Is there a dating app for finding friends

Moving to a new city can be difficult, and making friends can make part of that whole transition even more tiring. Sometimes, it can even be hard to make friends in a place we have grown up in and known our whole life.

However, lucky for us because we live in the digital age, more apps are being developed that bring people closer together. Many of these apps revolve around dating, but new developers have taken the concept of "swiping right" for romantic matches and applied it to making friends.

These Apps designed for "friend making" really aim to bring people closer together based on their interests. So whether you're into running and swimming, painting, brunching, or just hanging out at the beach, these seven apps are sure to help you find your perfect match.

1. Meetup

Meetup is a great place to start when you're looking for a whole new ring of friends, or after you just moved to a new city. While other apps can help you meet a small amount of people at one time, meetup is great for joining a running club, becoming a member of an open mic and writers club, or being a part of a group that meets regularly, like a book club. It's really simple (and free!) to get an account, and from there, you can pick your city and interests and find meetups happening in your area.

2. ATLETO

Sports lovers, unite! ATLETO is like the Tinder for athletes looking to make friends. You can choose between 40 sports happening in your area and request to join an event. You can create a whole new ring of athletic friends and have fun playing soccer games together, going for runs after work, or trying to work on that summer bod on the weekends together. The minds behind ATLETO believe everything is better when you #SportTogether.

3. Squad

Ever go to a party and meet a really cool "friend of a friend" that you would love to hang out with? Squad can help friend groups grow by adding new people and then letting each other mingle. You can use the app to get updates in real-time between your group of friends (or best #squad), and also use the app to have really awesome group chats. The more people you add, the more people each one of you will get introduced to and get to meet. 

4. Bumble BFF

Bumble isn't just for dating anymore! Bumble BFF allows you to meet new people around you to create friendships. In fact, the concept works the same—swipe right for people you'd love to go on a friend date with, and swipe left for those you think you might not have much in common with. And hey, who's to say it won't go anywhere? Many healthy, happy relationships start with friendships (wink, wink).

5. Tinder Social

Tinder Social follows the same rules as Bumble BFF—swipe right for the friends you'd like to meet, and swipe left for those you don't. You can meet some cool friend groups, and from either gender. If you'd rather just enjoy the single life, but are looking to make friends, there's nothing wrong with creating a Tinder profile to use for the Tinder Social part of the app, and meet some awesome new peeps.

6. Hey! VINA

This app is strictly for gals looking to make new gal-friends. The mission of VINA is to "build global communities of women who make each other feel supported, inspired, free, and above all else, happy." This app helps match up women in the area that have similar interests in work and in their hobbies and outside interests. Meet great new friends who are positive, creative, and supportive.

7. Real

What makes Real different from other friendship apps is that you swipe on personality and not appearance, so you actually don't get to see your new friend's face until you both match. There is also no gender or sexuality preference option, which means the app is creating a new community of more tolerant individuals. After matching up with people based on your interests, you two can decide on a coffee shop or event to meet up at in order to get to hang out!

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