Locket, a private social platform designed for friends, has found popularity among Gen Alpha users thanks to its new Rollcall feature.
This app allows friends to exchange photos that are displayed directly in home screen widgets. It first climbed to the top of the App Store charts in early 2022 by utilizing Apple’s widget capabilities as the foundation for its social network. Rather than sending updates through push notifications, Locket’s widget refreshes to display the latest photos from friends, encouraging users to open the app and share their own moments in response.
According to CEO Matt Moss, Rollcall follows a similar strategy by transforming Apple’s platform features into tools for social interaction. Moss, a past recipient of an Apple WWDC student scholarship, recognizes that introducing new formats can help attract and engage users.
Rollcall encourages people to post their favorite photos from the previous week, making use of an iOS capability called Live Activities. This feature enables the app to grab users’ attention by displaying updates on the iPhone Lock Screen. Debuting in iOS 18, Live Activities allow apps to provide frequent updates in easily accessible places like the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (the black bar at the top of the display).
Apple originally intended Live Activities to help apps deliver real-time updates—such as tracking your Uber or pizza delivery. However, some developers have found creative uses for the technology, like adding a digital pet to the Dynamic Island or showing live song lyrics on the Lock Screen.
For Locket, Live Activities now serve as a modern alternative to traditional push notifications.
“Every Sunday, your Lock Screen will be taken over by a Live Activity that appears right on your iPhone’s home page,” Moss explained. “It’s similar to the widget in that it uses Apple’s technology to reach users and lets you share moments you might not have otherwise,” he shared with TechCrunch during an interview at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference last week.
This innovative use of technology has already paid off for Locket, which has surpassed 91 million total installs on iOS and Android, according to Appfigures. In the first week after Rollcall launched, the feature generated over a million shares, the company reported.
Moss also mentioned that more than a quarter of the app’s active users now participate in Rollcall each week.
“Live Activity draws people in much more,” Moss noted. “It’s enjoyable because as friends share, it feels like everyone is participating together.”
About 80% of Rollcall’s earliest active users were from Gen Alpha.
The founder observed that Gen Alpha and Gen Z interact with Locket differently.
“The main difference is whether Locket is a companion app or the primary way to connect. Now, many more users see Locket as their main platform for keeping in touch with friends,” Moss said. “They’re sending photos directly and sharing with groups of 10 or 20 close friends. That’s been a significant change for us,” he added.
Image Credits:Locket
With Rollcall quickly gaining momentum, the company is now looking at how the feature could be expanded to support more than just photos. Moss mentioned that adding video is a logical next step, but he’s also exploring ways to include music, favorite locations, or prompts that help users recall their week’s highlights.
Although Locket doesn’t plan to introduce AI-generated photos or videos like those from Sora or Meta AI, the team is considering AI for other uses—such as creating collages or compiling photo memories.
“Even though AI apps can be very attention-grabbing,” Moss said, “there’s something essential about real, human connection. That need will always exist, and people will always seek it out.”
The company is also exploring ways for Locket to help users turn digital friendships into real-life interactions—even if it’s as simple as nudging someone to call or message a friend.
“For us, it’s always about genuinely helping people connect, not just providing a fleeting fun experience. In the long run, that might be our biggest strength—being the place where you only interact with people you truly know,” Moss said.
Locket currently generates revenue through subscriptions and reports having over 100,000 paying users. This has allowed the 15-person team to remain profitable since last year.
