text: he wants to be friends and i do too, when should we start hanging out as friends again? my ex and i both want to be friends but i didn't tell him that he just told me and i said we'll see.  how long should an ex couple wait until they start hanging out again just as friends whether or not you two can be friends depends on many factors: how long you two dated, whether or not you were friends before or not, and how bad the break-up was. if you two think you can be friends, wait a few weeks and then do something casually in a group and see how it is. just take things slowly, and you'll figure it out.