Auraphone: A simple app to collect people's info at events
8 comments
·November 6, 2025tobr
fcpguru
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
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
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.
junglistguy
[dead]
wigglefruit
Streetpass for phones
wompawoo
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
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.
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.