I'd argue the opposite, they absolutely need a web client, as Grindr (and Scruff) are getting their lunch eaten by a new Seattle-based competitor that has no app store presence and fully embraces the freedoms that come with that, and is cheaper to boot.
Maybe I should do a write up about my experience getting IPs, hashed passwords and even moderation action notes blasted at me.
For some more details, they use a websocket for basically all interactions on the app, such as messages, online status, etc. They were blasting internal data into that websocket for some cases, which included IPs, Hashed and salted passwords, the salts for said passwords, user reports, private photos, emails... and a lot more such as ISP, user agent and verification codes.
Less apps going through the app store ecosystem means 30% lower rents if you can divorce the app store billing, which is better for the company.
I imagine a future where the webapp installs a PWA to mitigate the rent-seeking app stores. But I am sure the app stores would insert a clause preventing a "lite" version of PWA's to be installed.
Of course don’t share what you wouldn’t want copied. However, the false sense of security they communicate to the average non-technical user about their ‘privacy’ features like disappearing photos and locked albums is quite disingenuous and harmful.