Category: Social Discovery

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SmackSocial Aiming to Be the Anti-FOMO App

A new social Discovery platform called SmackSocial has publicly launched this month. The idea behind the app is to make social meet ups and activities easier and seamless to organise for friends. 

Co-founder of the app Whitney Graham described how organising a social activity across multiple different apps was a frustrating experience. The idea behind SmackSocial is that everyone gets the information about the hangout, even if they are not on the app – and puts them in a group chat that disappears once it is over. So there is no need for the mundane admin of leaving or archiving multiple group chats.

The app started as a Birmingham Young University master’s project but has evolved into the business and app launched this month. Alongside fellow alumni Kent Broadbent, the app has won a number of pitching competitions and has raised funding in the six figures. Whitney Graham said:

“Depression rates for Gen Z are through the roof, and people are struggling to connect in person. I’m hoping the app can help people reconnect, and that we’ll see greater diversity and inclusion in friend groups. Users now have the tools to cross over and combine their groups in an organic way.”

She goes on to describe more as a social coordination app – one that helps ensure plans between friends come off, and that friendship groups can be integrated with other friendship groups for activities more seamlessly. The app hopes to help friends avoid that FOMO feeling and make sure they are at every meet-up. 

The app is available now on the App store and already has over 500 downloads in the Google Play store. It’s a free to download app, but does offer in-app purchase for specific types of post and boost to your posts for social events.

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Socially – New App For Building Social Connections Launches in UK

A new social discovery app, aptly named, Socially, is launching next month in October across the UK. It rejects endless profile scrolling and tedious messaging, and instead embraces AI and the power of real meetups. Socially is available on both the App store and Google Play and free to use. It hopes to help fast track social connections beneficial to people’s health. 

Socially is activating its initial launch in the UK and specifically in the town of Brighton. It’s a common approach taken by social discovery apps to focus marketing efforts and reach in a single area. This helps build up a user base and a proof of concept. The expansion of the app can then be managed. It’s no good signing up 10,000 members, if those 10,000 members are not actually near each other for meet-ups. 

Socially will focus on organising both in-real-life and virtual hangouts for small groups. It limits organised activities to a max of five people, to try and hit that sweet spot where meaningful connections can be created in every event planned on the app. Users are advertised events and activities, not people, on the app. The real getting to know someone can be done in person at a shared interest – rather than judging someone’s ability to write an engaging profile page. 

Darren Newman, Co-founder and CEO of Socially, who spoke at last week’s Social Discovery Insights inaugural conference, highlighted the importance of apps that nurture and foster social connections. He said:

“It just takes so long to make new friends these days! I wanted to create an app that replicated that experience of building social connections and friendships through the participation of mutual interests but that expedited it. Where everyone is there to widen their social circle through the enjoyment of mutual interests and where there’s no fear of rejection or embarrassment.”

An app like Socially can take the awkwardness and ambiguity out of a situation. There’s no umming and erring if the person you have met is interested in making friends when you find each other on Socially, as opposed to when you have made friendly passing conversation at the gym, or at a gig with a person. The app also makes use of AI technology to reduce the barriers and awkwardness of setting up an event. AI will help auto generate a description for the event you want to set up. You can then of course edit to perfect it, but the initial work of getting something down is relieved. 

Additionally – the app will have a dedicated student pathway, to help university students connect with each other on their own campus or further afield. 

Socially can be downloaded for free on both the App store and Google Play Store.

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Social Discovery Conference 2023 – Photos Out Now!

We are pleased to release the photos taken at the first-ever Social Discovery conference!

Taking place in The Dilly hotel on Friday 15th September, GDI was joined by many exceptional speakers, including Social Discovery Group, gofrendly, Unlikeany, Djungo, Geek Meet Club, and more!

Taking place in The Dilly hotel on Friday 15th September, GDI was joined by many exceptional speakers, including Social Discovery Group, gofrendly, Unlikeany, Djungo, Geek Meet Club, and more!

A selection of photos can be found below, with all photos found on our Facebook Page.

It was a really insightful event and we were so happy to kick-off our new focus on the Social Discovery industry.

Please keep your eyes on the GDI website and social pages for more updates about the Social Discovery industry.

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CrimsonZip Tackles Fitness and Loneliness at Harvard

CrimsonZip is a new mobile application for the university community at Harvard. It’s a social discovery app that combines exercise and social connections. Whether it is an intense work-out, an intro session to a new sport, or just a casual study break walk, the app is trying to encourage users to improve both their physical and mental health.


The app is rolling out this fall and currently aimed at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard College. The app will allow users to create and sign-up for a range of physical activities. More important than the activities themselves are who you do them with. That’s key to the psychology behind the app. It is hoped that by creating social connections, it will encourage the uptake and maintenance of healthy habits.


Richard Lee, professor of medicine and stem cell and regenerative biology, and co chair of the CrimsonZip program said:

“We’re not looking to turn everyone into long-distance runners, but if we can get 10 percent to 20 percent more activity from people — and then they stick with it — the implications for their lives will be substantial.”

Fostering social connections are just as important to living healthy lives as keeping active and physical. The app is rolling out at Harvard, but the minds behind it have their sights set on loftier goals, and will be making the software publicly available to be adopted elsewhere. Much like Facebook started in Harvard and spread, many social apps take this campus-like approach.

It’s by no means the first app targeted at combining physical and social activity. Apps like Strava, Stridekick, Stepbet, and Squaddy mix social aspects and the work-out world already. Apps that focus on a specific communities however that encourage a range of different levels of physical activity are potentially powerful and exciting. It could encourage those who would not normally, to get involved in the physical and mental benefits of exercise and friendship.

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Americans Rate Friendship as More Important Than Marriage

A new study by the Pew Research Centre has shown that the Americans are much more likely to rate friendship as a key factor to a fulfilling life than marriage. In fact, marriage was rated the least important of the factors participants were quizzed on. It’s another display of why friend finding apps have the potential to make huge impacts on millions of lives.

The survey looked at American attitudes to family units and lives. It surveyed more than 5,000 US adults in 2023, using the centre’s representative American Trends Panel. When it came to what Americans considered most important in living fulfilling lives, it is someone’s job that actually came out as the most important. Some 71 per cent believed job’s were a key factor in life fulfilment. That was closely followed by 61 per cent rating friendship as hugely important. Whereas the factors such as ‘having lots of money’, ‘being married’ and ‘having children’ all scored much lower on the survey. They all were all between 20 and 30 per cent.

Clearly what people do for a living is considered important by Americans, but not how much they make, job satisfaction is rated higher. And again – relationships are viewed as important – but from a holistic standpoint: it’s not just about that one deep romantic connection. It can often feel like our society puts a lot of pressure on how much money people make and if they are single or not. These results would suggest that people are wise to the fact that those two factors are not the be all and end all. 

We’ve seen countless reports since the pandemic really brought loneliness to light, about the positive impact friendship and community can bring to people’s lives. The positive impact became crystal clear when the pandemic took it away from us. That’s why social discovery apps and friendship finding apps have a very healthy future. We all need friends to live fulfilling lives, and technology that can help us find them and communities have huge potential.

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‘Find My’ Apple Service Gets a Boost on New iPhone 15

‘Find My’ services are getting a new boost in the iPhone 15 and latest apple product. As usual, each update brings a suite of changes, some more useful than others. Perhaps of the biggest interest in the world of social discovery, is the boost new technology will make to the Find My’ services on the app.

The new iPhone boasts improved voice prioritisation, a number of satellite call options for safety, and perhaps biggest news of all, is its line up of devices is changing to usb-c adapters. However, it is the implementation of a second generation ultra-widebend chip that could make the biggest difference to developers of social discovery apps. 

The chip is what allows the Find My services to work, by allowing iPhones to identify other devices with the same chip. The range on this has been increased by 3 times with the implementation of the new chip. More relevant than increased range however, is the precision of the new chip. It can be much more accurate now in pinpointing precise locations. Whereas before the app might have helped you find that your friend was in the the same crowded square as you – now ‘Find My’ services will lead you directly to them within the crowd. 

We have reported in the past how what was originally a safety feature, has become a social game and network for a new generation of people. Knowing where there friends are is a comfort and handy in terms of knowing whether it’s worth contacting them to talk, or if dropping in and saying hello would be easy. 

Location is a huge part of a lot of social discovery apps, naturally, as they try to connect people with one another. It will be interesting to see how this improved technology will be utilised to further improve and enhance, or spark new social discovery ideas and concepts.

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New Slingshot Sharing App For Candid Photos

Slingshot is a new photo sharing app that allows friends to send the most candid and real photos to each other instantly. It joins the host of photo sharing apps that are aimed at letting friends be authentic and not over-produced with their messages to each other.

So how does the app work? There is a short onboarding process that uses your phone’s contacts to create a potential list of friends. Then to send images, you swipe down to reveal the camera, and as soon as you release, the snap is taken and your image is flung pff.

You truly have to capture the moment, no editing, no retakes or second tries. In one action your image is taken and sent. You can set a slingshot beforehand to go to all your contacts or setup slingshots for one specific friend.

Slingshots back from your friends arrive as little bubbles (circles) on your homepage on the app. You can then tap them to view them for a few seconds. 

The app is the brainchild of Tommy Searle, who has worked on a number of startups, previously raising more than $750,000 for an app called Wellnest. However, Searle has his eyes set on a more consumer facing and social product. He said he now wants to focus on apps that “are social and that connect us in new ways or present new mediums to connect on our phones.”

The app is currently available on the app store, and pending its popularity, will make its way to android. It’s free to use as it currently stands, but has the potential for a freemium model in the future.

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TikTok Aims To Keep Users on App Through Improved Social Options

TikTok is an app that at its core serves up viral entertainment. It’s not the palace you go to check in on what your real life friends are up to. New job listings by the company suggest however that they would like to change that a little bit. Job listings for a Product Manager and Social Interaction engineers give a hint that the social media giant is attempting to up its social game for users. 

The app does have DM capabilities but they are currently quite limited in terms of functionality. It’s much more likely that when you find a TikTok that is interesting or funny, users leave the platform to share it with their friends on Whatsapp or whatever social messaging platform they favour. The role of the new Product Manager at TikTok however is to: “to expand the boundaries of TikTok by encouraging building meaningful social connections between users.” The listings for engineer roles would suggest that in-app messaging is a big component of that.

TikTok is in the process of adding more shopping features on the app too. This will allow users to make purchases on products advertised in posts directly through the app. This is a big component of why the company might be looking to improve social interaction between friends and potential friends on the app. The key is to increase the time spent in the app, and therefore increase the chances of features like shopping to be used. 

TikTok wants its app to be able to provide all users need in one space, rather than users who flip back and forth from the app. Improving social discovery options is certainly one way this could look to be achieved, and something we are seeing other large social networks trend towards. Take Instagram’s increased focus on close friends in recent updates for example.

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Snapchat Improves Security of Social Discovery for Teens

In a range of updates aimed at improving security on Snapchat for teens, the app has limited who can be added as a new friend. The goal is to ensure that when new recommended friends are pushed at teens, they are actually friends, family or reputable people to add to their social media platform.

Snapchat, along with other social media networks, is on a crusade to improve security on its platforms, specifically for younger users who could be the target of manipulative, catfishing and extortionate behaviour. This year it has already bought in more parental controls that can help parents monitor who their child is communicating with on the app. But a new host of updates this month increases security further.

As mentioned, new recommended friends on the app are being tightened up. Someone will only be suggested to teens now if they are already friends with multiple other mutual contacts, rather than just one. The hope is to limit the app to people teens actually know in real life more strongly. 

Snapchat said:

“As a messaging platform for real friends, our goal is to help Snapchatters communicate with people that matter to them and to ensure that the content they view on our app is informative, fun, and age-appropriate.”

Alongside this change, snapchat is introducing a stricter strike system for those reported to be sharing age-inappropriate content. The app is also attempting to up its education, of both teens and their parents. There is a new series on YouTube for parents and teens produced by the app. And new in-app content delivered straight to teens will educate them on safety tips, and ways of spotting potentially dangerous behaviour from other users.

Finding friends online is a perfectly natural thing for the younger generation, even if the idea is newer to older people. Why not use the technology at our fingertips to socialise. However, it needs to be safe, it needs to be done with teens eyes fully wide open, that not everyone online they meet or get recommended to be friends with, is an appropriate contact. Limiting who gets offered and improving education on the issues is a wise step forward.

In a range of updates aimed at improving security on Snapchat for teens, the app has limited who can be added as a new friend. The goal is to ensure that when new recommended friends are pushed at teens, they are actually friends, family or reputable people to add to their social media platform.

Snapchat, along with other social media networks, is on a crusade to improve security on its platforms, specifically for younger users who could be the target of manipulative, catfishing and extortionate behaviour. This year it has already bought in more parental controls that can help parents monitor who their child is communicating with on the app. But a new host of updates this month increases security further.

As mentioned, new recommended friends on the app are being tightened up. Someone will only be suggested to teens now if they are already friends with multiple other mutual contacts, rather than just one. The hope is to limit the app to people teens actually know in real life more strongly. 

Snapchat said:

“As a messaging platform for real friends, our goal is to help Snapchatters communicate with people that matter to them and to ensure that the content they view on our app is informative, fun, and age-appropriate.”

Alongside this change, snapchat is introducing a stricter strike system for those reported to be sharing age-inappropriate content. The app is also attempting to up its education, of both teens and their parents. There is a new series on YouTube for parents and teens produced by the app. And new in-app content delivered straight to teens will educate them on safety tips, and ways of spotting potentially dangerous behaviour from other users.

Finding friends online is a perfectly natural thing for the younger generation, even if the idea is newer to older people. Why not use the technology at our fingertips to socialise. However, it needs to be safe, it needs to be done with teens eyes fully wide open, that not everyone online they meet or get recommended to be friends with, is an appropriate contact. Limiting who gets offered and improving education on the issues is a wise step forward.  

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New ‘Moments’ App Helps Manage Personal And Professional Social Life

Moments is a new app that aims to be your Personal Relationship Manager. Social networks can give a facade that you are keeping up with friends and contacts, the app creator claims. Moments aim is to make sure you actually are checking in and having meaningful connections with your friends, family, and even professional relationships. 

Moments is currently available on the app store, and sure to come to google play soon. It’s the brainchild of developer Robert Keus, and iterates on a previous app of his. Scheduled is an app that lets you schedule in texts to send at a later date. You could schedule a birthday message for example. Moments just take that idea to the nth degree. You can put as many contacts as you would like in the app, organise them into groups, give them different levels of priority, and the app will help you keep track of when you last checked in on them or communicated. 

Push notifications will be sent to your phone when it’s time to check in again, depending on the level of importance you assigned to the contact. The other key idea of the app is to also use AI to help you improve what you send to keep in touch. It will help draft your message or offer little courses on how to improve your messages and interactions.

The app runs a freemium model that lets you have 20 contacts and access to its courses. It’s then $3,99 a month for access to more contacts, and discounted prices available for longer term subscriptions. 

The trend continues in the world of apps, away from tools that help you reach out and communicate with the whole world, towards apps that help you make or maintain smaller circles of meaningful connections. Apps like Moments, are endeavouring to help ensure the relationships you do have, are maintained and beneficial to both you and your connections.