Locket (app)
Locket is a photo sharing iOS app that puts your best friends, relationships, and family at the center of your phone through use of Apple's iOS widgets. Locket launched in January of 2022, and the platform passed 1 billion photos shared on the app at the end of July.[1]
Once the Locket app is installed on the phone, users add the Locket widget to their Home Screen. As friends on the app send photos, the widget on the Home Screen changes automatically, so when users unlock their phone, they will see a new picture from friends. Locket was one of the first apps to make use of Apple's new widgets on the Home Screen, specifically for social purposes.[2]
The app is built for close friends, family, and relationships, and Locket keeps the friend count below 20 to keep the content authentic. There are no filters, likes, or follower counts on Locket, and the app gained attention for its simplicity and attention to privacy and meaningful relationships. It has gained significant traction amongst the Gen-Z audience.[3][2]
Background
The founder, Matt Moss, originally built the app as a birthday present to his girlfriend Ava.[4] In an interview with Techcrunch, Matt said:
I built it as a present for my girlfriend for her birthday last summer. She was going back to school in the fall, so we were about to start a long-distance relationship. The process of getting a little photo from her on my homescreen...seemed really appealing. Just a nice way to stay in touch.[5]
As the pair began using the app more and more, each sending around 5 photos per day, they gave it to a few friends who all ended up using the app. After six months of development in 2021, Matt wanted to share Locket with more friends, so he released it on the App Store on January 1, 2022 with an accompanying TikTok.[5]
After the New Year's Day launch, Locket went from a handful of downloads from friends to over 2 million users signing up within two weeks.[5] Locket hit number 1 on the U.S. App Store and hit number 1 in the social networking category as well, ahead of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.[5]
As of August, Locket has raised $12.5 million in funding led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as well as investors Sugar Capital and Costanoa Ventures, along with social industry veterans like Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger and Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo.[1]
Locket on TikTok
The first Locket announcement TikTok created a trend amongst TikTok users that used audio from the song "I Love You So" from The Walters.[2] The TikTok sound has over 6800 videos made in total to date, with #locketwidget having over 100M views on TikTok. Locket benefitted from the TikTok effect, where a viral video featuring the app encouraged downloads. By the end of April, these viral videos helped Locket reach over 15 million downloads.[6]
Features and tools
Platform
Locket has an application for both iOS and Android for use.
Locket Camera
The Locket Camera takes square images using either the front or the back facing camera. Users can double tap on the camera to flip between front or back, and users can zoom, focus, and use flash with Locket.
Invite system
Locket has a friend cap of 20 to keep the platform authentic. To add friends to Locket, users can send a text message with a link to download, or they can send invite links out via integrated platforms like Snapchat, WhatsApp, and more.
History grid
As users send and receive photos on Locket, the images populate a user's History. The History has a grid format showing all past photos, and users can make a video of past photos using the Time Travel feature.
Reactions
For every photo received on Locket, the user can reply to the sender with one of six reactions. The person who originally sent the photo will receive a notification, and the emojis will rain down on the screen. You can send emojis to yourself as well. Reactions are not tracked nor kept on photos.
Sharing out to other platforms
Locket has integrations with Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok where users can share individual photos or full videos created on Locket.
Monthly recaps
At the end of every month, Locket creates a video of your photos sent and compiles a video. That video can be saved to the camera roll or shared to other platforms.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Locket, the popular app that lets you post photos to your loved ones' homescreens, raises $12.5M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rush, Mariah (January 12, 2022). "What is the Locket app? New widget popular with TikTok adds loved ones to homescreen". The News & Observer. Retrieved August 7, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Blancaflor, Saleah. "4 Apps Attracting Gen Z Users With Anonymity & Authenticity". YPulse. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ Molina, Brett. "Locket app for iPhone: How a birthday present turned into one of 2022's most popular apps". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Locket, an app for sharing photos to friends' homescreens, hits the top of the App Store". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ Brown, Dalvin (2022-05-15). "The Rise of Photo Widgets: Portals to Your Friends' iPhone Home Screens". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
External links
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