Journal

    Notes from the aftrs team. Mostly about nightlife, group chats that don't work, and keeping your location to yourself.

    A torn-paper collage of a silver handbell and an empty speech bubble against a rough yellow shape, suggesting a public announcement nobody asked for.
    Latest · 20 September 2026

    Why does asking “who’s out?” feel so needy?

    There's a tiny moment before you press send where you're putting yourself out there. Here's why we think status beats invitations.

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    A torn-paper spinner collage showing six kinds of afters: shoes at a doorway, a speaker, a pile of clothes, a mattress, a wig and heel, and a coffee cup.
    6 Sept 2026

    Which afters are you? The six types of afters

    Six kinds of afters. You have been at least four of them. Scroll and find yourself.

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    A torn-paper collage of a purple door opening onto a glowing pink after-party room, with an orange path leading inside.
    3 Sept 2026

    What are afters? The after party, explained

    Afters is what happens when the club shuts and nobody wants to go home. What the word means, how they work, and how to find the one your friends went to.

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    A torn-paper collage of a collapsing pile of blank paper speech bubbles with one small green bubble escaping upward.
    30 Aug 2026

    How to plan a night out without the group chat falling apart

    Sixty messages, four gifs, no decision. Why group chats collapse under a night out, and what to do instead.

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    A torn-paper collage of a black door opening onto a glowing turquoise party room with a disco ball and pink dots representing friends inside.
    26 Aug 2026

    Where to find afters in London

    Nobody advertises an afters. How they actually work in London, and how to hear about the one your friends went to.

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    A torn-paper collage of one person standing alone in a purple club room, surrounded by a paper-cut crowd facing away under a silver disco ball.
    19 Aug 2026

    What to do when you lose your friends on a night out

    You turned around and they were gone. Here's what to do in the next ten minutes, in order.

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    A torn-paper collage of a festival crowd at sunset, with a purple flag flying above a ferris wheel, tents and paper-cut people in purple, pink and black.
    12 Aug 2026

    How to find your friends at a festival

    Everyone splits up. It's a festival. The trick isn't staying together, it's being findable when you're not.

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    A torn-paper collage of tangled blank speech bubbles unravelling from a scribble, symbolising Partycast untangling the group chat.
    29 Jul 2026

    Your group chat is broken. We fixed it.

    Partycast is your group chat for the whole night. It stays up to date with the friends you're actually partying with right now.

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    A torn-paper collage of a pile of purple party wristbands with a silver disco ball nestled in the centre, symbolising queer parties becoming mainstream.
    22 Jul 2026

    Why do queer parties get worse when they get popular?

    Every great queer party contains the seed of its own destruction. Here's what actually changes when the crowd gets bigger.

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    A torn-paper collage of a mouth taped shut with pink tape, social media icons crossed out with a bright green X above it, symbolising rejection of phone addiction.
    7 Jul 2026

    Are we all getting a bit bored of being addicted to our phones?

    Phones aren't the problem. It's apps built to keep us scrolling. Here's why the best digital products should help you do something, then get out of the way.

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    A torn-paper collage of a padlock in front of a yellow fingerprint, with two people icons connected by dotted lines, representing private contact matching.
    2 Jul 2026

    How we find your friends without keeping your contacts

    We match your contacts to people already on aftrs without keeping a single address book number. Here's exactly how, in plain English.

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    A torn-paper collage of a teal map pin partially hidden behind a drawn black curtain, with a dotted path leading off the frame, suggesting location privacy.
    24 Jun 2026

    A Find My Friends alternative that respects your privacy

    Find My Friends works. That's the problem. Being permanently findable is weird. Here's what a privacy-first alternative looks like.

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    A crumpled paper scribble unravels into an orange arrow pointing toward a sparkling disco ball, suggesting a messy night out becoming a great one.
    18 Jun 2026

    The best app for nights out (that actually get you to your friends)

    Group chats are where nights out go to die. Here's what a night-out app actually needs to do.

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    Ask us anything

    Questions about the app, privacy, or what we're building next.