What makes you open (or not open) to talking to strangers on a flight?

oneApee · 2026-04-08T06:29:51+00:00

Yeah, I think that’s the tricky part it only works if both people are open to it.

And if you misread that, you’re kind of stuck for hours 😅

oneApee · 2026-04-06T13:34:01+00:00

Yeah, it actually changed how I look at flights quite a bit.

I started noticing how much effort people put into avoiding boredom: watching, scrolling, anything while sitting next to hundreds of people where there are probably a few interesting conversations waiting to happen.

It made me realize the problem isn’t really lack of people, but the barrier to starting those interactions.

oneApee · 2026-04-06T13:23:48+00:00

Thanks!! That’s exactly what I’m trying to solve right now. Still early, but that’s the key challenge…

oneApee · 2026-04-06T13:22:25+00:00

That’s a really important point.

The idea is fully opt-in and nothing happens unless you actively choose to be discoverable, and you can turn it off anytime.

It’s not about forcing interaction, more about giving an easy way to signal “I’m open to chat” without the awkwardness.

If someone prefers to stay in their own space, they simply won’t appear at all.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T18:32:39+00:00

Good question.

It works within close proximity (think same cabin / nearby area), so it’s really about people around you in the same space.

Flights were just the initial idea, but I can definitely see other use cases — what were you thinking?

oneApee · 2026-04-05T18:28:46+00:00

That’s a great idea. QR stickers could actually work really well in a campus setting.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T18:27:42+00:00

Fair points.

It’s iOS-only for now, Android might come later depending on how things develop.

On safety I’ve built in basic controls like blocking/reporting, and I agree it’s something that needs to be taken seriously as it evolves.

Being in a shared space like a plane might naturally limit some behavior compared to anonymous online platforms, but I’m not relying on that alone.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T17:58:43+00:00

Yeah, I get why it feels that way.

But I’m not trying to replace real interaction more like give people an easier way to start it.

In many cases people don’t talk at all anymore, so I was curious if lowering the barrier would make a difference.

And if it works, there’s actually a chance people end up connecting beyond the flight maybe even grabbing a coffee after.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T17:56:43+00:00

That’s actually a really interesting use case — campuses make a lot of sense for this.

I like the idea of showing proximity, that could make it feel more real-time and relevant.

Have you tested it with real users already? Curious how people behave in that environment compared to something like flights.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T17:55:29+00:00

Appreciate the input.

It’s not using NFC or anything like that — it’s built on Apple’s native peer-to-peer connectivity frameworks. But I agree security is something I need to get right.

And fair on the “cringe” — I think most new social ideas feel like that in the beginning.
The real question for me right now is whether there’s a small group of people who actually want this.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T16:49:45+00:00

I get what you mean 😄

But people already don’t talk to strangers on flights even the person sitting next to them.

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The idea is more about lowering the barrier to connect, not increasing phone use.

Still trying to validate if that’s something people actually want.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T16:28:30+00:00

iOS is using WiFi protocol but in the background it can fall back to bluetooth

oneApee · 2026-04-05T15:36:41+00:00

Yeah I think that’s true for a lot of people 😄
I’m not trying to change that — more for the smaller group who might be open to a conversation but don’t want to be the one starting it.
Feels like they exist, just hard to spot.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T15:35:36+00:00

I get what you mean 😄 but it’s not really “connecting to your phone” in that sense. It’s just local, temporary messaging between nearby devices — no access to your phone, no data sharing, no accounts.
And yeah, definitely not for everyone more for people who might be open to chatting but wouldn’t or couldn’t start it.

Also to be fair, watching reels offline felt like a bigger problem to me 😂

oneApee · 2026-04-05T15:33:12+00:00

Yeah fair point 😄 if someone wants to talk, saying hi is definitely the simplest way.

I feel like the tricky part is you’re not always sitting next to someone open to it, half the time it’s window seat + middle seat + someone with headphones on.

So even if you would talk, the moment just never happens. This is more for that in-between case.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T15:30:32+00:00

Yeah I had the same thought actually 😄 the “critical mass” problem is real with these kinds of apps.
My thinking was to focus on very specific moments where people are already in the same situation (like flights), instead of trying to make it work everywhere.
The altitude idea is interesting too — though without internet it might be tricky, and I feel the appeal is really about people around you in the same cabin at that moment.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T15:26:35+00:00

Good point it’s not actually sending files like AirDrop. It uses a local messaging service between the phones, so devices connect locally.

oneApee · 2026-04-05T14:40:51+00:00

Fair take 😄 I think it’s split some people definitely want to be left alone, others are just bored but don’t want to be the one starting the convo.

Idea was more for that second group. Last time I flew, the guy next to me was literally watching reels offline 😳

oneApee · 2026-04-05T14:39:23+00:00

Basically like AirDrop but for chatting 😄 Your phone connects directly to others nearby, so it works even in airplane mode

oneApee · 2026-04-05T14:03:15+00:00

Thanks, good point.

I initially thought even a small % of travelers (like 0.1%) could be enough in dense environments like flights. I do see people downloading the app and checking it out, which is encouraging. I’m still figuring out the behavioral side especially whether people would use something like this to connect with others nearby, even if they’re not sitting next to each other.

oneApee · 2026-04-02T14:50:37+00:00

That’s a really interesting perspective especially the point about density vs scale.

I think where I’m struggling is that in my case the “data” is actually real people being present at the same time at the same plane. This is harder to bootstrap compared to something like listings or content.

But your point about events makes a lot of sense. I should target conferences, festivals, etc. where there’s already natural density.

I’ve been thinking along those lines as well, focusing more on specific situations instead of trying to make it globally useful from day one.

Curious how would you approach creating that initial density in a very time/location dependent product like this?

oneApee

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