If you’re feeling lonely these days, ironically, you’re not alone. Isolation is a state of being that many people share these days. And if you find yourself lacking in the friend department lately, it’s a way of life that can lead to depression, anxiety, and all kinds of other issues.
The catch is that staying at home more and wearing masks when you are out make it especially difficult to connect with others. Fortunately, one again, it’s technology to the rescue.
We all know about the plethora of apps that are available for dating and romantic relationships. But what about apps specifically for making friends? We have found a few good options for you to try and meet people who might share common interests and/or who are interested in forming platonic friendships and enlarging their social circle.
(Note: You may discover other apps on which you can make friends. But that might not be their sole, dedicated purpose. The following options are focused solely on friend-making.)
Friender
It says it right in the name! Friender is an app designed to bring together people who like the same kinds of activities. Users must share at least one common interest in order to be matched up. It can be downloaded for free, with premium features available with a paid upgrade.
Meetup
At Meetup, you find groups tailored to a wide range of interests in and around where you live. It’s the ideal low-stress way to meet people. After all, the topic of a particular event takes center stage. But it also immediately puts you into contact with people who like what you like. That’s a great foundation for any friendship.
Hey! VINA
Hey! VINA is an app designed specifically for women to find other woman friends. The intention is to help women feel closer together and empowered, not always in competition with each other. Quizzes, articles and other tools in the app help women match up with others that have compatible values and personalities.
Yubo
Based in Paris, France, Yubo was created to offer people a safe and fun way to meet and get to know people from all around the world. They have strict protocols in place to back up their claims of safety and honesty.
Bumble BFF
“Wait a minute!” you might say. “Bumble is a dating app.” That is true. However Bumble BFF was created for the express purpose of building authentic and meaningful platonic relationships. It applies similar approaches to making friend matches as it does with making romantic matches via its separate dating app.
Meet My Dog
Maybe your dog is lonely, too. Yes, you have each other. But if that’s not quite enough, Meet My Dog helps your dog meet other dogs (and you, their owners) for some shared social time. This app connects dog owners with others in the nearby area. Set up a playdate for your dog and a nice meet-and-greet with their person.
How Do You Make Sure You Stay Safe Making Friends Through an App?
If it specializes in establishing relationships, an app should be pretty darn stringent when it comes to its users’ security. Be sure to check out an app’s privacy policy and terms of use for their rules and methods for protecting you.
Outside of the app, you can better protect yourself by making extra sure you know who you’re talking to. Use an online people search to look up your new friend and make sure that they are really who they say they are. And if they are, you can also try to verify any criminal records or other problems they may have had in the past.
As you can see, you have a variety of options when it comes to meeting and making friends with an app. One or more of them could be just the thing you need to feel connected instead of feeling alone.
For more information about apps, social media, and other common ways to meet people, check out the posts on the PeopleFinders blog.
Photo credit: insta_photos – www.shutterstock.com
