Introduction: Why Another Nearby Discovery App?
Traditional social networks are optimized for permanent connections and algorithmic feeds, while modern dating apps rely heavily on endless swipe decks. When you travel to a new city, work out of a local cafe, or attend a tech conference, you often don't want a heavy social network—you just want to know who is nearby, what vibe they share, and have a zero-friction way to break the ice.
This was the motivation behind SayHi: Wave Nearby, a native iOS application built entirely in Swift and SwiftUI.
Key Architectural Decisions
1. Interactive Proximity on MapKit without Performance Bottlenecks
Using MapKit's latest SwiftUI declarative Map APIs in iOS 17 and iOS 18:
- Clustered Annotations: Dynamic annotation clustering ensures that in dense urban areas, rendering 100+ avatar pins does not trigger main-thread hitches.
- Dynamic Camera Framing: Seamless camera easing between localized neighborhood zoom and regional discovery.
2. Privacy-Preserving Fuzzed Coordinates
User privacy is paramount when building location-aware software:
- No Precise GPS Over The Wire: Exact latitude and longitude coordinates are never stored or broadcast.
- Sector Randomization: Coordinates are quantized and fuzzed into randomized grid sectors (~200m radius), computing approximate proximity without revealing exact buildings or residences.
3. The Wave Mechanism: Casual, Low-Pressure Interaction
Instead of cold messaging or forced matching:
- Users tap to send a Wave!
- A wave triggers a fluid, hardware-accelerated spring animation using SwiftUI's PhaseAnimator.
- When both users wave at each other, an ephemeral chat opens up.
4. Vibe-Based Intent Filters
Users can toggle explicit intentions in real time:
- Grab Coffee
- Explore the City
- Workout / Gym Partner
- Casual Conversation
Try It on iOS
SayHi is currently live worldwide on the App Store:
- Download on App Store: SayHi: Wave Nearby
- Tech Stack: 100% Swift, SwiftUI, MapKit, CoreLocation, Combine/Async-Await.
Would love to hear feedback from the developer community on location clustering, privacy design, and SwiftUI ergonomics!
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