"Yes! I Found A Bestie On Bumble BFF": People Are Sharing Their Experiences With Friendship Finder Apps

In an online world, it's become increasingly more difficult to form friendships in the places where we once struck up conversation. I recently asked the Buzzfeed Community, and also foraged through some Reddit threads (here, here, and or here), to see if anyone had found success using friendship apps. Here's what they had to say:

1."I used Bumble BFF in early 2021 and have a group of close friends (5 of us including myself) I've made through it. We even celebrated Thanksgiving together this year as we are almost all transplants from across the US. Much like dating, you have to sell yourself and go on hangouts to see if you're a match. Friendships also take time and effort and won't work if only one person is carrying the conversation or making all the effort to hangout. As the relationship develops, you all need to start being emotionally available and vulnerable (at a rate that feels safe) to strengthen the relationship. Me and my friends are now at the point that we are sharing sensitive things from our pasts and supporting each other emotionally through some of our recent break-ups with romantic partners. It's a process and won't work without everyone putting effort in."

2."I found a friend on Bumble BFF years ago. We clicked really well, we both would complain about our love lives/our jobs at happy hour lol. We’re both married now and are still great friends. She introduced me to a few of her friends, and I introduced her to mine, which widened our circles a bit."

3."Yeah, meeting people online isn't very hard. The key is maintaining them, but not enough apps work on that. It's always about meeting new people, going to more events, finding people with similar interests — but like, now what? That's why FavsHq.com is so good - helps with keeping friends close afterwards."

4."Yes! I found a bestie on Bumble BFF."

5."Personally, what I did was use Tinder and Bumble to genuinely find friends. Sure, I would hook up with some of them, but mostly, I was finding people to just hang out with after moving to a new state with no relations. I’m a male and usually get along better with females, but most people have other friends they bring around. Meeting friends of friends is always a great in."

6."I made friends by posting in our community's Facebook group of any other adults who played Pokémon GO and wanted to raid together. My wife and I made friends with two other couples pretty fast."

7."Yup, this is the way. I met two guys on my city's Reddit a month ago, and we've been getting together every week or two to learn to play some Jazz together. I'm in my 40s, and the other two are around 30. Turns out we have quite a lot in common, even though I'm a little older and in a different stage of my life (I have four teenagers, lol)."

8."I used Bumble BFF and made a new best friend from it. Both of us are straight dudes and are both married to women. So Bumble BFF is not always like some describe. It’s just hard to meet people lol."

9."I have created many genuine friendships on the peanut app! Some are just messaging friendships but I have many that I see frequently."

10."I've tried Bumble BFF. I met a number of very cool women who were interesting and fun. There is a dating mentality and awkwardness, which honestly didn't go away. Due to limited time, everyone seemed to be constantly refining their list. Ultimately, all of them fizzled out within 2 years. I did make some 2nd or 3rd degree connections which have lasted. All in all, it was still a great experience."

11."I didn’t even know friendship apps existed! It’s an interesting concept and potentially one of the best ways to make lifelong friends. It gives an individual the opportunity to make real connections that aren’t forced upon us through social groups, work, or community events (like school functions). Having the ability to be picky with one’s choice in friends is rather appealing, but at the same time very strange."

12."Once upon a time, I legitimately hung out with people from the Strictly Platonic section on CL."

13."Yes! I joined Peanut hoping to find a mom friend or two, just someone for playdates and girls' nights. Instead, I ended up with a book club and a whole tribe of women for mom's nights out and just to do life with. I am so grateful for this positive use of technology!"

14."I met a longtime friend off of a language learning site called InterPals. We’ve been video chatting once a week since 2021."

15."Made a girl friend during the pandemic on Bumble BFF. We’ve hung out regularly for over three years now. A lot of my nonschool friends are through meetups and concerts, though. I usually find concert buddies on Twitter."

16."I met my D&D group on Reddit. It was lucky that none of them were weirdos."

17."Facebook!! Join a local community regarding one of your interests."

18."I have a Bumble BFF girl date next week and I love the app so far. For a guy, it's a little different, though. I'd try a club of some sort like a golf club, sports club, toastmasters, rotary club, volunteering, etc. I don't know of any app that would actually work for guys."

19."If you're a man and you use these sorts of apps and services, it is rare to either find a match or be messaged."

20."I live in a small town and met two friends out of it [Bumble BFF] /shrug."

21.And finally, "I want tinder, but for pickup basketball."

Have you ever turned to an app or website with the intent of forming new friendships? If so, tell me in the comments below.