Apple App Store removes queer cruising app Sniffies

Apple's App Store has removed the app for Sniffies, a popular queer cruising platform — at least for now.

In a statement to Out, Sniffies cited "ongoing content restrictions" as the reason for the app's removal, which was described as temporary.

"We launched our first native iOS app in March, bringing Sniffies' real-time, location-based experience to a wider audience," the statement reads. "Due to ongoing content restrictions, the app has been temporarily removed from the App Store. For users who already have the app installed, it will continue to function normally. Our core web app remains fully operational and continues to offer the unfiltered Sniffies experience. We're committed to providing the best experience possible for our community and will share updates as we explore next steps."

Formerly a browser-only cruising platform, Sniffies officially launched an iOS version March 3. The platform shows explicit images. And it had hoped to avoid violating Apple’s content policies by blurring these photos (and explicit text) with a default "Safer Work Mode," which a user could toggle off by signing into their account through their web browser.

Launched in 2018, Sniffies is a hybrid of a chat room and a cruising map — and it's location-based, meaning a user can only see other users within a given radius. This map also pinpoints known cruising areas. (Queer dating apps like Grindr and Scruff use a grid where explicit images are not allowed as profile photos.)

In an earlier interview with Outtied to the app's launch, Eli Martin, the platform’s chief marketing officer, said Sniffies "wouldn’t have launched an iOS app if we couldn’t keep the magic of Sniffies intact. We had to figure out how to make it work without watering it down.”

“There’s this idea that if something is in the App Store, it’s more legitimate,” Martin added. “We knew we needed to meet users where they are without alienating the people who love Sniffies for being different.”

The Sniffies app is still usable by users who have already downloaded it.

The news of the app's removal comes in a moment of political scrutiny of dating, hookup, and adult film platforms — particularly in conservative states. In January, Sniffies shared a statement announcing that it was "advancing trust and safety with enhanced ID-based age verification and comprehensive safeguards." Its list of changes included requiring a government ID check and real-time facial verification.