A new app marketed by two students allows Bruins to connect across campus and Westwood.

DownTo is a location-based social media platform that notifies users when their friends are in the same area as they are. Drona Sharma, a lead UCLA ambassador of the app, said there are currently around 2,000 active users with about 16,000 downloads.

Starting in the fall, individuals can use the app to make plans such as studying or eating with friends and other users, said Sanjum Dhaliwal, the other lead UCLA ambassador of the app. The ambassadors are in charge of the locations for UCLA, help with app developments and market it to the community, added Dhaliwal, a rising fourth-year economics and political science student.

The app also features group chats for different campus buildings and other places in Westwood such as Rocco’s Tavern, said Sharma, a rising second-year data theory, economics and global studies student. The app automatically adds individuals to the group chat if they are in the area, he added.

“We have seen all of this in action as well,” Dhaliwal said. “I use the app myself and Drona does, too. We have a lot of friends on the app already.”

Sharma added that the app is being launched at 40 colleges across the United States and Canada, including UC Berkeley and Indiana University.

Mae Rose, a rising third-year global studies student, said she downloaded the app as soon as it was available. Despite only having been in Westwood for a few weeks with the app, she said it was easy to connect with auto friends.

Rose added that she often used the app when going to The Study at Hedrick, or the fraternity houses and Rocco’s Tavern. She said she also sent other recommendations to Sharma and Dhaliwal of places to add.

“It can be really helpful because, I mean, it’s a huge campus,” Rose said. “You meet so many people. I feel like the app is just more convenient.”

Dhaliwal said the app does not allow others to see the exact location of their friends but rather only alerts their presence in a particular building.

Sharma said he felt the app differs from other social media apps as only people with UCLA emails can join the campus community.

“We really offer the students the exclusivity of being registered as a student, … (and) a sense of security when they’re on campus,” he added.

Sharma and Dhaliwal said they were inspired to bring the app to UCLA by the size of the campus and student body, as well as the wish to connect with friends across campus. Dhaliwal also said he once saw people connecting on the app in the line at Rocco’s Tavern.

“They got in the group chat because they just joined the app, and … they started talking with each other and just made friends right there in the line,” he said.

Sharma said his and Dhaliwal’s goal is to expand the app’s usage to more California colleges by the end of fall.

“Facebook started only for Harvard grads, … and then it expanded to the rest of the world,” Dhaliwal said. “We’re hoping to get that level of traction someday.”