Where once, online social platforms were all about protecting your true identity, with the likes of Facebook, it became all about letting others know exactly how you are spending every minute of your day. As the online world seems to be going to an even more of a tangent of having us put up all our details, the anonymous apps and platforms have come back with a force. It is highly surprising how popular these apps seem to be.
#1 Yik Yak
Yik Yak is basically a local bulletin for your neighbourhood. All the posts from those around you will be shown. Most of the users here are teenagers who want to talk, well, like teenagers. Individuals are bashed without their names mentioned. In most cases, only the initials are mentioned and the one posting it is completely anonymous.
#2 Matter
Matter is an app that allows you to connect to other users. The best part is that the interaction is completely anonymous and the app is bright and cheerful, instead of being dark and shady. This anonymous sharing app is a great way for literate adults to meet and share stuff. Users can post stuff on different topics and others can rate it using the different icon available, such as value, relate, and support. You can also join communities like Veterans, LGBTQ, and Parenthood.
#3 Whisper
Whisper is another anonymous app that you can confidently use. It is a great place to express yourself. You will meet likeminded people here and can delve into deep conversations with them. Whisper has become so popular in the two years it has launched that the app has managed to raise about $60 million in funding. The app enjoys billions of page views every month. It is extremely popular among college and high school students who use it as a platform to share confessions.
#4 Gossup
This unfiltered social media app basically works as a combination of Yik Yak, Foursquare, Instagram, and Reddit! Users can post anonymous photos and follow other posts/photos. With more upvotes, the messages posted earn more sway. While little known as of now, it has the potential to become one of the more popular anonymous apps.
#5 Shrtwv
According to the app store, Shrtwv is described as, “Anonymously share moments in time with the world around you one wave at a time. See what others have left behind and leave your mark by adding stickers and liking waves.” Users’ anonymous messages or posts are called waves. These are visible only for a few seconds after it appears. You have to be on the spot to be able to catch the posts. Other users can comment by dragging a sticker on to the wave or post. However, you will need quick reflexes to do that before it vanishes forever!
#6 Truth
Truth is a messaging app where you can anonymously message your friends. When you install Truth, it will get access to your contact list. You can choose which friend you want to send a message to and the app will replace your name with an owl’s. For instance, your name would be shown as “Chillin’ Owl,” Cheery Owl,” “Smarty Owl,” and so on. The friend will naturally know that it is someone from their contacts but will not be able to figure it out. It is usually used by school and college students to see if their crush likes them back.
#7 ButterflyEffect
The app store describes Butterfly Effect as, “ButterflyEffect is an anonymous community designed to allow users to share secrets, express gratitude and get inspiration. It is based on the premise that single action, no matter how small, affects others in the world forever.” It works in a similar fashion to Whisper where users can post anonymously. However, where it differs is that it is based on ‘give gratitude’ and ‘get inspiration’ themes. The former option will allow you to send thank-you notes to your friends while the latter will get you an assortment of inspirational quotes from the likes of Thomas Edison and Audrey Hepburn. There is also a personal photo journal where you can add your photos or posts and maintain it.
#8 Babbly
Babbly allows its users to share their thoughts with their friends – anonymously. The app developers mention that it is a great way to express your thoughts and connect to the world. You will also be able to know what the people around you are thinking. You would be able to join groups or even create personalized ones if you want to share with a specific group of people. Since it doesn’t have any reviews on the app store, it looks like we will have to wait to see how it turns out.
#9 Viper
Viper is an anonymous located-based app. Users can post their thoughts related to where they currently are. This could be at your home, your college or school, a restaurant, a game, or anywhere. When the user moves away from the area, the post disappears as well. It is a unique idea and is likely to be a hit once it catches on. As of now, most of the time, all you will see is a blank area and a map with no one sharing anything.
#10 Backchat
According to the app store, “Backchat is a communication tool designed for those of us who can’t wait to find exciting and original ways to chat with our friends and have a good time.” The stunning part about this app is that it was developed by a 14-year-old. Only users who are connected via Google Plus or Facebook would be able to send messages to each other. However, these messages would be anonymous. If you want a clue to your sender’s identity, you can buy the clues for $0.99 each. This is not a great idea if you are looking for a true anonymous app since your identity could be revealed for less than a dollar!
# Bonus – WUT
WUT is a social app. You can send a message on WUT which is received by all your Facebook friends using the app. While they will know it is someone from their friends list, they might not be able to figure out exactly who it is. Once the message is seen on the receiver’s lock screen, it disappears.
