Giving away a secret friend is a common practice at the end of the year festivities, but the physical distance of the participants can hinder the exchange of names. However, free apps like Papelzinho and Amigo Secreto SMS promise to facilitate the tradition. Available for Android phones and iPhone (iOS), they are able to carry out the draw and send the result via email or WhatsApp, for example, which avoids repeating the process from the beginning when someone takes it out.
In addition to smartphone services, it is also possible to use the Amigo Secreto website, with useful options and similar applications. In the list below, the dnetc gathered five free tools that bring the same proposal, but with different functions. See how to take a secret friend online and by SMS and, thus, make Christmas and New Year even more fun.
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Get to know apps to draw a hidden friend by cell phone Photo: Helito Beggiora / dnetc
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Papelzinho is a great option to draw a secret friend at a distance, from Android and iOS systems. It carries out the draw with the participants' e-mail address, but requires at least three people in the group. The app allows you to create multiple groups and, in this way, can be used for the hidden friend from work, family, childhood friends all at the same time.
Papelzinho app has versions for Android and iPhone Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire
2. Secret Friend Christmas and New Year
The Secret Friend Christmas and New Year provides a quick way to draw a secret friend by WhatsApp. Just enter the names of all participants, without email or phone, and draw. For each member, the Android application generates a link with the name of the person he took. The URL can be sent through the messenger or another app, such as Messenger or even e-mail services, such as Gmail.
Secret Friend Christmas and New Year creates links to send a hidden friend's drawing via WhatsApp Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire
As the name says, the Hidden Friend SMS app makes clear the intention to draw a virtual secret friend by sending SMS. This feature makes it possible to play with people who do not have the application installed on their cell phones, or those who use old phones, without an Internet connection. It is worth mentioning that the sending of messages is subject to tariffs, according to the plan of the user responsible for organizing the draw. The application developed for the Android system.
Hidden Friend SMS carries out a lottery through the messaging service Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire
The Secret Friend SMS is another way to carry out the draw by means of a message service native to the device. With a slightly more elaborate interface than the previous one, the app allows you to import contacts from the phonebook and personalize the message to be sent in SMS, which facilitates the understanding of who receives the text. The free application is also available for phones with Google's operating system.
Developed for Android, Amigo Secreto SMS allows you to personalize your SMS message Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire
5. Secret Santa Generator
Anyone who has foreign friends or coworkers can use the Secret Santa Generator, which offers an English interface. The platform requires all participants to install the app, but it does offer versions for iPhone and Android. With it, it is possible to create several groups of secret friend at the same time. The chosen name displayed in the application itself, without sending an email.
Secret Santa Generator brings an interface in English for those who have friends who do not speak Portuguese Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire
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