In the face of the many restrictions that the covid-19 has put on social gatherings and parties, social life can be snuffed out in a slow death. In Lagos State, for instance, clubs and overnight parties have been banned. Searching for some bit of fun and nightlife, Lagosians have still found their way to clubs that are opening despite the ban.
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In response, the state’s police have been raiding clubs and arresting people found there. Two weeks ago, 11 clubs were sealed and 113 clubbers arrested. A week before that, 172 people were arrested and fined N40,000 each for overnight partying.
These recent developments show that the need for social life is present in spite of the pandemic. Solutions that can help people meet these needs without violating the established covid-19 protocols are therefore necessary.
Crawl is an app that renders this service with an android and iOS version of based on user’s preferences .
Finding the best social spots on Crawl
Using Crawl starts with setting up an account on the app. Before the account becomes active, the Crawl admins will do a cursory check on the details submitted by the user-to-be and approve it afterwards.
The most interesting events and restaurants are shared on Crawl by the organizers for users to find. Besides the regular parties, events are posted regularly and can be anything from art exhibitions to holiday restaurant specials and beach yoga sessions.
Restaurants, resorts, beaches, lounges, bars, and art centres are listed on the home page. When any is selected, additional information about them opens up. Details like what the event is about, time, the phone number to call for enquiries and opening hours are provided.
Each event or restaurant listed comes with the option of getting there through a ride-hailing app. Selecting the option launches the ride-hailing app to request a ride to the venue.
Events that are conflicting with the covid-19 protocols are not listed, like overnight clubbing. The events are updated each week with the corresponding contact details and link to booking Uber rides to get to the venue. There are also links to each event or place that can be shared with friends off of the Crawl app.
Users can suggest events and places that they feel should be on the app by using the feature called recommend a place. Tapping this feature opens up the email app on the phone and prompts the user to mail an admin of Crawl.
Reviews would make Crawl so much more useful
The events listed on the app always have great pictures that let people get a good feel of what they are about, however, there is no option to review an event or a restaurant on the app.
After clicking on a restaurant or event, the actions that can be taken are adding the event to the calendar, booking a ride with Uber or Bolt to the venue and sharing its link with others that are not on the app, users can not give ratings.
In all, Crawl’s service is basic, as it only curates event that people can attend week in and week out. A general chats section or community feel where people can share their experiences at different events or restaurants that they attended would give the app some more life, but hey, that’s just my opinion.
Ofuzim Anderson, through Playstore reviews, says that Crawl is a “great app” and he especially “loves the push modifications that keep you updated on new events and places. I look forward to more updates that improve the general user experience.”
The ‘messages’ option provides regular notifications about whatever users of the app should be aware of.
Kola Ashiru says Crawl is the “first app that truly gives the real scoop on the best places based on experience of people like you and I. So easy to use. Love it.”
In B-flame’s words, also on the Playstore, Crawl has “opened his eyes to a new Lagos. So much information on everything to make life in Lagos more worth it. Extremely dope.”
This is the end of this app’s review and for what it’s worth, it performs the interesting function of helping people find interesting events to attend.
What else do you think can be better about the app? Tell us in the comments section.
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