[HN Gopher] Auraphone: A simple app to collect people's info at ...
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Auraphone: A simple app to collect people's info at events
Author : fcpguru
Score : 20 points
Date : 2025-11-06 14:54 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (andrewarrow.dev)
(TXT) w3m dump (andrewarrow.dev)
| wigglefruit wrote:
| Streetpass for phones
| wompawoo wrote:
| business cards for phones lol It'd make more sense to include a
| QR code and an app to scan the QR codes and pull this info
| later on. That way you could quickly swap cards and keep your
| phones in your jacket, free from digital distractions.
| fcpguru wrote:
| hehe i started this way. original name of the app was "QR-
| Osmosis" but even that is too much friction. The idea is you
| are talking at event and one of you gets pulled in another
| direction there is no akward "hey wait I didn't get your..."
| you just move on and know you have that info already.
| tobr wrote:
| Interesting from a technical point of view. But the real problem
| to solve here is buried in this throwaway at the end, and it even
| suggests that this is entirely the wrong tech for the job:
|
| > So the way I see auraphone working at an event, you walk around
| and mingle as normal but yeah every one has their phone out and
| running the app but ONLY this app. You are still present and in
| the conversation not just looking at other distractions from your
| phone.
|
| What is so magic about this app that it will make your phone not
| be a distraction? And how do you get everyone to download a new
| app? And if you can get them to do that, why not just exchange
| the info through a normal server? Then you could literally just
| tell the app which event you're at (and sure, use Bluetooth for
| that, but a QR code or even just a link would probably work
| better) and then they don't need to walk around with the app
| open.
| fcpguru wrote:
| bluetooth proves you were physically there. also no cell tower
| or wifi issues. this app purposely has no backend! truly
| decentralized. If i used a normal server I would have to just
| trust the gps sent? And even if I could trust that, bluetooth
| lets me know who is closet within feet. The list of devices
| shows you by who is at the top, who you are nearest.
|
| It is a chicken and egg problem for sure. Will enough people
| install the app and will people keep it open and in foreground
| often enough. I need real event with like 100 people to test :)
| pizzalife wrote:
| Why would you want to give out your contact info to people
| you didn't engage with?
|
| The business card is more than just an exchange of phone
| numbers.
| fcpguru wrote:
| well which specific piece, your instagram username is very
| different than your phone number right? And depends on the
| event. Is it speed-dating or tech conference? You can chose
| what to broadcast. If you are at the event, you have some
| goal of who you want to meet. Long term in the app I want
| to let you give more info about that and then filter the
| list for you. Help you find your people.
| wingerlang wrote:
| To properly make this work you need to download the app, enter a
| bunch of information, go to settings to disable sleep mode, not
| touch your phone and also not have it accidentally swipe away
| from the app.
|
| Seems like the (only?) target audience for this would hardcode
| networkers going to network events. And honestly, I think people
| who go to a event like this don't have this problem of missing a
| connection they wanted.
| fcpguru wrote:
| what if the app could guide you more on exactly who you wanted
| to meet. The more info you give, the better we can match with:
|
| 1. potential customers / vendors (business network event)
|
| 2. potential mates (speed dating)
|
| 3. potential friends (222.place or timeleft)
|
| I'd keep my phone out at a 222 event if the app guided me into
| a group of people that all share a specific interest.
| wingerlang wrote:
| I don't think the business events is realistic. It would have
| to be huge, generic, and have a huge amount of people be very
| specific with their wants-and-needs, on top of the technical
| issues I brought up earlier.
|
| Speed dating is called speed dating for a reason, you're
| supposed to be forced to meet everyone. Probably takes more
| time to setup yet another dating profile than it takes to
| simply go through the process.
|
| From what I read on 222, their entire purpose is to get away
| from algorithms, apps, and whatnot.
|
| Timeleft has, according to their landing page, six people per
| activity.
|
| I don't mean to discourage, by the way. It's neat tech, I
| personally just don't see where it could best be used.
|
| EDIT: I could see speed dating have some sort of "prompt"
| build on top of this. Say the app is rebranded to
| "SpeedDater" and the organizers said to download it. Then
| while in the event itself, the apps could give prompts or fun
| stuff to talk about in realtime, and then later you could eg.
| say yes/no after the fact, at which point the matches are
| unlocked. Not sure this requires the local-thing though.
| fcpguru wrote:
| 222 and timeleft you start in groups of 5 or 6, but then
| there is the "after party" with all those small groups
| combined. That's where this idea first came from. I was at
| one of those after parties and I was like wait and sec,
| it's 2025 why does this feel exactly like how we did this
| in 1980s?
| below43 wrote:
| Not sure if this intentional, but the app is listed in the App
| Store for iPhone under the Food & Drink category.
| fcpguru wrote:
| Yeah my original idea was for this to be a nightlife
| bar/restaurant meet people app.
|
| https://i.imgur.com/HQ6hVMd.png
|
| and there would be gamification for free drinks/food
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(page generated 2025-11-06 23:00 UTC)