Timeleft: An App To Expand Your Circle Of Friends
Have you heard about the Timeleft app? Already present in more than 40 cities in Europe, this mobile application uses an algorithm to organize dinners between compatible strangers. This concept, which aims to be much more enriching than a simple dating app, allows you to expand your circle of friends through moments of conviviality.
What is the concept of Timeleft?
As paradoxical as it may seem, the mobile application Timeleft aims to remedy the loneliness caused by screens and algorithms in our lives... with other algorithms!
Let's clarify right away that this new tool does not present itself as a dating app. Its goal is broader, as the idea is to meet people with whom we share common interests but would probably never encounter in real life. This application uses matching to organize dinners between strangers with compatible character traits.
It may seem strange to go to a restaurant with people you don't know at all. And yet, this application is gaining more and more followers. Another proof, if ever there was one, that isolation is a real problem in our modern societies...
Who created Timeleft?
This dating app unlike any other was created in 2020 by Maxime Barbier in partnership with Adrien de Oliveira.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Maxime was in Australia, but he was able to gauge the impact of the first lockdown on his friends who stayed in France. During this period, this global upheaval prompted everyone to reflect on the meaning they wanted to give to their lives and what they wanted to do with the time they had left, hence the name of the application "timeleft"!
After initially imagining a platform where people share their dreams by making lists, Maxime evolved this concept into a dating app based on shared dreams and experiences. Today, this app is based on a simple idea: human connection is essential to combat loneliness and depression in big cities.
How does the Timeleft application work?
Timeleft is a paid application. To participate in a dinner with five other people, you must either pay for an individual ticket (priced at €12.99 in 2024) or subscribe to a membership.
In 2024, the subscription plans offered on the platform are:
• Monthly subscription at €19.99 per month.
• Quarterly subscription at €49.99 every three months.
• Semi-annual subscription at €69.99 every six months.
The above rates correspond only to the price of the application, meals not included. The app allows you to access a restaurant meal every Wednesday evening, which you will, of course, have to pay for on-site at the end of the evening.
For the application's algorithm to find people with whom you share interests, you must also create an account and take an online personality test. You will need to indicate your age, occupation, astrological sign, and some of your personality traits.
Answer the questions as sincerely as possible so that the application can determine your profile and match you with other guests. If you play along honestly, you will find yourself at the table with people who share common points with you, and you will logically have more things to talk about...
Is the Timeleft app working well?
According to the testimony of journalists and users who have tested the Timeleft app in the cities where it has been deployed, the matching algorithm of this platform works quite well.
If you think a robot is not capable of determining affinities between people, you might be amazed by the result. During these restaurant evenings, strangers who find themselves at the same table discover many common points and mutual affinities.
After the inevitable stage of introductions, the conversation starts quite naturally and becomes increasingly fluid as the evening progresses. In summary, this application can give you a real boost to expand your circle of friends and more if affinities... Moreover, according to the app's statistics, between 900 and 1000 people around the world dine together every Wednesday evening and get to know each other thanks to this tool.
What are the strengths of the Timeleft application?
Since its launch in Portugal in May 2023, and then in Paris in September 2023, the Timeleft app has continuously gained followers and expanded its member network.
Users' enthusiasm for these gatherings around a restaurant table can be explained by several factors:
• The app organizes group meetings of 6 people, which avoids the sometimes awkward dynamics of a one-on-one date. It is not a dating app but a social meeting app!
• The app allows you to discover both new people and good restaurants. So, even if you don't stay in touch with all the participants, you will at least have spent a pleasant evening in a nice and friendly atmosphere.
• This group dinner format is safer for women, who are, incidentally, the majority among the app's users.
• The app is open to everyone. The 30-50 age group is the majority, but everyone has a place at the table: you just need to want to meet people. To quote founder Maxime Barbier: “Meeting strangers is like reading books, it opens up stories and new horizons.”
