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This website claims to be launching a new app in Spring 2014. It is said to be a social network that will only open up if your blood alcohol level is over a certain limit. Inside the app you then have a number of features like drunk dialling people etc.

There have been a number of news websites reporting on this today, and with the launch date being "Spring 2014", I can't help but think it is potentially an April Fools gag.

The app seems to use a breathalyzer connected to your mobile devices charging port. I know small breathalyzers like this exist, but as I am not informed enough about 3rd party peripheral communication over charging/sync ports, I am unsure as to whether this can actually be done.

A massive part of me is hoping this is true, as it would be really fun to try it out on my next social gathering.. The other part of me however, is thinking "hoax, hoax, HOAX"

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ADDITIONAL EDIT: Apparently Gizmodo has posted an updated article where they were able to confirm that this is a fake app and even tracked down the hoaxers. A quote by Brandon Bloch, one of the hoaxers, explaining it.

I've worked closely enough with media, and I've done enough of this sort of thing before, to know that the media would blindly jump at it. I was more surprised when people did reach out to me; I can count on one hand the number of outlets that bothered to call me up.

The media in a way allows this to happen to themselves... The media will just jump at a juicy story and not look deeper into it. I think it's because a lot of people working at these blogs and media outlets are overworked and underpaid. Especially around an event at SXSW, they need to crank out story after story. So it's kind of like this cheapening journalism. I don't know if they can even be called journalists anymore; it's more media as a mouthpiece for the companies that want to get a message out.

I'm leaving my original post as is below but from the above edit, you can see that the app is fake.

ORIGINAL POST:

It is real, or at least giving the impression of being a real app that is going to be released soon.

From the Engadget article on it.

If you've heard one too many gripes about your boozy postings, don't fret -- there'll soon be a like-minded social app for you. It's called "Livr," and you won't even be able to log in without a smartphone breathalyzer confirming you've tippled enough. In fact, the higher your BAC, the more app features are unlocked. Those include a crowdsourced "truth or dare" game and hotspot map that shows the location and sobriety of other users.

It appears that the higher your BAC the more features you can access, which is what makes the more interesting in my mind and also is what is going to make it controversial if it ever takes off.

Sources: Engadget The Next Web

EDIT: I have seen additional articles posted today that are much more skeptical of Livr, but none have conclusive proof that it is a hoax.
The Network World article seems to be the only article that has gotten a response from either of the founders.

So what do the "founders" have to say for themselves? Just so there would be no misunderstanding my level of disbelief, here's what I asked them via email: "What's the end game here? Straight publicity stunt? Marketing guys hoping to bag a few clients at SXSW? Or maybe it's one of those try-to-fool-the-media hoaxes?"

The reply from "co-founder Avery Platz" was a polite side-step that would make any politician proud: "Thanks for writing. We think the best ideas start as jokes too. But then why not just go the extra step and make it a reality?"

"So far the response has been fantastic!" he continues. "In a world where Snapchat turns down $3B, there seems to be demand for a private place to have fun online. I think we've definitely tapped into something here."

His reply did not really confirm the existence of a real app, nor deny it. The founders are supposed to be speaking at SXSW today in Austin so once that happens more will be known. Until that happens no one can conclusively say if this is real or not.

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    This seems to just be additional repeats of the same claim, stemming in the end from the same original source.
    – user5582
    Commented Mar 7, 2014 at 18:45
  • I'm interested in that smartphone breathalyser test, last I checked there isn't one in a smartphone...
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Mar 7, 2014 at 19:50
  • Actually ratchet freak, there are several breathalysers for phones. They just cost $50+ whereas this one is supposedly only going to cost only $5 if i remember correctly.
    – Cruril
    Commented Mar 7, 2014 at 20:18
  • As for breathalyzer being too cheap: note that the $50+ ones are certified, while that one would be used for fun (just like the crappy ones sometimes installed in bars), thus it wouldn't need to have any certified accuracy. So I don't think it's entirely impossible to have $5 "breathalyzer".
    – vartec
    Commented Mar 11, 2014 at 12:24
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There's little evidence Livr real. On The Media's TLDR blog is skeptical.

Note that the neither of the founders have LinkedIn profiles, and I couldn't find them on Facebook either. That's very rare for people creating this sort of thing.

EDIT: It's fake, according to Gizmodo. One of its creators, "Avery Platz", is actually comedian Matt Mayer.

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  • If you read the Gizmodo post, they don't have any actual proof that it is fake. The writer just says that the person claiming to be "Avery Platz" looks like someone he knew. There is no actual evidence in the article.
    – Cruril
    Commented Mar 9, 2014 at 1:17

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