Combine Friendship and Romance With This Double Dating App

The Short Version: Double dating is not only a great way to meet new people, but also to stay safe and comfortable on first dates. The app Fourplay Social combines online dating and in-person social events to make both platonic and romantic connections possible for its users. 

They’re the yin to your yang, the salt to your pepper, the peanut butter to your jelly — no, not your significant other. Your best friend! Although they’re usually one in the same, we’ve all had a platonic friend who is loyal, fun, and trustworthy. Now, you can be each other’s wingmen (or women) through the app Fourplay Social. 

I remember a first (and last) date when my date wouldn’t even look me in the eye. The awkwardness was so potent, I could practically taste it in my linguine. Was I obliviously repulsive? Or was he just shy? Having my best friend by my side, and his friend by his side, may have broken the ice quicker and made the whole experience less uncomfortable. 

Fourplay Social fosters community for people who want to make new connections, romantic or otherwise. Why not do so with your bestie?  “Our users can find ways to get off of the app and go to events and have experiences with their matches,” Julie Griggs, a co-founder of Fourplay Social, told us. 

As the word “four” indicates, the app encourages singles to double date with their trusted best friend by their side. 

When you’re in a comfortable environment, you’re far more likely to relax and open up to a potential romantic connection. You and your BFF can support each other through the process and explore the world of double dating together. 

Fourplay Social started as an app but has grown into a diverse community of daters in search of in-person and online connections. Fourplay doesn’t only connect double daters but provides activities for them in the form of in-person singles events.

These events usually “involve doubles so people can go with their friend,” she told us. The activities and events run the gamut from singles mixers-type gatherings to game nights. 

“We have doubles backgammon and doubles speed dating happening in January,” Julie told us. 

One of the benefits of the in-person events, Fourplay Social’s other co-founder, Danielle Dietzek, told us, is how you’ll start to notice some familiar faces. Before you know it, you’re part of the Fourplay Social community. “We are really trying to create a sense of community for people so they have the option to connect digitally, but can also use our community as a jumping off point for meeting people in real life,” Danielle explained.

Online dating may be convenient, but it also comes with added pressures. “There is the fear of being rejected because you don’t look like you did on your dating app profile,” Julie pointed out.

“‘Are they going to think I catfished them? Did I try to sell the best version of myself?’ If you are using AI to help you create your profile, are you that funny and witty in real life? And so there’s a lot of pressure with dating.”

But at Fourplay’s singles events, people have no choice but to be their authentic selves. “This element of authenticity that Fourplay puts back into the dating scene is really needed,” Julie said. “You can’t pretend to be somebody you’re not in front of a friend. It’s awkward and weird. They’re going to call you out on it.”

She added, “A big thing users have told us is that they feel like they’re getting to know the real person from the get go.” 

Women in the Fourplay Social community can expect events designed specifically for them, Danielle said. “Coming up, we’re going to be doing a confidence and wellness event for women.” Having your best female friend (or friends, plural) with you will only make these events more fun. 

Fourplay Social is dedicated to providing its female-led demographic with important resources to help them feel supported and confident on their dating journeys. “Eighty percent of Fourplay’s [demographic] is women, which is pretty unheard of in this space,” Julie told us.

Why are so many women flocking to Fourplay Social and not to other apps? Fourplay’s emphasis on double dating events probably has something to do with it. 

Ask any 20-something, and chances are they’ve tried their hand at online dating. We all know the risks: Catfish who lie about their identities, people with bad intentions, and even people who try to hurt you. Julie highlighted how so many women feel unsafe going on dates with men they’ve met online. “It shouldn’t be that way,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to fear for our safety. It’s a sad reality.” 

“We believe that the advantage to our platform is that we are actually making the experience of being single one that is fun and enjoyable and not dreadful, because it is not something you need to do alone.”

Fourplay Social is a clever way to stay safe while online dating. With your best friend(s) by your side, you can feel physically safe and emotionally supported. The same goes for your friends and your date. 

Men, too, can feel emotionally safe in the Fourplay Social community. “Men also have an opportunity to feel safer emotionally when they’re with a friend,” Danielle told us. 

“Online dating and dating apps are meant to connect people, but they have actually led to more disconnection than connection,” Julie said. “They make people feel lonelier than ever and pose legitimate safety risks.” 

Fourplay is a direct response to these concerns. “We believe that the advantage to our platform is that we are actually making the experience of being single one that is fun and enjoyable and not dreadful, because it is not something you need to do alone,” Julie explained. 

With your friends by your side, being single doesn’t have to be a slog. If a double date or singles event goes south, you can easily save the night by turning it into a girls or guys’ night out. 

An in-person social event doesn’t only lend itself to romance, but to good old-fashioned friendship, too. “There’s a lot of evidence that supports a difference in men’s relationship with their peers and women’s relationship with their peers as they age,” Danielle said. “Men tend to lose their friendships and spend less time together, whereas women don’t.”

If you find yourself low on friends, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t check out an app like Fourplay Social. One of its primary goals is to create lasting connections, romantic or otherwise. “We’ve been really focused on friendship and giving people the opportunity to do something with their friend,” Danielle said. “That’s something we can offer our users who identify as men.”   

Who knows? You could meet a brand new friend at one of Fourplay Social’s in-person events and bring them with you to your next double date. The key to these events, Julie told us, is to “take away the pressure.” After all, you’re supposed to feel relaxed and safe among friends. 

Obviously, friendships don’t have to have a romantic component to be authentic. But some would say (myself included!) that friendship is a fantastic way to start a romance. In fact, Julie shared how a male participant explained to her why he preferred Fourplay Social’s in-person events to traditional online dating. 

“The [online dating] user base is mostly men,” Julie recalled him saying. He told her how difficult it could be to stand out on the apps and achieve any real engagement. “So [men] look forward to the in-person events, where they have actual facetime with people … who they are interested in dating,” she explained. 

Julie mentioned how focusing on friendship over romance can depressurize the situation and make the events more fun for everyone involved. 

“Take the pressure off of the outcome romantically on the Fourplay date by making it about four single people getting together, and the user and their friend having a night out together,” she suggested. If worst comes to worst, you end the night the way you started: with your best friend by your side. Not bad, right? 

You could meet ‘the one’ at any social gathering, not just on a dinner date or casual hookup. “You should go out with your other single friends and create new memories and enjoy each other’s company in the presence of two other single people that you may or may not connect with romantically, platonically, professionally, or at all,” Julie advised. 

Fourplay Social is planning on expanding to more cities beyond NYC and Boston soon. If you want Fourplay Social to come to your city, reach out to team@fourplaysocial.com. “We’d love to hear from them and have them help us make their city one of the next Fourplay cities,” Julie told us.