Locket App Reaches Top of App Store

A Rising Star in Social Networking: The Locket App

Recently, a novel social application named Locket rapidly ascended the charts on the App Store. Its innovative concept centers around displaying live photos from friends directly within an iOS homescreen widget. This effectively repurposes Apple’s widget functionality—typically utilized for displaying information such as news updates, weather forecasts, inspirational quotes, or personal photos—into a dedicated, private social networking environment.

The App's Origins and Development

The idea behind Locket originated with Matt Moss, a former scholarship recipient at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference and a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara. Moss had previously been involved in the development of a user research and testing platform known as Hawkeye Labs.

Initially, Locket was conceived as a personal project, not Moss’s primary focus. He explains, “I created it as a gift for my girlfriend last summer.” With her return to school looming, a long-distance relationship was anticipated. Receiving a photo directly on his homescreen, he felt, “seemed like a pleasant way to remain connected.”

The app was constructed over a period of one to two weeks and subsequently used extensively with his girlfriend over the following six months. They exchanged an average of five photos daily. The app’s history feature also provided a convenient means of revisiting shared memories.

From Personal Gift to Public Launch

Friends of the couple soon expressed interest in utilizing the app with their own loved ones. Consequently, Moss decided to release Locket publicly on the App Store.

Launched on New Year’s Day, the app has already garnered over 2 million users. As of Sunday, Locket reached the No. 1 position overall on the U.S. App Store, according to data from Apptopia. It had previously become the top Social Networking app the day before. Apptopia’s data, current as of yesterday, indicates approximately 1 million global installs, with around 31% originating from the U.S.

Viral Growth Fueled by TikTok

Moss attributes Locket’s swift adoption to its viral spread on TikTok. He published videos showcasing the app’s functionality on an official Locket company account, garnering around 100,000 views within a couple of days. Other TikTok users subsequently created their own content featuring the app and its associated sound.

This contributed to a significant surge in the app’s popularity among TikTok’s younger demographic. A video created by a TikTok user in the U.K. amassed over 5 million views in a single day, as noted by Moss.

While app developers often utilize TikTok to boost installs during launch, Moss clarifies that no paid influencer marketing was employed, nor were paid advertisements run on TikTok or any other platform.

Current Status and Future Plans

Currently, Locket maintains its No. 1 ranking on the iPhone’s Top Free Apps chart, driven by its TikTok exposure and the organic growth resulting from early adopters inviting their friends.

To begin using Locket, download it from the App Store and register by verifying your phone number.

The app requests access to your iPhone’s Contacts and Camera for operation. Moss acknowledges that allowing users to invite friends via standalone invitations, bypassing full address book access, would be a more privacy-conscious approach and is under consideration.

However, declining access to Contacts prevents app usage.

After inviting and adding friends, add the app’s widget to your iOS home screen. The widget displays photos from friends as they are shared. The app itself can be launched to send photos to friends’ widgets.

The app’s functionality is relatively straightforward. It lacks advanced camera filters or the ability to upload images from your Camera Roll, focusing instead on real-time photo sharing with a small, select group of up to five friends or family members.

Locket’s rapid success has prompted Moss to consider future development. Plans include the introduction of a subscription model, support for additional widgets, and eventually, an Android version. Whether he will seek external investment remains uncertain.

“We are definitely exploring possibilities,” he states. “We’ll see what happens.”

Moss believes Locket has potential beyond its current widget-based experience, potentially expanding into a broader set of features as users share more photos over time.

“I believe there’s a genuine need in the close friends and family space,” Moss says. “I think people—particularly younger generations—are becoming somewhat weary of apps that are heavily focused on advertising and metrics.”

“Large social circles on apps—with thousands of friends on Instagram, or the need to exchange Snapchats with numerous contacts—can be quite demanding,” he continues. “Therefore, the concept of creating something tailored for a smaller group of five or ten closest individuals, and enhancing the personal feel of your phone, rather than being dominated by apps, resonates with many.”

Competition and User Feedback

Locket is not the first app to offer a collaborative photo widget experience. Magnets, launched in 2020, featured a similar concept, also supporting short text messages. Other competitors include Ekko, Widgetgram, Lettie, Tile Widget, and Fave. However, none have achieved significant widespread adoption.

Locket is currently available as a free download on iOS, but has received a 3.4-star rating. Some users initially struggled with the widget’s functionality or the onboarding process. These issues appeared to be most prevalent during the app’s viral surge, but have since been resolved following testing.