Trunk Is Now ThinkSocial for Mastodon

05 Feb 2023

Trunk, the Mastodon app for iOS with a unique horizontal timeline is now ThinkSocial for Mastodon.

When I was preparing for the original TestFlight launch of the app, I wasn’t even sure I was going to finish the app. I was mostly concerned with creating a proof of concept and getting some immediate feedback about the usefulness of a horizontal timeline.

But to upload an app, even a beta to TestFlight, you have to call it something. And “Untitled Mastodon App” was to big to fit on the homescreen. I searched for a Mastodon body part that wasn’t already taken, and eventually settled on “Trunk”. But everytime I use that name I think of either Dragon Ball Z, or swimwear. And it’s not that unique.

Why “ThinkSocial”? For years I have published apps under the “ThinkUltimate” business name¹. None of those apps have been very successful, but they have included “ThinkMessenger”, “ThinkDialer”, “ThinkScore” as well as several others that never shipped. I hope to eventually be able to have a sustainable business making indie apps, and having a consistent naming system seems useful.

If you’re interested in trying out ThinkSocial, you can join the beta and follow me for more updates. ThinkSocial uses a horizontal timeline that puts the full context of each post front and center which encourages a more focused, deeper experience.