If you’ve ever wanted Notes to have a fake social media function, there’s a new app just for you: Palmsy.
As reported by TechCrunch, Palmsy is essentially a phony social media app in that you can post texts and photos — to no one. Import your contacts list and Palmsy will fabricate “likes” from them, and even send push notifications as if people have interacted with your posts. But, according to the welcome screen and developer Pat Nakajima, it’s all for show. Nothing ever leaves your device.
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Nakajima posted on Threads that Palmsy “lets you make lil posts. then get fake likes from random folks in your contacts. nothing ever leaves your device, it’s just pretend.”

Palmsy welcome screen explaining the app.
Credit: Screenshot: Palmsy
As Engadget put it, Palmsy is a journaling app that offers “fake likes from real friends.” Why? Perhaps to provide the dopamine hit that actual social media offers while maintaining your privacy. Social media isn’t exactly good for our mental health, so maybe apps like Palmsy can provide some solace — in case you don’t want to actually put down your phone.
In a Mashable test of the app, advanced options allowed you to determine how many fake likes you get, and over what period of time. Palmsy can then provide a curated social media experience that only exists for you.

Palmsy lets you decide how many likes you get over a certain timeframe.
Credit: Screenshot: Palmsy
In recent years, social media apps like BeReal have attempted to be more “authentic.” In BeReal’s case, it eventually plateaued and is now months away from running out of money. Palmsy appears to be the next evolution of this as the anti-social social media app. We’ll see how long this one lasts.
Palmsy is free to download on iPhone and iPad, but it’s only available on iOS 17.2 or later.
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Courtney Milan writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller.
Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else.
Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.
Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.