A new friendship app aims to introduce women to nearby friends. Already popular in Stockholm, could it solve London's loneliness problem? Eleanor Peake logs on.
What sort of picture would you choose if you wanted to attract a friend? Scrolling through my phone gallery, I realise I have absolutely no idea. Dating apps are fairly easy to manoeuvre: look attractive and someone might match with you. Friendships are a different matter. I am trying out GoFrendly, a new app designed to help women make friends. This app is already popular in Stockholm: two-thirds of women under 35 currently use it.
In Sweden , it has facilitated 4, coffee dates, created 2, friend groups, and resulted in 70 trips away. Now it has launched in London. I try my best to choose a picture. This requires a level of self-awareness that dating men does not require. I want to look fun, but not too fun. Cool but not stuck up. I want to appear friendly, but not friendless. Time to showcase a personality. I scroll through the labels. On offer is a selection of tags.
These young women are discussing their astrology and politics; their careers and their love of food. Several are seeking someone to go to a gym class with. Others want a friend to check out new restaurants with. Unlike dating apps with built-in friendship options, such as Bumble BBF, this app is designed to help you meet in groups.
Users can send out an event invite for several potential friends to join. This weekend, I can see one woman in her early twenties trying to organise a holiday to Turkey. Surprisingly she has pulled it off: there are already 11 sign-ups. Another has successfully arranged an impromptu gathering in Victoria Park. She has 20 sign-ups.
