Launching earlier last week on iOS, Free users create statuses to show if they’re available to hang out. The app has three different modes including: Going Out, Flexible, or Busy. Whether you’re Going Out or Flexible, the app will send push notifications to friends who live in your current city letting them know your availability.
Users choose who can see them, which friends can join in on their adventures, and how long the statuses last. You can also add text to propose an activity, as well as list a specific a location and time frame for the event. If you’ve got something in mind and know who you want to invite to come out with you, you can tag specific friends in the post, too.
Friends may respond to your status in a private message, or they can use canned replies, such as, “Miss you,” and “See you soon.” You can also chat in groups to coordinate plans in private. In group chats, users can like each other’s messages, drop a pin location to let the group know where they are, send stickers with an emoji, or even record a short video that turns into a looping GIF.
The inspiration for Free came to its creator when he found himself facing a situation that happens to everyone at least once. He was home alone over a long weekend with no plans and nobody around to hang out with.
“A few years ago, I found myself unexpectedly free on a long weekend. Most people I texted were out of town or busy,” Danny Trinh, the former lead designer at social app Path, wrote on the company’s blog. “As I sat there unsuccessfully trying to make plans, I wondered: what if there was a fast and better way to see who was available? Steve Jobs once said the computer is like a ‘bicycle for our minds’ — what if there was a social bicycle too? I joked it would be like ‘the Horn of Gondor for my friends’… which inspired me to watch all of the Lord of The Rings movies for the best solo weekend ever☺.”
If he’d had Free, Trinh may have found some pals to watch it with, so he decided to create an app to help him connect with friends nearby. While there are plenty of apps that help you connect with others, Free, makes it easy to make plans with people who are also available to have some fun.
You can download Free from the App Store here.
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