

Show HN: Text privately with new people around you (my first iOS app) - melvinmt
http://tapchat.com

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bbcbasic
Promising idea!

I don't own an iPhone so I can't try it. :-(

An idea for growing the user base is to get people using it at a big
conference where you already have a bunch of people near each other, who are
already interested in networking. You could get a few of you to go round
convincing people to install it. I think having an Android and/or web version
first is a must though.

Also might be good at co-working spaces to help people get to know each other.

Anywhere where people already have the urge to want to get to know people
around them.

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melvinmt
Hi everyone,

I created TapChat because I’ve always wanted to create a simple app to break
the ice during networking events and meeting locals when I’m visiting new
places. Basically an anonymous messaging app aimed at more professional use
(no dating/cyber bullying). Figuring out the magic sauce for social local apps
(it’s hard! [1]) has always been a secret passion of mine.

I've spent about 2-3 months to design and create the app from concept to
launch (including a couple of pivots and iterations). It has mostly been
written in Swift and a mix of backend services written in Go, Python and
Node.js. I'm heavily relying on realtime face detection on every picture to
prevent abuse. I'm using the Realm.io database as the local database, Firebase
for realtime updates and MongoDB for the geo index. I think this is also one
of the first implementations of Twitter Digits for logging in with your phone
number.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the technology I used behind
the app. I've written up some more details about the app here:
[https://medium.com/@teamtapchat/tapchat-a-whatsapp-for-
stran...](https://medium.com/@teamtapchat/tapchat-a-whatsapp-for-
strangers-2bcd8aa7d3a3)

PS: I'm aware of some bugs and crashes and am working hard on resolving them
in the next update (after the holidays). Please check it out and tell me what
you think about the general UI/UX while I iron out these wrinkles.

[1] [http://andrewchen.co/social-network-marketing-getting-
from-z...](http://andrewchen.co/social-network-marketing-getting-from-zero-to-
critical-mass)

~~~
tharshan09
I tried this and I was in Toronto. I was seeing people in SF. It seems you
might want to fine tune your search radius.

