SOCIAL CONNECTION
Retro and Partiful prove that “small social” is winning app of the year
For more than a decade, the App Store’s biggest awards went to platforms built on scale. Massive feeds. Global networks. Algorithms that rewarded you for posting more, performing more, becoming more.
This year looks different. Retro and Partiful are finalists for App of the Year, and the choice is not symbolic. It marks a clear shift in what people want from technology and what Apple is choosing to celebrate.
Neither Retro nor Partiful is trying to be the next TikTok or Instagram. They are intentionally smaller, more human, more grounded in real life. And the fact that both made it to the finalists list tells you everything about the direction consumer apps are heading.
Retro: Social media without the pressure
Retro took the simplest idea possible and executed it cleanly. It said: what if sharing photos with your friends felt like 2010 again? No algorithms. No creator culture. No stress about aesthetics. You just post your week and see your friends' updates.
It is quiet social media. Slow social media. The opposite of dopamine engineering.
Retro didn’t win because it reinvented anything. It won because it refused to participate in the arms race of attention extraction. Instead of fighting for more minutes spent, it doubled down on giving people less.
A calmer internet. A tighter social graph. A product that respects your mental bandwidth instead of draining it.
That is the new bar.
Partiful: The comeback of IRL
Partiful exploded because it solved a painfully obvious problem. People want to see their friends in real life again, but planning anything is a mess. Group chats die. Google Calendar invites feel like corporate meetings. Facebook events feel like 2012.
Partiful made event planning fun. Vibrant, playful invites. Dead simple attendance flows. Personal touches that actually make people show up. It leaned into culture, humor and personality instead of looking like enterprise software. Even the copywriting feels like it was done by humans who know how actual friend groups talk.
Most importantly, it brought back IRL energy. At a time when every major social app was pushing filters, AI effects and content creation, Partiful grew by pushing people into the world.
The App Store rarely gravitates toward apps that prioritize real-life connection over digital engagement. This year, it did.
Why both apps matter right now
Retro and Partiful succeed for the same reason: the world is exhausted by the old model of social media. People are burnt out, overstimulated and quietly lonely. They don’t want more noise. They want meaning. They want closer circles. They want technology that supports their real life rather than competing with it.
Both apps represent a broader pattern:
Small, private networks beat global feeds
Real friendships beat public follower counts
Authentic moments beat optimized content
IRL hangs beat virtual drama
This is the anti algorithm era. Apple giving a spotlight to both apps confirms that the market is shifting.
What this signals for the next generation of apps
The biggest companies spent a decade building systems that monetized attention. The next decade will reward apps that strengthen relationships, reduce pressure and get out of the way.
If Retro represents “slow social,” and Partiful represents “real life social,” the winners of tomorrow will likely combine three themes:
Small circles
Minimal performance pressure
A direct line to real world connection
Retro nails 1 and 2.
Partiful nails 2 and 3.
Together, they sketch the blueprint for what modern social apps should look like.
The takeaway
The App of the Year finalists are not apps flooding culture with viral content. They are apps strengthening friendships. That is the signal to pay attention to.
Retro and Partiful didn’t win because they were loud. They won because they helped people live better.
Expect more products in 2025 to follow their lead.
