Remember the Bondee social networking app? You may have left your lil avatar in the same clothes for months and your thoughtfully decorated room collecting dust, but the app is back with a major update. We were all hooked on posting animated updates and visiting our friends’ virtual rooms for a hot minute, but this new version of Bondee packs lots more to do.
Using augmented reality (AR) technology, your mini-me will get to interact with the real world. There’ll also be mystery boxes hidden in IRL spaces for you to cop for your in-app inventory. And Bondee wouldn’t be the same without your plaza of friends, so say hello to new ways to make plans and hang out, both on- and offline.
AR is pretty rare when it comes to social apps, so brace yourself for some cool new features that’ll really inspire you to get outside and touch grass – as the young’uns would say.
A big part of Bondee’s appeal is the ability to create a cute virtual avatar and have it represent your style. With the new update, you can level-up that experience by taking your meticulously made-over avatar and plonking it into real-world settings using the BON AR function.
Image adapted from: Bondee
Think setting it to explore your campus, posting updates about your lunch spot of the day, and just letting your avatar be the adorably animated extension of you in general. When you cast your avatar to real surroundings via BON, your avatar will stay put in the location along with the status update that you’ve set.
This means other users who open up BON AR will get to see your avatar frolicking about – how neat! Feel free to make use of the status update function to leave little tips relating to the area, like fun things to do or food reccs. Other users who chance upon your top tips can even throw you a note in gratitude.
For all the effort you’re putting into curating your avatar’s outfit, you can bet your boots that it’s worth flaunting in the real world.
Image adapted from: Bondee
Tapping onto the spanking new AR technology, you’ll now get to chance upon mystery boxes when you use the Bondee app to explore IRL settings. Open up the map view to see the general location of all the mystery boxes near you, so you can go on an adventure to collect them.
Image adapted from: Bondee
These goodies are peppered all around, waiting to be discovered like hidden Easter eggs. In these boxes are clothes and decor to dress up your avatar or your virtual room, giving you an additional way to customise your Bondee experience.
Once you spot it on your screen, just give it a tap to add it to your in-app inventory. Over time, you can see how much your loot of treasures has grown.
They say teamwork makes the dream work, and that’ll apply to your hunt for mystery boxes too. Besides just regular boxes, there are also box bundles which require 2 Bondee users to pick them up at the same time. This means you can employ the help of a buddy, or even meet new friends on the app by seeing who’s online at the time to lend a helping hand.
Another major reason as to why Bondee took off like wildfire since its initial launch is the community aspect. We’re all social creatures, after all. There’s something so simple yet exciting about getting to interact with your friends from different circles, all conveniently congregated on one virtual plaza.
Don’t mind me, just blasting my Bondee friend with a tidal wave of gummy bears to say hello.
With this new update, the app can now accommodate a whopping 200 friends max in each user’s plaza. Social butterflies no longer need to fret that they can’t add all their pals to gallivant online.
And you won’t be limited to virtual interactions, either. A nifty function of the new Bondee app is the chat tab, where you can also create groups. Add your contacts and you’ll be able to set up a real-time discussion with the squad, complete with the option to create events. See all the event info at a glance, and collect RSVP responses from the attendees conveniently in-app.
Image adapted from: Bondee
All too often we hear about plans not making it out of the group chat. With the Bondee events function, planning for outings just became a lot more fun. Plus, it’s quite the incentive to move plans along when you see you and your friends’ mini-mes already having a jolly time in the virtual plaza. Not me being FOMO over my Bondee self!
The official Bondee platform will also be launching real-world events via the app in the future, allowing like-minded users to meet each other IRL and make merry through their avatars. These could range from Bondee pop-up stores selling exclusive merch to special promos with partners you know and love, so keep an eye out. You’ll even get to redeem in-app rewards while you’re at it.
“Get off your phone and go outside!”
Well, what if being on our phone is the reason to venture outside and explore the great unknown? With Bondee’s new suite of functions ranging from the mystery boxes to the ability to create group events with fellow users, you now have plenty of reason to head out and about, app in hand.
Just make sure to be aware of your surroundings while you’re navigating the BON AR function, ‘cause it’s never cool to bump into strangers at crowded places or worse, teeter a smidge too close to traffic, for the sake of copping a mystery box.
Other than that, juice up your phone and off you go. You can now safely say that an app is the reason for you to get off your tushy, head out the door, and soak in all that glorious fresh air and vitamin D. In the process, you get to show off your unique avatar which you’ve lovingly dressed to the nines. And as a bonus, some mystery boxes await. How’s that for motivation?
This post was brought to you by Bondee.
Photography by Doreen Fan.
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