We talk less and less about how we’re actually feeling, everyone just says “I’m fine” even when they’re not. So I built a tool to make social energy levels visible between friends without needing the conversation.
Tech highlights:
- No email signup (just username + password)
- Instant friend pairing via shareable links
- Real-time status sync
- Mobile-first PWA design
- Quick action buttons (e.g., “ask for coffee”)
How it works:
You share your link → they open it and register → you’re automatically friends and can see each other’s battery levels in real time.
Live at socialbattery.space (works best on mobile, but desktop works too)
Built this because emotional state sharing shouldn’t require a vulnerable conversation every time. Would love feedback from the community.
Quick intro for those wondering how it works:
It does ask for an email first thing, but it’s presented as just an optional backup for your account.
Then comes the explanation I was looking for in my other comment.
Then you’re plopped on this screen:
Settings lets you select a profile picture, nickname (so you can show your real or gamer name presumably, but since your username is part of the link you share it doesn’t do anything for security or privacy), and light or dark mode. ETA: I think the nickname feature should also be on a per-friend level, not global.
I think that should be sufficient to give people an idea what to expect when deciding whether to give it a try.
ETA: I am curious what happens when you don’t have the PWA open. Do your friends just perpetually see what you last selected, or is there a timeout where it’ll just say “offline” (and what is that timeout)?
I’ve made several edits/additions to this throughout, so you may want to scan it for those if you’ve already read this.
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.