FriendApp

Hi. I'm Chuck Walter, founder of FriendApp. I got the idea for FriendApp after reading a book called Single on Purpose, which really opened my eyes to the importance of finding my tribe and doing more of what I enjoy. I spend a large amount of my time with my daughters. I had tried using dating apps after separating from a 12-year marriage, and it dawned on me how few friends I could name that I would actually chat with / or make plans to see. I would meet people at events, but never really follow up. I realized that while social media kept me entertained and engaged, the people I saw there weren't necessarily my close friends nor were they people that lived nearby. So I tried organizing all my contacts into a spreadsheet to better identify friends. The contacts app on iPhone hasn't been touched in ages, so I set out on a product that could be a better starting off point to more intentional communication and plan making. My favorite feature is actually just being able to sync my phone for recent contacts, so I can follow up with new people I've met. And I also keep a list of neighborhood friends and acquaintances so I can periodically revisit that. Often new people you meet need greater visibility so that you can remember to stay in touch, but with so many of us working remote, we need to sort of hack that repetition. A quick note on my background, I spent 15+ years leading digital products for Univision.com. I loved managing our online community products in particular, and seeing people connect and find others with similar interests. And I received so much joy seeing people who met online, later meeting up in the physical world. Back in the day, our products were used primarily from a computer. I think seeing people so glued to their phones, has made me recognize how much time is now spent away from nurturing local relationships. I want to create tech that will help bring us together so that we put away our phones for a bit. I truly hope that some people here will download FriendApp and begin using it for its intended purpose, to help shine a spotlight on the contacts you wish to nurture your relationships with. It's very easy for us to think about the people at the top of our feeds, but take a moment to reflect on all those amazing people you've met who aren't sharing their lives on social media. Do you have a good way to keep them top of mind? Thank you @eduardo_lopez_amaya @alejandra_delgado and @Carlos_Lopez23 for all your work on the product to get us to this stage. We still have a long road ahead and a large backlog of features to foster more intentional connection and real-life plan making. FYI. If you try the product, please note that contact names and phone numbers are stored encrypted. I welcome your thoughts and feedback as we try to enrich people's lives :)

Congrats on the launch! I absolutely LOVE what you're building. With everyone so dispersed, it's hard to stay connected!

Congrats on the launch Chuck! Been a pleasure to see the progress on the app

Looks nice. Congrats team

Great vision by the team, The idea of facilitating in person interactions through thoughtful curation and reminders is great. It addresses a lot the loneliness in our lives. We are so busy that having some helpful reminders to reach out, or do something in person with real people is a great tech hack for non-tech interactions. thanks team!

The idea of keeping helpful notes about interaction is a huge positive in a time where every app is all about simply keeping your attention. This is getting you to focus on being *thoughtful* towards others. I love that.

Pushing for you to win product of the day. Love this idea!