Over the past decade, social media has evolved at a fast pace. Social media acts as a game-changer and plays a vital role in connecting and influencing people in the best possible way.

According to recent mobile development stats, Social media apps have topped the charts of highest downloaded apps. These online platforms are of various types, and the Anonymous social networking applications is one of them.

Developing an Anonymous social networking app constitutes an excellent opportunity to stay ahead of the competitors. This idea entices the dominant audience by leveraging them with multiple advantages.

There was a turning point for this niche after the introduction of applications such as Secret, Facebook Room, Whisper and Yik Yak. These apps quickly captured audiences, meeting the demands of users searching for high privacy levels.

But these anonymous social media apps could not stand out because of some lacking in a business model and also criticized for making room for bullying.

Through this article, I will describe how you can develop a successful anonymous social networking app. So, let's get started!

How to Develop an Anonymous Social Media App

Many anonymous social networking applications have many standard features. Such apps allow users to create an anonymous profile, sharing different kinds of content as public messages.

Additionally, anonymous social apps have to provide some unique advantages to succeed. Here, I have mentioned some ideas to make your app stand amongst the rest.

Geofencing

Geofencing leverages to limit access to in-app content for outsiders, thus lets users create private communities. Besides, the user can join other communities based on their current location.

Multiple applications are developed in such a way that they are restricted in some geographical locations such as schools, offices etc.

By implementing the feature in your app, you will be able to limit their use even in places that are breeding grounds with violent behaviour.

By creating location-based feeds, you allow users of your app to view relevant content that only suits their interests. Therefore, you will be able to engage your users in meaningful networking (however, anonymous).

In-app achievements

Gamification features such as achievement and bonuses are great ways to build engagement and retain your users. Progress within the application (check-in, messages, followers, etc.) can be unlocked through specific measures.

Another great idea is to allow users to share some type of digital gift with each other. You can either develop some kind of in-app currency or enable users to purchase digital gifts through in-app purchases.

Maintain a User activity log

Because of the fact that Anonymous social networks do not require real user information, they can attract online bullies and trolls. This is why the right idea is to keep an activity record for each user ID.

Through this way, you can effectively identify and take down accounts that violate your policies and laws.

If the account of a user is connected to a particular device, the person whose profile was suspended will not be able to reinstall the app and create another profile.

Disappearing content

This is the functionality that your Anonymous social networking app should have. You can set some limits for posts to add an attractive twist to your app. These can be self-deleting messages that disappear as the recipient reads them.

In addition, disappearing content adds another layer to your users' security and anonymity. Once the post goes, it is also deleted from your back office, so there is no way to trace it to the author.

Focus on the specific audience

If you don't want a geographical boundary on your social network, you can target a specific user group. If your customers have something in common, they are more likely to create a robust community within your app.

Furthermore, targeting niche audiences is always a winning strategy when launching an app. This allows you to safely "test the water" and make the necessary adjustments to your product before going all-in.

Content Moderation

Have you heard about Sarahah? An app that was launched in the year 2016. This app was created to leave anonymous messages on other users' profiles. Soon, it has become # 1 in the App Store.

But, there was too much offensive content in the case of Sarahah. As a result, the anonymous app has quickly turned into a favourite place for cyberbully. Hence, anonymity must be two-sided to fend off bullies.

The content generated from users is a nightmare for any anonymous social media platform. Do not worry! You've probably heard of the Whisper social media app, an anonymous network that successfully opposes cyberbullies.

Whisper fends off bullies, all thanks to the app’s focus on comment moderation through both artificial intelligence tools and a human moderation team.

Protect Private Information

Many super secure apps do fail because of specific reasons. Yahoo failed, Uber failed, even the CIA was unable to keep some of its secrets. Calling yourself the world's most secure app will only attract hackers and put your application at risk.

That is why once you approach the concept of anonymity, you should decide what kind of data you want to protect.

What information does your anonymous social media site include and which one refuses to accept? If you want to protect your future users - store as little information as possible.

Safe Communication Medium

No matter how minimal your app is, you have to store some data anyway. For example, an anonymous messenger would need a user ID, contact list, activity history, messages.

To prevent unauthenticated access, you can keep this information encrypted with two keys: public and private. In-app chat API offers a secure communication medium by implementing encryption techniques, utilizing both public and private keys to encrypt and protect sensitive user data such as user IDs, contact lists, activity history, and messages, ensuring that only authorized users can access and interact with the stored information.

The public key is used to decrypt messages and contact names in the chats. But there is also a private key, which can only be used by chat creators to publish new messages.

The name of a conversation can be a public key itself. Hence, anyone who knows the chat name can read it, but only a few can write to it.

Location Anonymizers

There are many ways to determine the location of a user. Using GPS is the most accurate one. The other one is to make use of an IP address.

This method is less reliable, but in combination with the login time and footprint of the device, IP addresses can often be used by authorities for deanonymization.

To face this problem, you can use a VPN network, proxy or software such as Tor, which is against network monitoring and traffic analysis.

Tor protects users by redirecting their communications through a distributed network of relays run by volunteers around the world. If you want a 100% anonymous application, then we recommend looking at Tor direction.

Why are anonymous social networking apps popular?

As social media applications are the fastest growing app category, the development of social networks is a flourishing and profit-making market.

Online anonymity is the current trend of this era. According to the latest research, more than 80% of users want to take advantage of additional privacy while online. There are several reasons for such demands.

Some users hate being directed by advertising. Others simply want to be clear about hackers and various types of fraud, whereas some want to hide their behaviour from government establishments.

Some people are aware of simple tactics to mask online actions. All you have to do is clear your cookies as well as browse history. Fake names and profiles are another common way to hide users' behaviour.

More and more people are eager to have more control over their privacy. The article will be devoted to anonymous social networking app development.

What Type of Anonymous Application do You Need?

As per the research of the Pew Research Center, 55% of internet users are looking for partial anonymity.

The core mission of anonymous social networks apps is to set up a secure and robust online communication. And for doing so, you can contact the Mobile app development company in India. They will guide you through implementing the best functionalities in your Anonymous Social Media App.

Anonymous apps differ from traditional social networks. Here you do not need to make your profile or give accurate and detailed personal information.

These types of platforms are a great bet to express the ideas of users safely. Below is the most valuable information that users need to protect:

• Location of the users when they are online
• Emails Content
• Online chats contents
• Contacts to which users are emailing

Problems to avoid While developing an Anonymous Social Networking App

Although social media app development may seem a low-hanging fruit, there are several things you should consider before starting a project.

• Keep in mind to guarantee the privacy of your users and the confidentiality of content they share. It is the cornerstone of an anonymous social app.
• Take necessary actions to prevent and fight cyberbully. You can either manually moderate the content or implement automated moderation using machine learning and AI. Allow users to mark and report accounts and posts that violate the app's policies.
• When submitting to the App Store and Google Play, be sure to rate your app according to the target audience, you will be focusing.

Bottom Lines

Developing an anonymous social networking app is challenging yet exciting. Thus, knowing how to address users' privacy needs will make your app a great success.

You can hire mobile app developers in India to make Anonymous social media apps a success. They will ensure that your app meets market standards and regulations.

However, when developing anonymous social networking apps, always ensure the customer’s safety.