How to invest $ 100,000 in your own karma (part 3, final)

The end of the first (and we hope not the last) story about the creation and life of the project Patrolife.

Part 1 (the birth of ideas and torment with GPS trackers)
Part 2 (iphone app)
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If you remember how it all began ... it seems that it was in a past life. Who could have imagined then, in the era of prehistoric trackers, that in our plans we will get to ... apps for androids.

It so happened that we are convinced users of i-products, we are not friends with androids, we were not even really familiar with them. Moreover, we did not like them at all. We were not particularly interested in the possibilities for fine self-tuning. Screenshots of Android programs were not impressive. The lineup of phones and operating systems resembled a zoo, while Google Play itself was a madhouse. An additional contribution to concentrating our efforts on the iPhones was made by our own environment. If we made statistics based on our friends and colleagues, we would conclude that there are no phones on the android in principle.

However, the reality was somewhat different. The stubborn facts of statistical reports invariably hinted that phones on android already occupy ¾ of the general smartphone market and it would be just silly not to reckon with this. 3 out of 4 smartphones worked on the android platform !!! Who will be friends and share location with our users ?? If we go ahead and invest money in marketing, we cannot do without an Android application. But on the other hand: this is a search for a new team, this is again time to develop and finish, and this is still money ... Family budgets groaned: “How long!”, But we said: “Hold on, that’s necessary! You can't argue with statistics! ”And once again they tightened their belts.

After talking with several applicants, we stopped at the developers from Ulyanovsk. Signed a contract and away. It took about three weeks to discuss and detail the technical specifications. We agreed that the main task is to transfer the iOS application to the android, as well as to make the necessary changes to the interface, so that “the android users have everything intuitively understandable.” Understanding that everything on androids is not the same as on iPhones gradually materialized (for which thanks to Habra, including) and we decided that just transferring the iOS version to another platform, without taking into account the habits of Android users, is the way to nowhere .

We have agreed with Ulyanovsk residents that all work, including testing and capturing / shooting bugs, will be completed in five months. In the agreed time, we hoped to get an analogue of what was already on iOS on the android platform. Despite the fact that deadlines are never met, for some reason we once again really wanted to believe that everything would be done on time.

Ulyanovsk residents very precisely observed the deadlines, and we received intermediate versions exactly on the agreed dates. We have lost a bit of such punctuality and quietly rejoiced at our successful choice. Yes, they were worth the money. But since they took over 99% of the work to create and bring the application to the ideal, we decided that it was worth the money.

The first intermediate versions were terribly buggy, but we saw that the work was going in the right direction and hoped that by the end of the term everything would fly as it should be. On iOS, it flies! Outwardly, too, everything looked much less attractive than on iOS. All kind of square, pop-up menus, scary buttons - everything was far from being as beautiful as on the iPhone version, to which we are very accustomed. But we decided to wait for the completion of work. Five months have passed. Right on time, we received the final version of the program and rushed to install it on our own test androids, specially purchased for this purpose.

To say that it was a shock will be too polite ... The application, of course, is something remotely reminiscent of Patrolife. But it worked so crookedly, obliquely and slowly, that it looked like a mockery of our idea in general and detailed TK in particular. Nervous faints and heart attacks were prevented by the Ulyanovsk residents themselves, explaining that, they say, “the mistake was out.” It turned out that they changed the coordinator of the development of our project, messed up something, and we got something completely different from what they had in mind. They asked not to pay attention to this shame, promised to fix everything and a week later to please us with this version of the application. We calmed down a bit and stabilized the pressure. And early ...

A week later came another idle product. Starting to comment, we realized that there were so many flaws that it was very far from the finished product. A week later we received the next update of the android version, no less buggy than the previous one. The fundamental functions of the application did not work. As such, it was at a distance from Google Play. Paying money for marketing only the iOS version was no point. We need to continue to cut the android application ... To the bitter end. Or we have it, or it is us.

At the moment we have an iPhone application and an application for an android that does not yet have a chat, but more or less meets our requirements (albeit scratching the soul in terms of design).



But, nevertheless, we do not despair. Our dream has led us far enough. During the journey, we grew up, "fledged" and strengthened. We have learned to experience ups and downs, part with illusions and work on mistakes, discard the superfluous and accept the new. We have learned to be ready for anything and achieve our own. And most importantly, we received our first users who trust us, use our application and even trust it to track the most expensive - their children. They are becoming more and more. We receive more and more approving comments and thanks. And when it once again becomes very difficult for us and we want everything to give up the idea of ​​disconnecting the servers, it’s not so unambiguous.

And this means that the most interesting thing in this story is still ahead and will be continued ...

“Why is the article called“ How to invest $ 100K in one’s own karma? ”The inquisitive reader will ask.
Because at some point we decided to make everything absolutely free and removed the premium version. Now all the functionality of the program is available immediately after installation and is unlimited. Let this $$$$$$ spent on the project be reckoned in karma (not in the habr-sense, of course). In the end, if at least someone our program is useful or helps in a difficult situation, then it will bring us no less satisfaction.

We would be very grateful to the respected habr-community for comments and tips on how to make the application better.