India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are spearheading the growth of audio-based social media platforms, accounting for over 90% of user engagement. This shift indicates a significant change in how Indians connect online, with smaller towns and cities embracing digital platforms for social interaction and community building.
A recent report by FRND, an audio social discovery platform, analyzed anonymized data from 6.9 million users across India, revealing that non-metro regions are driving almost all the recent growth on these platforms. This growth is attributed to the pseudo-anonymous nature of these platforms, which provide a layer of privacy appealing to users in more conservative social environments.
The study, titled "Year in Conversations 2025," highlights the evolving landscape of digital friendships in India. Users in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are spending considerable time engaging in conversations with strangers, forming digital companionships. In 2025, over 285 million conversations took place, with users spending a total of 418 million minutes talking.
While metros like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai have the most active user bases, smaller towns in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra are significantly contributing to the surge in conversations. Andhra Pradesh users, in particular, are engaging in the longest conversations. Remote regions are also demonstrating strong adoption, with 95% of new users joining from non-metro locations. A large percentage of these new users, around 79%, are accessing these platforms via mid-range and entry-level smartphones, reflecting the increasing affordability and accessibility of internet services in these regions.
The preference for regional content and the increasing use of voice search are also contributing to the digital boom in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Over 70% of internet users in these cities prefer consuming content in their local languages.
Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar, Co-founder & CEO of Interact Group, observes that India's digital engagement patterns are undergoing a significant shift. Young users are increasingly opting for direct, safe, and intentional conversations over passive content consumption. He emphasizes that this change is being driven by the sustained growth in Tier 2 to Tier 4 towns. The platform witnessed 201 million new connections being formed in 2025 alone.
The FRND platform, which operates in ten Indic languages, sees users expressing themselves with regional accents, humor, and cultural references. The platform describes itself as "voice-first, emotional, and rooted in regional expression". This regional connection is further highlighted by the popularity of virtual gifts like Rose and Chai, with 974 million virtual gifts exchanged on the platform in 2025.
This shift towards audio social platforms signifies a move towards genuine companionship and community building, with users seeking emotional safety and empathy in their online interactions. The longest call recorded on the platform in 2025 lasted an impressive 1247 minutes, approximately 20.3 hours, highlighting the desire for meaningful connections.
