Here's what you need to know about social networking app Bondee
If you've spent any amount of time on social media, specifically Twitter, you've probably seen the word Bondee on the Philippine trends for a number of days now. At the time of this writing, for instance, the topic is fourth in the trending topics with more than 60,000 tweets.
A couple of celebrities have also tweeted about Bondee, such as model and social media personality L.A. Aguinaldo and most prominently, vice-presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan.
spending more time fixing my room in Bondee than in real life
-- L.A. Aguinaldo (@LAAGUINALDO) January 26, 2023
Sayang wala pang pagkain sa Bondee pic.twitter.com/KVo3Y3m272
-- Kiko Pangilinan (@kikopangilinan) January 28, 2023
But what exactly is Bondee? NME reports that Bondee is a social networking app developed by Singapore-based tech firm Metadream, which bills Bondee as a “next-gen social app” that features customizable 3D-animated avatars. It was launched just last week, January 17.
On the Bondee website, users are invited to “redefine” themselves by designing their “digital twin” and “live” with their friends in the virtual space of the app. Through its digital spaces, users can “share moments, experience new places together, and gossip” wherever they may be.
The website's About Us page also states that Metadream has product development and operations teams based in Japan and South Korea, as well as three independent data centers in Singapore, Japan, and the United States. The company also claims that plans are in place to set up regional operations centers in Thailand and the Philippines.
How to get on Bondee
If you're interested in using Bondee yourself, it is easily downloadable on both the App Store and Google Play Store. Once you've got it on your phone, you need to register it using your mobile number and a password.
Once that's done, you will get to customize your avatar, with the range including clothing, facial features, accessories, and even animal companions. Users of the app have compared it to other games like Animal Crossing, Habbo Hotel, and Club Penguin, which all had similar features.
Since Bondee also has a social networking aspect, current users can add up to 50 friends either by searching for their usernames or scanning a QR code. Once you've added friends, you can chat with them either through the usual texting feature or using customized emojis and actions.
Bondee is also an NFT app
NFTs are a touchy subject, with more environmentally-concerned users pointing out the damage that such a technology could bring to the environment. As such, those looking to use Bondee should be aware that the app has an NFT and blockchain element.
As NME notes, the app's privacy policy states that Bondee users can “create a blockchain-based wallet on the public blockchain within the platform.” As it is only a little over a week since its launch, it is still unclear what Bondee's NFT offerings will be.
Credit card misuse?
The Straits Times in Singapore also reports that users of the app have expressed hesitation to continue using the app after screenshots spread on Singaporean Twitter alleging that the app caused one user to lose SG$88 or P3,650 based on current exchange rates.
The Straits Times contacted Metadream for comment but has not received a response, although the company put out a statement on its Instagram Stories stating that the rumors are “false and untrue.” The company also declared that it would “take the necessary actions against the perpetrators of such misinformation.”
MEANWHILE, TAKE A LOOK AT CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF FAKE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS IN THE GALLERY BELOW.
