Slowly: Make New Friends Reviews

by Lems815

I am a young introverted American woman, and was excited to find Slowly last year. However, I must urge caution before you download Slowly! People are NOT who they claim to be. Every correspondence has ended suspiciously after a time. Many people ghost after a few letters. Other correspondences suggest a darker side to Slowly . For example, I started talking to “Sebastian” in Sept 2020, who claimed to be a 36-year-old man in Germany, working as a pilot. After 2 months of writing long letter to each other every day, he vanished. I was hurt to be ghosted, but I understood that life changes. 3 months later, that same account now claims to be a young woman in Serbia with all different details. I believe that this is either a case of catfishing, misleading me and and others about their true identity, or possible scammers with malicious intent. I reported this to the this app support team, and received a very neutral and unsympathetic response. To vulnerable people, especially - please be careful!!! You DO NOT know who you are really talking to, or who the creep writing back truly is. I am devastated, and feel deceived and betrayed, and my anxiety about the whole mess is off the charts. Slowly is UNSAFE! User BEWARE!

by Xegyn

I started using Slowly about a month ago and so far I’ve been loving it! I’ve communicated with different people from different countries and the it’s fascinating to connect with people with different backgrounds and find your similarities and differences. It’s a great way to learn about the culture of places (that you’ve never been to) from a local. So far all of my pen pals have been really friendly and I look forward to receiving letters from them!
A few things that can make Slowly better on the iPad are 1) support for horizontal mode and 2) a larger pinned view.
This is mainly a reading and writing app so the iPad app should really support landscape view because that is how you are spending most of the time, typing on the keyboard.
The pinned view shows the last received message that you are replying to, but on the iPad it’s tiny and the height is not adjustable, so it requires a lot of scrolling up and down in a tiny view.
I think those are the 2 pain points using Slowly regularly but other than that, love it!

by Nickviewtime

Dear this app,

Please add automatic or manual rotation on iPad. It's a MUST. It's necessary. It's crippling not to have it.

➡️Update: there is now a toggle on settings to turn landscape mode on/off.
Going from three stars to four ;p
Well done!

Previous review ⬇️

This is a good app. This is a wonderful app to make connections around the world. One of your House Rules is to never ask for contact info. That's wrong. On your website you say/imply that the purpose of Slowly is Dating. How is one supposed to communicate via this app (all) the time? No. Just NO. Nonsense. Let me tell you something else. Don't even think about adding chat to Slowly just to keep people inside. No.

I'm one of those users/customers that spends money. I'm pretty sure that I have spent around $25 buying stamps. Maybe more. Only to find out that it doesn't make a difference. Only the accomplishments ones are effective IMO. So get more of those. Maybe.

So here is my main proposal. Add a feature that give users the freedom to request contact information like... a phone number without fear of being block or cancelling their account. Unless they get reported for harassment, of course. For this... Freedom of Contact Request feature.... charge a dollar. Or two. Make it accesible so many people will use it.

by Palishthi

Whoever created Slowly thank you genuinely from the bottom of my heart, I’m emotional-I really mean it!! Slowly is the real deal but that being said, it takes effort to get to know each other. Our culture today is so much about ghosting or flaking out! I have downloaded countless friendship apps and it’s a week of instant chatting never to hear back again or many apps is anxiety inducing because of picture and people wanting to talk to you just because of how you look! Sometimes I get reached out just because of how I look, and nothing else, it’s frustrating :( I have always craved wholesome, deep and genuine friendships and this is the first app where I feel like I’m connecting with real people. The avatars are so cute and people are on this platform because they too crave real friendship which is a win win! I’m really grateful to the creator of Slowly, it’s so innovative to bring pen pal into a modern app! I have been feeling lonely and depressed during quarantine but tbh my whole life and Slowly actually gives me hope!! I hope Slowly continues to stay have a free version! I have met a few incredible people already and I can’t wait to make friends all around the world!

by Geoge947

In the age of Coronavirus and technology being the only source of livelihood and human connection, Slowly has been a great way to connect with people. It’s great to just talk to people without the likes and the followers and the creeps. We are more alike than we think. I’ve been able to cope more being in the house speaking to “strangers” from around the country and the world than speaking to people in my own house. This is not the case for everyone, but for people who can’t speak to the people around you this is a great app. I love writing anyways and this is great practice. Most of these people are friendly and just wants someone who understands them and to simple listen. I love Slowly and have recommended it to everyone I know. Use it! It is mentally beneficial if you don’t have the right people around you.

by WishingStar525

I love Slowly but have a suggestion! Change Hide User and Remove User. I found out the hard way they do different things. You should change Hide User to Archive. Change Remove User to a Delete Message. I like to delete messages after I a, but thought a new message would still pop up if I marked it as Removed. I was wrong. Removed basically blocks new messages from coming through. I just went through and undid all the removed messages and ended up with 17 new messages I never saw! So a simple word change could have fixed that! Now I’m replying to old messages and wondering if others have had this problem?

by Faramit

Slowly really is what it says it is! There’s no using it and then realizing there’s a catch to make money or a ton of advertisements. You become pen pals with people around the world, and I love how it actually takes time for messages to “travel” depending on distance. It’s a novel feature for us who are so used to instant messaging. It seems that Slowly ’s only way to make money is when you buy different kinds of stamps if you want to get fancy with the stamps (which I very well might!). My advice for those using it is to not overwhelm yourselves with a large amount of pen pals. They can keep adding up until you select your profile setting that closes you from receiving more letters.

by Rinoza3389

Slowly was one that quickly became one of my favorites, and shortly after that became my way of communicating with some of my favorite people! The avatars are really cute, and I love the lack of pressure to be attractive and sound super interesting. The fact that you have to wait to receive your letters is so amazing and really gives the pen pal feel. Although most of the time the wait isn’t actually that long, especially compared to if you were to send a physical letter. I can honestly say I’ve made some real connections with people who I consider to be some of my best friends.

One thing I will note is that the age range can be kinda big for some. The lowest range you can have is ages 0-20, which is okay when you’re on the higher end of the range but I can see that getting a little weird for ages 13-16. Obviously there’s a way around this by turning off auto match and just searching manually (which is probably what I would do anyway since I enjoy scrolling through all the bios) but that kind of ruins the point of having the easy auto match feature for some.

Outside of that, Slowly is 100% amazing and you honestly can’t find something like it anywhere else.

by RTB24

I didn’t know what to expect going into using Slowly. I never leave reviews but honestly for this one I have to. I thought the whole “waiting for messages to deliver and send” was gonna be gimmicky but I have to say after the conversations I’ve had and the connections I’ve made, I believe in Slowly way more than I expected to. In a world where we’re so used to instant gratification, nothing makes me happy like waiting for new messages to appear. It has made me be mindful of actual conversation again. Definitely download this if you want try something new. Just be aware it doesn’t happen all right away, this first couple hours of having Slowly are a definitely a patience test, but see through it

by Kuyeduwu.rick

I have to say this is a really great app.
I always thought, things go fast nowadays, you write to someone “I love you” and in the next second, you could receive either “love you too” or you found you were in his/her blacklist, we always get immediate answers, but something is missing.
We don’t need to pick words carefully because we can correct in the next second.
We feel less excited for arriving message because we never waited for long.
We feel less connected because we have nothing to share because we are sharing time to time and we are tired of sharing.
I missed the time that holding pen in hand but don’t know which word to use, which story to tell.
I missed the feeling that throw the mail in the box and imaging where it arrived everyday.
I missed the feeling that find one mail to me, the nervous and exciting when open it.
All your friends are on WeChat, on Facebook, on Twitter, even if you want to write, you can write to no one.
But lucky enough, I found Slowly, well done!
Besides, I’m a developer too, if the author find it’s difficult or don’t have enough time, maybe I can help, but only with the approval from the author.

by Dj Disc

In December 2018, I deleted all of my social media accounts. I had thought that social media would help me deepen my relationships, but that’s not how it worked. I downloaded this app to see if I could develop genuine connections with others the way I thought social media was supposed to. A year later, I’m still communicating with people on the other side of the world and preparing to visit two of my pen pals in New Zealand and Australia in a few days.
Slowly is easy to use, and I appreciate how simple and uncluttered it is. It has all of the features it needs, and it doesn’t have advertisements or subscription fees. I enjoy supporting the developers by sending them a coffee or buying new stamps. It’s an app designed for its purpose, not for making money. Cannot recommend enough.

by Payton P..

I rarely write reviews, but I enjoy Slowly so much. It’s great to have meaningful conversations with people who really do want to talk to you. I’ve talked to people from all around the world, in multiple languages, about different topics, but I have never had a scam or felt violated in any way. I have several pen pals who we have sent 10+ letters and correspond daily. I use Slowly every day and it really helps me vent. I get excited counting down the minutes until a letter arrives. There are people with so many different interests on this app. 15/10 Highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a pen pal. I have used other services and this is 100% the best. Easy to use, secure, great. Thank you this app team!

by Lizzie Modern

I've had an interest in pen pals since I was a kid in the '90s, and have sporadically dabbled in it here and there. I use a site that was pretty good for awhile, but has quickly went downhill as it's just become a popularity contest based on people's looks -- which is the main problem of a lot of social apps, of course. this app, though, takes that out of it by letting you just create an avatar and everything else is solely based on who you are as a person. It's a really refreshing way to randomly meet new people, and I really love the timed message aspect as it simulates the wait for a real letter. It's just been a lot of fun so far and only a few days into it I've already gotten a handful of really nice messages. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to have meaningful conversation and make new friends in different places.

by LaughingK

It’s a very good app, aesthetically pleasing, it doesn’t give constant notifications over nothing like some particular apps out there, and in my personal opinion I find Slowly to be safer as opposed to actual mailing and whatnot, (and as fun as physically mailing may be I’m sure dealing with the post office and post cards and never knowing if they actually got it has to be a bit worrying from time to time.) and unlike actual penpal-ing via postcards and whatnot there’s no need to give addresses and the sort, as that can be the sort of thing to worry about.

However, there’s a few cons, to me they’re nothing major but some might find it a pet peeve, one of which how long it takes to send and receive letters, which at first can be a bit of a hassle, especially if it’s your first time having a penpal, but it’s the same as if you were to actually send a letter, excluding the bumps in the road whether the post offices make a mistake or they take their time sending things or what.

One for me is some of the stamps in the stamp store requiring actual money (however the price is very low so?) to get them, but I understand that Slowly and it’s creators require a bit of income and it’s not as if not buying them will affect your time on Slowly . I just wish there were ways to acquire a few of the stamps other than by paying.

All in all it’s a very nice app!!

by Srnprz

Even before covid, I had a hard time making friends because I’ve always been super introverted and have never been into the social media craze. So I thought why not, this seemed like a cool app, I can just delete it if I don’t like it. Well, I have been pleasantly surprised since the start. It is genuinely what it says it is, and within the first week of using it I’ve exchanged letters with people not only from different parts of the world but people in my country that are far away too. I really like that you create an avatar, not a picture, because it really attracts people that want to talk and be friends based on what you have listed as interests and a bio, not just people that are superficial. The stamps are cute, Slowly is user-friendly, and it is truly the 21st century version of a pen pal. I really do recommend Slowly if you’re looking to connect with people.

by Bethgrace2020

I saw a girl on twitter talking about Slowly and I downloaded it immediately! Slowly takes penpals to a new level! You can put in your interests and find people who have them in common or randomly get matched with someone! I have a few different penpals from within my country, and a few from across the world. It’s a way for me to have human interaction without leaving the house, so it’s keeping sane during this quarantine. I am living the people I’ve met so far and I’m looking forward to getting to know them even better. I have a hard time making friends since I don’t live on campus in college, so this has helped me find people my age who are into the same things!

Some things I recommend: have your age displayed, I like to have 3 to 5 questions in your profile bio for people to answer when they write you to get the ball rolling, always include some questions and answer them yourself.

Download it for real!!

by Plamennnn

I’ve only been on Slowly for a few days but I already love it. I was searching for a place to find pen pals and learn about new people and places along the way. Typical websites for this thing take a quick turn south because many will use it for dating. this app makes you create an avatar to keep the focus on communication for getting to know someone better. I really love that! I think the fact that each letter takes hours to arrive depending on where in the world they originated is amazing too because sometimes when communication is instant.. it can feel overwhelming to write back to so many people that you lose sight of the main purpose. I find Slowly to be therapeutic as well since I take my time to write to the other person and explain a lot about life on my side of the world. It’s also a lot of fun to hear what the other person has to say. I imagine that some of the friendships started on here will last quite a while! Thank you.

by Lín王

Slowly has surely become one of my all time favorites and I’ve been using it for almost a year now. I’ve met so many fantastic people and learned about different counties and cultures... the informational value of Slowly and connecting with other people speaks for itself. However, the one thing I would improve is the age restriction function. Currently, the only group you can choose if you’re a minor is 0-20, however as someone who isn’t of age yet I don’t feel comfortable conversing with people who are 18+ years and I wish the search function commemorated that by adjusting so that minors can only speak with other minors if they so wish to. It’s not like I’ve encountered any people who have made me uncomfortable myself, I just find it a bit harder to relate to people who are in a different stage of life than I am and wish to find people who are similar to me, especially in age. Other than that, this app is the perfect app :)

by Mntharp22

I always wanted a pen pal as a kid, so when I found Slowly, I knew I had to try it. Within my first day of getting Slowly , I found four people I wanted to get to know and three of them actually wrote back to me! Since then, I’ve made many more friends and I’ve kept conversations going for over a week now. I’m really learning a lot about other countries and cultures. It’s like going to social studies class, but with more social and less studies. I actually like the fact that the letters take time to send because believe it or not, it keeps the conversation alive. Since you can’t instantly reply, you don’t run out of things to talk about as easily and you can take time to say what you really want to say. It also gives you something to look forward to during the week. The only thing I have a problem with is the age range slider when your looking for pen pals. I wish you could go less than 20 because I’m several years younger, and I don’t want to get results for 19 and 20 year olds when I’m trying to meet people around my age. Otherwise I love Slowly !

by Kmarcumb

I remember the days when we would send out pen pal letters in elementary school. The anticipation of waiting for your letters to get to your pen pal, the excitement of getting a letter back from them, just being able to connect with another human... Slowly perfectly recreates those emotions.

Taking out selfies and instead making matches upon common interests was such a smart move. We live in such a visually stimulating world that’s fast paced, but Slowly makes you slow down and genuinely enjoy writing. I was BEYOND impressed and excited when I found out letters send in real geographical time. That is SUCH a cool way to go about it. I love the stamps, too! They’re so cute to pick and choose from. I would love if letters showed up in their own little envelope so that you could actually open them instead of seeing what they say right off the bat.

Slowly is so darling! I recommend it to everyone.

by Midnight_Cobra

Slowly is awesome. as someone in their twenties who grew up sending letters in the mail & who now knows that’s a bit of a lost art, this is an INCREDIBLE take on modern postage. i love it so much!

there are a few things that i think could be better:

- the interface is weak. the overall display looks like it was designed 10 years ago, based on the blue and yellow color choice, and the actual look of it. it could be much more user friendly (bigger, more organized/obvious buttons). maybe you could choose your own button colors on your own profile, similar to how Twitter does that?

- organization of friends. you should be able to organize your pen pals into certain categories - maybe put them into different folders of “best friends” “acquaintances” etc. based on your personal preference. you should also be able to more easily organize/delete them if you want... right from the first pen friends page.

overall though Slowly is awesome. the concept, like i said, is really innovative. i recommend this to everyone who loves writing letters and the excitement of waiting!

by J1416

I saw this on Twitter and due to quarantine I decided to give it a try. I like that we don’t have a picture of us to upload yet at the same time I wish we could as well instead of creating an avatar. It’s cool that there’s an auto match feature but I have yet to use it. One thing I’m a bit iffy about is location. You can see where the letters are coming from, which is nice, but I wish it would still be a bit vague about it instead of show WHERE exactly in the state or country they’re from. It isn’t like Snapchat and the maps are very detailed, but I hope our location is a bit covered. Like saying “the letter is from Florida” but not pinpointing where in Florida. I’ve been enjoying it so far despite that. I have no complaints

by Erik_J_L

This is a simple to use, no frills letter writing app. Writing penpals is a great hobby. It allows you to learn about others around the world at your speed.
The simplicity is what I really like. No sending photos, you have to rely on your ability to express yourself in words. this app is about taking time to send a quality letter to someone. This is easy to do because no one expects an immediate reply. There’s a built in delay, simulating sending a physical letter.
The only additional money requested is if you want different stamps for your letters, or to buy-a-coffee for the developers. In other words, if you like Slowly and want to support it, you can. It’s not a necessity, but I’m happy to do so.

by Autumn Mayhem

I just received my first letter from someone today. It took 2 hours to get here (Slowly let’s you know if someone sent you a letter and how long it will take to get you) and for those 2 hours I was genuinely excited. It’s like receiving a package in the mail! You have something to look forward to. I sent a letter back and they have to wait 2 hours to open it, and I’m sure they’re feeling the same way. The instant gratification of texts and other forms of instant messaging has really damaged connection and meaningfulness. I love Slowly. I think it’s amazing and I really hope more and more people join. It’s definitely an app worth supporting!

by TYPCIAL APPLE CRAP!

I’ve only been on Slowly maybe three weeks and for the most part I am loving it. I’m also very thankful that when you’re responding it is now saved as a draft if you’re unable to complete it to send at that moment. Having lost several started responses in the first few days was quite annoying!

However, a couple other changes I would like to see is the ability to login from a computer without Slowly . It only being available by app negates the creators purpose of trying to get back to a simpler time before the era focusing on instant gratification.

I would also like there to be either a way to set how many pen pals you’re willing to have and someone has to be archived before a new one can enter, or a way to stop or shut off new pen pal letters because it definitely has become quite time consuming.

Anyways, just my two cents worth.

Many kudos to the creator(s) on creating a wonderful app. I am really enjoying the distance delay and flat refuse the many requests to go to texting, or various apps that offer instant messaging.

Have a wonderful day.

by BlackRoseAngel

So, the AppStore lacks a diversity of papal apps, but after finding Slowly I don’t feel that way anymore. Slowly is amazing! At first when I read the description I thought the idea of slowing down digital messages a bit gimmicky, but after using it for about a week I love it. It reminds me of being in elementary school giving my teacher my letter for my penpal all over again! As a developer, myself, I revel in awe of how beautiful the design, simplicity, and functionality Slowly is! I fully intend to buy in app coins to acquire stamps just so I can help support the developer. I love Slowly that much! If you’re looking to make international or even local friends in a penpal-esk way, I cannot recommend Slowly enough!

by Orlagh3

I have pen pals from all over the world through Slowly. Some of them have become great friends! The best thing about letters taking time to reach their destination is that I don’t feel rushed to respond. No one gets offended if I take a week or more to write a letter worth reading.

When the notification lights up that I’ve received a new letter (a feature you can turn off, if you want), I get that same thrill I used to get when I would get a letter in the mail - back when that was a thing.

In-app purchases are completely unnecessary, but I’ve bought a few to support Slowly. Some of the stamps are really cute!