Apps To Help You Meet Your New BFF
One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to become more social. Making new friends after you're out of school (whether that's high school or college) can feel like a huge challenge for tons of people. You might hope to make friends with coworkers, but what if you end up at a job where no one is your age or shares similar interests with you? You could rely on friendships you had from your high school years, but what if you've decided to relocate or your friends have moved away?
Whatever the case may be, making friends as an adult is just as important as having solid friendships when you're younger. The good news is that there are several apps that have been specifically designed to cultivate friendships between people based on shared interests in music, hobbies, location, and more.
It's even possible to make friends with people who are on the same page with you about majorly life-changing subjects such as parenthood, pet ownership, and marriage. Science of People notes that having strong friendships is one of the more important indicators when measuring levels of success, health, and happiness. Better Up explains that 49% of American adults have reported only having three or fewer close friends in their lives. With this in mind, these are the best BFF apps to explore to make a difference in your own life.
Meetup
Meetup is a great way to create real connections with people who have similar interests and hobbies to you. It has been around for more than 20 years with millions of users logging in every day to organize their own events or join in with other people's fun plans. The purpose of Meetup is to reach new people who live locally in your area, arrange events based on shared interests, and continually expand your social circle.
RichardDally.com explains that there are numerous benefits that come along with Meetup. You could end up receiving inspiration for new ideas from the Meetup leader and other attendees who are present. If you are trying to learn new things about business and entrepreneurship, Meetup is a great way to network with others who already know the ropes in your industry. If you're solely looking for a new best friend, it's easier to become close to someone when you both already enjoy the same things.
Bumble BFF
There is so much more to Bumble than just dating at this point. Anyone who's looking for a new best friend can switch over to Bumble BFF mode in order to find genuine friendships, instead of romantic partners, casual hookups, or friends-with-benefits arrangements. Tech Times explains that despite the fact that Bumble is recognized primarily for its dating feature, it's still totally possible (even encouraged!) to use the friend feature to meet people on a platonic level.
In the same way that you would swipe left and right to match with potential romantic partners on the dating side, you can do the same to meet a friend. Bumble BFF allows you to analyze people based on their chosen photos, the answers to their prompt questions, and details about what they enjoy doing in their day-to-day life. It also lets you measure their distance so you can figure out how convenient it will be for you to hang out with these potential friends on a regular basis.
Yubo
If you've never heard of a friendship app called Yubo, you're not alone. But that doesn't mean it's too late to hop on board and figure out how to make friends using the brilliant social features that it offers. Yubo describes itself as a place where you can truly be yourself and feel empowered as an individual, creating a safe space where everyone belongs.
Pocket Lint notes that Yubo is one of the best apps designed to cultivate new friendships, since it's all about making real friends instead of gathering random followers. It also does everything in its power to push back against loneliness. Since Yubo is an app that promotes social interactions between users, it actually gives friendship a chance to flourish. Finding people who have shared passions and similar interests as you is easy to do on Yubo since you can explore tags while using the app. The creators of Yubo discourage people from posting through anonymous accounts to promote safety, honesty, and stress-free interactions.
Hey! Vina
The most comparable friend app to Bumble BFF is arguably Hey! Vina. The app describes itself as "tinder for (girl) friends!" In other words, it's similar to Bumble and Tinder in its configuration, as you get the chance to swipe through different profiles to see who you might get along with best. Along the way, you're given the chance to join community conversations, take quizzes, and read thought-provoking articles about how to live your best life.
The app is geared towards users who have recently relocated to new cities, love traveling, or are in dire need of a solid social circle in their local area. Rock Paper Spirit describes Hey! Vina as a great app to rely on if you feel like you're at a place in your life where you don't have many friends to lean on. Meeting new people doesn't have to feel like a daunting task with an app like this one.
Nextdoor
Have you recently relocated to a new city? Are you curious to learn more about your neighbors, but shy about making the first move in person? Nextdoor is an app that was specifically designed for people in your situation, giving residents in any given community the chance to greet newcomers who have just settled in. It also gives people the opportunity to exchange recommendations about local restaurants, fitness centers, grocery stores, and more.
If you live in a tight-knit community and have a small business that needs a little more promotion, you can talk about it on your Nextdoor profile. Connecting instantly with people who live in your neighborhood could be the essential key you need in your life as you seek out solid friendships. Happier Human describes Nextdoor as being a private social network that is totally exclusive for you and the neighbors who live near you: You won't have to deal with random strangers who aren't part of your community gaining access.
Wink
Anyone who's looking for a brilliant way to make friends with people they can chat with on a regular basis should consider downloading Wink. Their official "about us" section says that they're a social network that strives to be easy, fun, and safe for people located all around the world. In other words, you don't have to live in the same city as the people you want to connect with while using Wink.
You might just hit it off with someone who lives many miles away, or in another country. Common Sense Media describes Wink as a version of Snapchat that isn't meant for kids. Snapchat is a popular app due to the fact that it allows users to send videos and pictures to anyone they want without the content lasting more than 24 hours. Once you send something on Snapchat, it disappears forever, and you'll be notified if the receiving person took screenshots or screen recordings. Wink offers a similar messaging system.
If you think that Instagram is only meant to be a social media app for the friendships you already have, then you're using it wrong. There are plenty of ways you can utilize Instagram if you want to meet great people and make new friends. IT Geared explains that following people with common interests is one of the first steps you can take if you're trying to make new friends on Instagram.
If you enjoy sports, fashion, traveling, gambling, or any other hobby, you can strike up a conversation with someone else who likes those things in their comment section or in their DMs. If you're too shy to send a message or leave a comment, you can like several of their pictures and wait for them to possibly reach out to you. Responding to someone's Instagram Story is another great way to get a friendship started, because it shows that you're interested in what they are posting.
Atleto
There aren't tons of friend apps geared towards athletic individuals, which is why Atleto stands out for being one of the best social networks for athletes. The app is totally free, designed to help sports lovers connect with other people who enjoy staying fit and active in their local areas. The app boasts 40 different sports, allowing users to find or host local sports activities, build their athletic network, and rate fellow athletes after completing each activity.
You can connect with existing friends you already know in real life while bonding with new people for the first time. The Culture Trip describes Atleto as being a great app for people who are passionate about sports and physical activity. If you know that you want to play a game of recreational basketball, but someone in your group has decided to bail, you can reach out to users on Atleto to see if anyone would be willing to show up and fill in.
LMK
Building new and meaningful friendships is exactly what LMK is all about. According to their "about us" page, they know that having friends brings happiness into people's lives more than most other things. Solid friendships encourage laughter, bring joy, and inspire a sense of purpose. LMK exists as a social network that makes it easier for friend-seekers to create those lifelong connections.
Just Use App says that LMK lets users instantly hop onto calls or into chat rooms with people who enjoy the same interests and hobbies. What makes LMK different is that you can drop into something called audio rooms, where you can partake in group conversations with other people who are all interested in the same topic. For example, if you just finished watching an awesome anime show and you don't have anyone to talk to about it, you can hop into one of the audio rooms on LMK to discuss the highlights of the show with other people who also watched it.
TikTok
There's no denying the fact that it's easy to make friends on an app like TikTok. TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms due to the fact that it gives people the opportunity to share videos about everything they have going on in their lives. The mission of TikTok as an app is to bring joy and inspire creativity. It genuinely does both of those things!
Nerds Chalk says that when you want to add friends on TikTok, you can search for people by their usernames or find new individuals on the TikTok Discover tab. If you're following someone and they're not following you back, you'll be listed as one of their followers. As soon as they follow you back, you'll then be listed as one of their friends. If you and other TikTok users both enjoy content about delicious recipes, gift-giving ideas, home decor, or something else, it will be easy for you to connect with them.
Peanut
Women who are pregnant, in the midst of a fertility journey, new to motherhood, or long-time moms can connect with each other on an app called Peanut. Peanut is considered a safe space for women who are looking to find support by meeting others who are on the same page. Discussing topics such as menopause, motherhood, pregnancy, and fertility is incredibly common among the users of Peanut.
AmyBoyington.com explains that Peanut is a great app for moms who want to make friends with other people who understand the beauty and the struggle that comes along with motherhood. If you feel like you're incredibly busy all the time raising your little ones, you can meet other people who are fine to turn a brunch date into a play date for your kids so that everyone has a chance to have a good time together. The app makes it incredibly easy for moms to connect with other moms in their local area. It's also free and easy to use for anyone who isn't incredibly tech-savvy.
Friender
If you've considered downloading an app like Friender in order to meet new people, then you're on the right track for solid friendships and platonic connections. Friender is all about staying connected and getting along with people who enjoy the same activities as you. The app is specifically designed for friendships that don't go beyond the platonic realm. This means that you don't have to worry about anyone trying to slide in and flirt with you.
Online Tech Tips describes Friender as being an impressive app that cultivates meaningful conversations with potential friends based on common interests. If you choose to pay for the premium service, you'll be pushed to the top of everyone's search result pages and you'll be given unlimited swipes as you seek out your new BFF. While setting up your profile, you can add multiple fun activities to your page to show other people what excites you the most.
Twitch
Thinking of Twitch as more than a video game streaming service is a great first step toward making new friends. Millions of people come together to watch others live stream different things each day, making it a great backdrop for friendships to be formed. Twitch doesn't have to be focused on video streaming above everything else, either. It's a place for people to interact with each other, chat, and create entertainment about anything in the world including food, drinks, sports, music, and travel.
Streamers Playbook says that the easiest ways to make friends on Twitch are through Twitch Chat, by following your favorite users on their various social media pages, by offering to play games with others, and through Discord. Twitch Chat alone is a great place to start since it's similar to how AOL Instant Messenger used to work back in the day. As long as you're willing to engage in friendly conversations, you should have no problem meeting friends to consistently chat with.
Skout
It's time to download Skout if you are serious about meeting new friends. The app is filled with millions of users who are located all around the world, giving you the chance to connect with different people regardless of where you live. Online Tech Tips says Skout is similar to Meetup, since it encourages people to meet in real life and participate in group activities together.
Members will be matched with others based on proximity and preferences. While you can start small with individual private chats with those you've matched with, you can also expand quickly on the app when it comes to having conversations with multiple people. One of the cool features Skout offers is that it lets you see who has explored your profile. Sometimes, people are interested in getting to know you, but they're too shy to actually reach out. Since you can see who's checked out your page, you can choose whether or not you want to reach out to them first.
As outdated as it might sound, Facebook is still a reliable place to make new friends. You might think of Facebook, which is now known as Meta, as a place to remain close to the people you already have in your life. Instead of using it in such a limited manner, there are different ways you can seek out brand-new friendships on Facebook. OReilly.com explains that you can look up all of your real-life friends and acquaintances on Facebook to see who already has accounts using their name or email address.
When you're ready to start meeting brand new people, you can join Facebook groups. The various groups that have been created on Facebook are meant for people who care about the same things. Thousands of people can connect over their mutual love for BMWs, while others can bond over their shared interest in true crime. Facebook groups are a brilliant way to get involved in conversations and improve your social circle.