QuarantineChat app connects isolated people during coronavirus

Danielle Baskin and Max Hawkins launched QuarantineChat, an app that randomly connects users by phone to combat isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally conceived in 2019 as Dialup, the system was repurposed for the current crisis. Users register with their phone number, download the app (iOS and Android), and receive calls from strangers; if busy, the call is forwarded. All data is encrypted and anonymous, with hold music as an ironic touch. Baskin, who had the idea while isolated with mononucleosis in San Francisco in 2017, said she wanted to talk to others in the same situation. The service currently has about a hundred users, mainly in California and Iran, and is growing. The artists hope to bring joy despite the seriousness of the pandemic.