Down to Lunch
By Neilie Johnson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Buggy social scheduling OK, aimed at college kids.
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Down to Lunch
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What’s It About?
DOWN TO LUNCH is a simple social-networking app that gives you a quick way to get together with friends. Its group, invite, chat, and map functions make it easy to coordinate spontaneous meet-ups by drawing upon your cell phone contact list and your contacts' geographic locations. The app lets you choose from among premade categories such as "Down to Coffee" or "Down to Beer Pong," or you can create your own. You also can create custom groups and urge friends to download the app via Facebook, messaging, and email.
Is It Any Good?
The app has passable functionality but lacks the sophistication of a true scheduling or chat app and has features that are meant for older teens and adults. It's definitely aimed at a very specific demographic -- college kids -- to recreate the "dorm room experience" that lets friends in close proximity spontaneously socialize. Though this has made the app explode across college campuses (and could be equally effective among high school kids), it makes it impractical for adult users. In light of that, it's odd that many of its built-in meet-up options involve adult activities such as going to bars. The app's chat and map functions work pretty well, but bugs prevent it from consistently doing simple things like adding a profile picture or connecting to Facebook. It's just not practical or fun to use unless everyone you know is using it. Also, it contains a half-hearted reward system that gives you points for pestering people to download the app but doesn't say what those points are for. Parents might also be concerned about the app collecting contact and location info. Overall, Down to Lunch is just what its creators have said it is in interviews: a quickly created, no-frills scheduling tool made by two guys in a single day that's best for college kids and adults.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about safe usage of meet-up apps like Down to Lunch. If a contact you don't know very well is asking to hang out, under what circumstances would it be safer?
Discuss how much personal information should be shared via social networks. What's the danger in broadcasting your cell phone number?
Think about how social networking affects time in-person. Do you spend more time with your friends online than you do face-to-face?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: August 26, 2015
- Category: Social Networking
- Publisher: Nikil Inc.
- Version: 1.72
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
- Last updated: November 29, 2021
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