Your media section allows you to view & edit the collection of pictures you have uploaded to Grindr to send to other people. These photos are private, and only visible to you (and to the people you've sent them to via chat). You can send as many photos as you like in a private chat. Here's what you can find in this article:
- Adding photos to media
- Sending photos
- Expiring photos (premium users only)
- Removing photos from media
- Related articles
- Screenshot Protection
Adding photos to media
- Select a user profile you'd like to send photos to.
- Select the camera icon - below the typing bar.
- Select the (+) icon.
- You can choose between adding already existing photos from your device OR taking a new photo.
- Before saving the photo to your gallery, you can adjust the photo (Rotate, Flip, and/or Crop).
- Select Next/Save.
Sending photos
- Select the profile of the user you're chatting to.
- Select the message icon.
- Select the camera icon - below the typing bar.
- Choose from the images you've saved in media - when you've chosen an image, the image will be highlighted.
- Select Send OR select the Timer to send as an Expiring Photo (more info below).
Premium Grindr users can send multiple photos at once, Free users can only send one at a time.
Expiring photos
Expiring photos are a great way to share more about yourself while retaining a degree of privacy. This feature allows XTRA and Unlimited users to send a photo to someone that will disappear after they've opened it. All Expiring photos can only be viewed once, and it's not possible to capture a screenshot of an Expiring photo. Once sent, an Expiring photo can be viewed for up to 10 seconds before becoming unavailable to the recipient.
Free Grindr users are allotted 1 Expiring photo per day, Grindr XTRA users are allotted 5 Expiring photos per day, and Grindr Unlimited users have an unlimited number of Expiring photos to send.
To send an Expiring photo:
- Select the photo or photos you want to send by tapping on it.
- Tap on the countdown button represented by a chronometer or watch.
- Tap Send Expiring.
To open an Expiring photo you've received, tap on the photo in your message inbox. Remember, it can only be viewed once!
Removing photos from media
You can always remove photos from your uploaded media. To do so:
- Select any message thread from your inbox.
- Select the camera icon, below the typing bar.
- Press and hold the photo you'd like to remove.
- Confirm by tapping on delete.
Screenshot Protection
As of January 5, 2026, Grindr has rolled out additional protections to help ensure that user photos cannot be captured via screenshots in the mobile experience.
On iOS, users who take a screenshot of a photo sent in chat (including the chat UI and photo gallery features) will see a blacked-out image after taking the screenshot.
On Android, users will be unable to take screenshots of photos sent in chat (including surfaces where photos are embedded).
Please note that bad actors can still use various techniques to capture images, and you should always exercise caution when sharing images with others. For best practices on establishing trust, see our article of the same name: Establishing Trust.