Blued (app)

Blued is currently the largest gay social network app in the world.[1] Launched in 2012, the free app now counts 40 million users with the majority still in its country of origin, China. The application is available on Android and iOS.[2] Its features include verified profiles, live broadcasting, a timeline, and group conversations. The app is currently valued at $600 million.[3]

Blued
Original author(s)Geng Le
Initial release2012 (2012)
Stable release
2.8.16 / March 14, 2019
Operating systemiOS and Android
Available inEnglish, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
TypeSocial network
WebsiteBlued.com

History

For 12 years, Geng Le (aka Ma Baoli), a married police officer in northern China, secretly ran Danlan.org, a website for gay people. In 2012, when his superiors discovered the website, Geng Le lost his family and job. Committed to the legitimisation of same-sex relationships in China, he created Blued, the first gay social network app.

Today, Blued employs over 200 staff at its headquarters in Beijing, China, and has recently opened new offices in London, UK, and India to overview the rapid expansion of the app overseas. Within 4 years, Blued has become the largest gay social network in the world with over 27 million registered users.[3][4]

Commenting on the global partnership between Blued and Hornet, Hornet president Sean Howell declared: “Gay apps have evolved over the past few years to more fully engage users, who demand a richer, mobile experience”.[5][6]

See also

References
  1. "Social app Blued's beta version has reached the UK". December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  2. "Blued - Official Website (EN)".
  3. Hernández, J.C. (December 16, 2016). "Building a Community, and an Empire, With a Gay Dating App in China". New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  4. "Blued - Official Website (CN)". Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  5. McCormick, Joseph Patrick (December 18, 2016). "Gay dating apps Hornet and Blued enter global partnership". Retrieved December 22, 2016 – via pinknews.co.uk.
  6. "Hornet and Blued, Enter Into First Global Cooperation". December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
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