In 2017 photos of this Hoya species with the unusual shrubby growth pattern were published in the Facebook group Hoya Indonesia. After that it rapidly entered the commercial trade where it came to the notice of Botanists. Hoya amicabilis was published in 2019 by Sri Rahayu and Michele Rodda, and its name is derived from social media (Latin amicabiliter interventus), which is a growing aid to scientists around the world.