Sonar: create worlds together for iPhone

App overview

Sonar is a social app for iPhone that lets people gather in shared virtual rooms to hang out, listen to music, play games, and chat. Available at no cost and built by Sonar Inc., it focuses on live, casual interaction—more like bumping into friends at a party than a traditional messaging app.

Key capabilities

• Create private or public virtual rooms and invite friends to join.
• Walk in and out of conversations naturally, mirroring in-person social flow.
• Use a variety of expressive text reactions and hidden sound clips to convey mood.
• Drop emoji icons to shape the atmosphere of a space and signal vibe quickly.
• Share music with friends by placing a radio emoji in a room, enabling synchronous listening.
• Launch mini-games and other interactive activities inside rooms.

Types of community hangouts

• Tea houses and chill lounges for low-key listening and conversation.
• Arcades and game rooms designed for interactive play and lively meetups.
• Festival-style stages and pop-up events that recreate larger-party energy.

How people listen and interact

Users can tune into different atmospheres depending on the room. By adding a radio emoji, someone can start playing a track for others in the space. Typical listening scenarios include:

• Podcasts and spoken-word streams for group listening or discussion.
• High-energy EDM sets for dancing and party-style rooms.
• Relaxed lo-fi playlists for study vibes and mellow hangs.

Recommended alternative

• Rave — Watch Party (Free)