Software and AI
Phone apps for iPhone and Android that your crews, drivers or customers open every week
We build phone apps that run on both iPhone and Android from a single build. The apps worth paying for are ones people open every week: a field app for crews, a trip app for drivers, a reorder app for regular customers. We take each app through Apple and Google review and keep it current after launch.
- Works on
- iPhone and Android
- Built for
- Crews, drivers, regulars
- Data from
- Your current system or a new one
- Store listings
- Under your business's name
Fit
Who keeps a business app on their phone
An app has to be found, downloaded and kept on a phone. People do that for things they use every week, and rarely for a business they hire once. A homeowner replacing a roof needs a roofing website that loads fast and shows a phone number; an app from the roofer would sit unused.
An app is worth building for staff who open it every shift, work that depends on the camera or GPS, places with no signal where entries must save and sync later, and reminders worth a push notification.
Apple also turns away apps that only wrap a website. Guideline 4.2 of its App Review Guidelines asks for features beyond a repackaged website, so an app needs a job of its own before it's worth submitting.
Trade-offs
What changes when the app comes from a store
A web app opens in the phone's browser from a link, with nothing to download. A mobile app is the kind people install from the App Store or Google Play.
| Web app | Mobile app | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting it onto a phone | Web appOpen a link; pin it to the home screen | Mobile appDownload from the App Store or Google Play |
| Shipping an update | Web appLive as soon as it is deployed | Mobile appSmall fixes can ship over the air; new features go through store review |
| Push notifications | Web appOn iPhone, only after the site is added to the home screen | Mobile appBoth platforms, once the user allows them |
| Camera and location | Web appWhile the page is open | Mobile appIncluding location while the app is in the background, with permission |
| Weak or no signal | Web appLimited offline support | Mobile appEntries saved on the phone and synced later |
| How people find it | Web appGoogle search and links | Mobile appStore search, links and your website |
| Accounts to maintain | Web appHosting only | Mobile appHosting plus Apple and Google developer accounts |
Starting with a web app does not waste the work. The database, logins and business rules carry over to a mobile app later; the screens are rebuilt for the phone.
Use cases
Field, driver, reorder and staff apps
Field crew apps
Today's jobs, addresses, checklists and before-and-after photos, with signatures captured on site. Entries save without signal in a basement or on a roof and sync when the phone reconnects. A fit for contractors and roofing crews.
Driver apps
The day's trip list, a tap to open directions in Google Maps or Apple Maps, and status updates such as picked up and dropped off that dispatch sees as they happen. Suited to medical transportation companies running their own fleet.
Reorder apps for regulars
Saved orders, one-tap reorder and a notification when the order is ready. For most restaurants, online ordering on their own website comes first; an app follows once enough customers order every week.
The phone side of your system
A mobile front end for a CRM or job database, sharing its logins and records, for staff who need offline use or alerts that the browser version cannot give them.
Build
How the apps are built: React Native, Expo and Supabase
React Native is Meta's framework for building iPhone and Android apps from one JavaScript codebase, using each platform's own interface components. New apps start on Expo, the toolkit React Native's documentation recommends for building, testing and submitting apps.
Behind the app sits a back end for accounts, data and files. That is usually Supabase, a hosted database service and the same setup we use for custom business software, or an API (a documented connection) placed in front of the system you already run.
With Expo's over-the-air updates, a wording change or a bug fix in the app's JavaScript can reach phones without a new store release. New features and changes to native code or permissions go through store review.
Process
The path to a published app
- 01
Scope
Who uses the app, what they do in it, and what data it reads and writes. The proposal lists every screen and connection with its price.
- 02
Prototype
Clickable screens on your phone before the real build, while layout changes are still cheap.
- 03
Build and test
Test builds reach your phone through TestFlight on iPhone and a testing track on Google Play. Your staff use the app on real jobs before the public sees it.
- 04
Store setup
Developer accounts are opened in your business's name. Apple enrolls an organization only if it is a legal entity, such as an LLC or corporation, with a D-U-N-S Number; a trade name alone does not qualify. We prepare the screenshots, descriptions, privacy policy link and privacy details each store asks for.
- 05
Store review
Apple and Google review the first release and every store update. If the app has logins, reviewers need a working demo account. A rejection names the rule involved; we fix it and resubmit.
- 06
Upkeep
Apple and Google ship new phone operating systems every year, and Google Play requires updates to target a recent Android version. Plan for yearly maintenance even when the features stay the same.
Try it
Try the customer sales board
Move sample customers from new lead to won job, add a lead in seconds, and see who needs a call back today.
Questions
Store accounts, app review and staff-only apps
Do iPhone and Android need separate apps?
No. React Native builds both from one codebase, and they are published as two store listings. Expect a small amount of platform-specific work, mostly permissions, notifications and store paperwork.
Should the store accounts be under the business or an individual?
The business. Apple shows the organization name as the seller, and the listing, reviews and download history stay with the company. Google also requires personal accounts opened since November 2023 to run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before an app can go public.
Why would Apple or Google reject an app?
Apple publishes a list of common review issues. It includes crashes, placeholder content, a login the reviewer can't get past, a privacy policy that doesn't explain what the app collects, and an app that adds little beyond a website.
Can the app use the data from our current website or CRM?
If that system has an API, the app reads and writes through it. If not, we build a small API in front of its database or move the data into Supabase, a choice made during scoping because it affects the price.
What makes one app cost more than another?
Screens and user roles, offline entry, payments, maps and live location, connections to other systems, and any admin panel for managing content. A field app for one crew is a much smaller job than a customer app with accounts and payments.
Can an app be only for our staff?
Yes. Apple offers unlisted apps that can only be reached through a direct link, and Google offers private apps for organizations that manage their staff's devices. Anyone holding an unlisted link can download the app, so it still needs its own login.
Next step
Start with who would use the app and where
Describe the people who would use it and what they need to do on their phones. If a web app or a better website fits the job, the reply explains why and what that would cost instead.