TL;DR
Friendship apps are drawing more users and testing ways to move connections into shared activities and in-person gatherings. Yet a report cited by Global Dating Insights says users still encounter ghosting, mismatched expectations and difficulty maintaining friendships after an initial meeting.
Friendship apps are attracting users and adding group activities and in-person events, but they continue to face problems familiar from dating platforms, including ghosting and mismatched expectations, according to a report by Global Dating Insights. The report cites Bumble’s claim of an 80% year-on-year increase in weekly BFF users and describes services including Timeleft, 222 and Sonder, while noting that initial meetings do not always lead to lasting contact.
The reported growth comes as friendship services offer alternatives to swipe-based matching. Bumble’s BFF product, launched in 2016, has expanded beyond its original matching model. Its newer features include Groups based on shared interests and events intended to help users meet face to face. The company’s reported 80% increase refers to weekly BFF users year on year; the source material does not specify the measurement period or provide a user count.
Other services focus on arranging activities rather than relying solely on one-to-one matches. Timeleft asks participants to complete a questionnaire, then organizes dinners, drinks and other gatherings for groups of strangers. The company says it has attracted more than four million users across over 200 cities in 52 countries. That is a company-reported figure, not an independently verified measure of active users.
222 uses a personality questionnaire to place six strangers together for dinner, with participants able to continue to a larger gathering at another venue. The company says it operates in 21 cities and has arranged experiences for more than 100,000 members. Sonder uses visual moodboards featuring photos, music and interests, and lets users organize or join local activities such as walks, workshops and game nights. Users can invite others through shared links.
From App Matches to Real Friendships
The services are addressing a common practical gap: people may connect through an app but still struggle to turn an introduction into an ongoing friendship. Reports of ghosting after initial contact and difficulty keeping in touch suggest that matching or attendance alone does not guarantee a durable relationship. That can affect users’ expectations of what an app can provide, as well as whether they return to the service.
Group dinners, interest-based communities and local events are attempts to make the next step more concrete. They may give people a shared activity and a reason to meet again, but the source material does not establish that these formats reduce ghosting or produce longer-lasting friendships. Researchers cited in the report also question whether matching-based business models give platforms an incentive to keep users returning rather than help them reach a point where they no longer need the service.
The distinction matters to users deciding whether to pay for or spend time on a platform. A large membership figure or increase in weekly users indicates interest, but it does not by itself show how many people form lasting connections, how often they meet again, or how they assess their experience.
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How Friendship Platforms Are Changing
Friendship apps have grown as people use digital platforms to meet others outside romantic dating. The report describes a range of approaches: Bumble BFF’s groups and events, Timeleft’s organized gatherings, 222’s small-group dinners and Sonder’s interest-based moodboards and activities. Their shared aim is to help people find social connections, but they differ in whether the first step is a profile, a questionnaire, a group match or an activity.
The services also reflect a move beyond app-based introductions alone. Bumble BFF began with a swipe-based model and has since added features designed around common interests and in-person events. Timeleft and 222 organize gatherings among strangers, while Sonder lets users post and join activities. The cited report, drawing on material attributed to The Washington Post, says these product changes coexist with familiar social challenges: some users seek romantic connections, expectations do not always align, and contact can fade after a first meeting.
“Weekly BFF users increased 80% year on year.”
— Bumble, as cited in the Global Dating Insights report
Growth Figures, Outcomes and Ghosting
The material does not give a publication date for the report or detailed methods behind the companies’ user and activity figures. It is unclear whether the reported totals count registered, current or active users, and Bumble’s year-on-year comparison is not accompanied by a precise time window or baseline count.
There is also no comparative evidence in the supplied material showing how often users ghost one another on friendship apps, whether that rate differs from dating platforms, or whether any particular design feature improves follow-up. The report describes user-reported difficulties and researchers’ questions about business incentives, but it does not establish that matching-based models cause ghosting or prevent friendships from lasting.
It remains unclear how often users on these platforms are seeking romance rather than friendship, and how platforms distinguish or manage those expectations. The source material also does not provide user surveys, independent evaluations or longer-term follow-up data that would show how many app introductions become sustained relationships.
Evidence Beyond Sign-Up Counts
The companies’ stated approaches point to continued emphasis on group formats, shared interests and offline activities. For readers, the next meaningful indicators would be information about repeat meetings, user retention, safety and whether participants report forming ongoing friendships—not just the number of accounts or events.
The source material does not identify a forthcoming study, product launch or company deadline that would answer those questions. Until platforms or independent researchers publish comparable outcome data, claims about growth should be read as measures of reported reach or use, while the effect of these features on ghosting and lasting friendship remains unsettled.
Key Questions
What is the main development in friendship apps?
Apps for meeting friends are attracting users and adding group matching, shared-interest features and in-person events. A report says they still face ghosting, mismatched expectations and difficulty sustaining contact after an initial meeting.
How much has Bumble BFF use increased?
Bumble reports an 80% year-on-year increase in weekly BFF users. The source material does not provide the measurement period, user count or independent verification.
What do Timeleft and 222 offer?
Timeleft uses a questionnaire to organize dinners, drinks and other activities for groups of strangers. 222 matches six strangers for dinner using a personality questionnaire, with an option to join a larger gathering afterward.
Do friendship apps solve ghosting?
The report does not show that they do. It says users still report ghosting and trouble maintaining contact, and it provides no comparative data showing whether these apps reduce the problem.
Are the user figures independently verified?
The figures for Timeleft and 222 are attributed to the companies, and Bumble’s growth figure is also reported as the company’s claim. The supplied source material does not describe an independent audit or common method for comparing those numbers.
Source: globaldatinginsights.com
