Making friends can get trickier as we get older, but strong social connections are important for our health and well-being throughout life. Even if it takes a little more effort, it’s worth prioritizing this aspect of your life. Luckily, the Internet can help. If you’re looking to make new friends, check out our post for ideas on how to find friends online and turn those connections into real-life hangouts.
Good to know: find and download your Facebook chat history by following our guide.
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1. Try a Chat App
These days, there’s an app for everything, including connecting with and getting to know new people, whether in your local community or from around the globe. We’re covering some apps that can help you find new friendships online.
Bumble BFF
While Bumble (Android, iOS) is a dating service at its core, the app also has a function for finding friends in your area. You can select how you plan to use the app when you first set it up. If you already have it on your phone, you can switch from dating mode to platonic friends mode via the settings.
Once you match with someone on the app, you’ll have a limited time to contact that person. Unlike on the dating Bumble version, the timer isn’t gendered, meaning each of you can make the first move and reach out with a message.
My experience with Bumble BFF has been the most positive so far. Since I switched cities quite recently, I felt the need to establish a group of local friends who could help me explore my new surroundings. I managed to connect quickly on Bumble BFF with a few ladies who were willing to take the conversation outside the app, which I really appreciated, as I wasn’t looking to keep these interactions on an only texting basis. It was also quite easy to find someone who had some things in common with me, as the app is quite popular and has a large user base, even in a smaller town, such as the one I moved to.
Yubo
Yubo (Android, iOS) is a virtual friendship app that has a larger reliance on video chat. You can swipe through users’ profiles just like you would on any dating app, but instead of leaving messages right after you match, you can initiate video calls instead.
If you’re easygoing and also want to make sure that the person you’ve liked is who they say they are, Yubo is the app for you. If you’re more on the shy spectrum like me, you may have to invest in Yubo’s currency, which unlocks the messaging option, before you move on to video.
Yubo has a fairly large user base, and I managed to come across a few people with similar interests. However, it’s worth noting that the app targets the younger demographic. This is quite obvious when the app prompts you to select your hobbies. Despite that, I’d say the app is worth a shot, especially if you prefer talking in person and don’t mind a fairly cluttered interface.
Slowly
Slowly (Android, iOS) is a unique app aimed at those who miss writing long letters. While it’s marketed as a way to “make global friends,” you can find people from your own country and reach out to them.
I love the fact that the app puts an emphasis on text-based interactions and prioritizes highlighting your personality rather than appearance. This is not a dating app, after all. Instead, you can create an avatar and fill out your profile with a description and interests.
Compared to apps focused on exchanging quick messages, Slowly offers a space for more thoughtful connections by encouraging you to write long letters. There’s an automatic matching system that pairs you with others based on your interests. You can browse the options to find someone you’d like to write a letter to. I had a handful of meaningful exchanges using this app that have translated to meeting up in person to attend a few events.
Tip: did you know that you can send text messages from a PC? Learn how to get started.
2. Attend a Local Meeting
If you’d rather skip the chatting phase and go straight to meeting new people in a real-life setting, then an app like Meetup (Android, iOS) may be the better solution for you.
This app uses your location to list all the social events that are available near you. What’s great about it is that it lets you manually change your location, so you can check what’s available in other cities near you as well. You can find events easily by browsing the available categories, including Health & Wellness, Learning, Tech, and more.
I should note, however, that ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these events are now taking place online. You can still find some regular in-person events, but there aren’t that many to choose from (at least in my area). However, Meetup offers a great opportunity to digitally connect with people who share your interests. I usually manage to click with at least one person during a meeting. We end up staying in touch and arrange to meet up later in real life.
3. Join a Group
If you have a hobby you practice on a regular basis, you may want to look for groups or clubs in your area. The most helpful tool for doing that, I have found, is Facebook (Web, Android, iOS). When I was living abroad, this was my go-to solution whenever I was feeling lonely and needed to find someone to socialize with.
You can search for a specific group by opening Facebook and accessing Groups from the menu on the left side of the display. Click Discover to view the list of groups near you and find something suited to your particular preferences.
Facebook is home to a wide range of groups, allowing you to discover spaces where you can engage in conversation with others about your interests. In addition, there are travel groups specifically dedicated to bringing together individuals who share a passion for traveling. I’ve also stumbled upon a few book groups that met weekly to discuss new literary releases, which provided great incentives for me to get out of the house.
In certain areas, you have the alternative of using the Nextdoor app (Android, iOS), a platform specifically designed to connect with your neighbors. You can meet people nearby who share your passions through its diverse range of groups.
FYI: use Reddit in concert with these extensions for a more customized experience.
4. Find More Like-Minded People Online
Sometimes it can help to extend your social searches to include places like forums or discussion hubs.
My two recommendations here are for Reddit (Android, iOS) and Discord (Android, iOS). The first one is an online text-driven community, where you can find a subreddit dedicated to virtually any type of subject. You can also explore city-specific subreddits, where you may be able to connect with individuals from your region. Many of these subreddits organize meetups and local events. If you are unable to find them using Reddit’s own search function, try googling “your city Reddit.”
The same is true of Discord, which provides numerous opportunities to connect on its many servers. Check out our guide on how to find Discord servers suited to your preferences.
Gamers may want to give Twitch (Android, iOS) a shot when it comes to creating virtual friendships. While the app is primarily known as a live-streaming platform, it allows viewers to join discussions, share common interests, and share their favorite content.
If you’d rather chat with strangers for a more anonymous interaction, check out these apps that are similar to Omegle. Alternatively, if you prefer to chat through your favorite game, learn how to enable voice chat in Roblox and connect with other game participants.
Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer
Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.
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