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Built a privacy-first social battery tracker (no email, instant friend pairing via link sharing)
(socialbattery.space)
this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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Technology
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Good questions! And thanks for sharing your experience here. Much appreciated.
Here's how it works:
Offline status: Right now, friends see your last set level indefinitely. No timeout yet, but you're right that an "offline/last seen X hours ago" indicator would be useful - adding that to the list.
Nickname privacy: Yeah, the username is in the share link by design. The nickname is more for personalization (some people prefer going by a different name with friends) rather than privacy. Per-friend nicknames is an interesting idea though.
3.Keeping it updated: Fair concern. I'm betting people who actually need this will keep it current. But it is homework to do, for me as well. I'm thinking about the notification option, though I don't want to be too intrusive in a world of constant popup notifications. The key is finding the right balance.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown of the flow, super helpful for people deciding whether to try it. I didn't post it myself as I thought it would spoil the experience of discovering something new and fun.
Regarding spoiling the fun, were this a world without enshitification and/or corporate malfeasance that might be a good consideration. For the world we currently actually DO live in, my initial reaction is usually one of mistrust - and I strongly suspect I'm far from alone in that.
As such, I normally might've not ventured forth with exploring your offering, but instead waited for someone to give me more of an idea what I was walking into before potentiality giving out information I didn't want to inadvertently. However, at the moment I came across your post I guess I was feeling gregarious enough (and less concerned with this identity since I've only recently created it) to toss my normal inhibitions aside, and share the kind of info I myself would have been wanting to see before taking the risk.
TL;DR: There are an number of psychological factors at play here as well as real-world concerns, so IMHO the more up-front you are in letting potential users know what to expect, the more comfortable they'll be with giving it a shot. They'll also be better informed about what to look for in features they might not have otherwise discovered with a quick spin.
I totally understand your concerns - to be honest, I share that same mistrust of how things work online these days. That’s exactly why I built this to be as anonymous as possible, with no data collection at all.
You’re right that I need to be more upfront, though. I’ll take your advice and be much more precise in explaining the mechanics next time so people know exactly what they’re getting into. Really appreciate the feedback and for taking a chance on it anyway!