A new location-based app connects people together for a comforting cuddle.
Called Cuddlr, the platonic app is for people who just fancy a hug.
Users input their name, picture, detail any “successful and problematic past cuddles”, and browse through profiles.
Once they have found a suitable cuddler, they tap their photo to request a hug.
If you are sent a request, you only have 15 minutes to reply.
The app will then show you real-time walking directions, and you can message details of what you’re wearing, or where you are.
Charlie Williams, the app’s founder, said: “On Cuddlr, you get together straight away, have a little cuddle, and then part ways. If you want to hang out again, you can exchange information then and there– but you already know what kind of cuddles they give.”
And after the hug, you can give a thumbs up, or a thumbs down, if it was a “somewhat too-grabby cuddle”.
The app was created by Williams, along with Montreal-based designer Jeff Kulak and speaker and author Damon Brown.
Williams previously worked on Shazam, developing the “listening” animation, and bringing the music app to iPad.
Explaining the idea behind Cuddlr, Williams said: “Our culture doesn’t have a space for closeness without pressure. The way we talk about meeting and sharing space and contact with someone assumes that it’s centered explicitly around sex and dating, or based on the kind of affection a parent might show a child.
“We’re not getting the right type of contact often enough; we don’t give and get enough hugs. Hooking up is certainly not always a bad thing, but there’s definitely an under-explored time and a place for a more gentle, no-pressure intimacy, and that’s what Cuddlr aims to help with”
Visit their site here.