How I Built ChillMatch — A Real-Time Social App for Finding People to Hang Out With

ChillMatch — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:34:41 +0000

Last year I had a simple problem: I moved to a new city and had no one to grab a coffee with. Dating apps felt wrong — I didn't want a date, I wanted company. Someone to check out a new bar, go for a walk, or hit a concert.

So I built ChillMatch.

What is ChillMatch?

ChillMatch is a mobile app that connects people nearby who want to do the same things — right now. No swiping, no matching based on looks. You pick an activity, see who's around, and start chatting.

It's available on App Store and Google Play.

We also have a Telegram channel where we share updates.

The Tech Stack

React Native + Expo — cross-platform, one codebase for iOS and Android
Node.js backend on Render
MongoDB for data
Socket.IO for real-time features (chat, live activity updates)
RevenueCat for subscriptions
Sentry for crash reporting
Firebase for push notifications

Core Features

Activity-based matching

Users create or join activities — "coffee in 30 min", "looking for a gym buddy", "who wants to check out this new bar tonight". Other users nearby see these and can join or start a chat.

Real-time location

The app shows people and activities near you. Not your exact location — a general area. Enough to know someone's nearby, private enough to feel safe.

Group chats

Every activity has a group chat. You talk before you meet. No awkward blind meetups.

Venue offers

We partner with local bars and cafes to offer exclusive deals to ChillMatch users who show up. Win-win: venues get foot traffic, users get perks.

Challenges I Faced

The cold start problem

A social app with no users is useless. My approach: launch city by city, seed initial activities myself, and focus on university areas where people actively look for new connections.

Permissions on Android

Google Play's policy on photo/video permissions got stricter. I had to remove broad storage permissions (READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, etc.) and switch to Android's system photo picker. Lesson learned: always check the latest policy before submitting.

Moderation

With any social app, safety is priority one. We built automated content moderation, manual review for reported profiles, and strict age verification (18+).

What's Next

Expanding to more European cities
Event discovery integration
ChillMatch Blue — premium features for power users

Try It Out

If you're the kind of person who wants to do stuff but doesn't always have someone to do it with — that's exactly who ChillMatch is for.

I'd love to hear your feedback. Drop a comment or reach out at info@chillmatch.app.

DEV Community: ChillMatch