Current research in ad-hoc networks is focused on ad-hoc networks to support emergency or defense applications. Supporting social network depending on dynamic interests using routing protocols of ad-hoc network is a new field and emerging application of adhoc networks. This application of building social network over ad-hoc networks provides many new research challenges that have still not been addressed. Current research lacks in optimization of routing protocols of ad-hoc networks which can be used for adhoc social networks and there is a need for optimization of routing protocols that can exploit nature of ASN and provide efficient results. Moreover once optimized path is established, stability of the path is important due to mobile nature of devices. Users will not be able to share large files if route is not stable. Therefore, there is a need a routing protocol that provides a stable path. There may be different type of communication e.g. regular communication or emergency communication. There is further need for a routing protocol that adapts according to the nature of desired service. The routing protocol should prioritize data packets accounting to characteristics. In order to make ASN reliable and feasible, a routing protocol is needed that links some economic incentives to co-operating nodes to motivate them for delivering data packets. The routing protocol should provide a mechanism to provide incentives to intermediate nodes.
Ad-hoc social network depends on cooperation of intermediate nodes in order to deliver packets to destination. There may be privacy concerns at intermediate nodes. to the routing protocol is needed to handle privacy concerns for users. Users of ASN may like to see if any of his connection/friend of on-line social network  is present in proximity of the user. There is a need to integrate on-line social network with ad-hoc social network. There is also a need for better matching algorithm to suggest friends based on profile and/or dynamic interests. The matching algorithm should be based on semantics and not based on key words as different users may have different vocabularies. Currently, pattern matching algorithms are based on infrastructure and distributed systems.
However, devices in ad-hoc social network are mobile and low battery powered so there is a need for a pattern matching algorithm for these devices. Determining and recommending friends based on similar interests in proximity is another area that needs to be improved. Security and privacy is another serious issue, which needs to be discussed in ASNs. In web based social networks security is handled by site servers. In Ad-hoc networks also there are various distributed authentication mechanisms to handle security but those may not work while locating and detecting the friends in ASNs since these involve communication without pre knowledge of nodes in network. On privacy aspect in ASN, preventing intermediate nodes from knowing about user’s friend is also an issue.