads don’t airy up excessively overmuch successful the bushes.”