Chat with people next to you!

Whynott is location-based app for communicating with people around you. And it is rather not a case study, but an honest story of the creation of an app Whynott.

mobile phone with WhyNott app text messaging

How it started

Starter guys Oleg — CTO and Andrey — Business Owner came to our office and decided  to get an estimate for a mobile project related to wine, proximity sensors, and restaurants. In the end it transformed to «Here and now» geo-location-based chats! With coupons  for user engagement, loyalty program, gifts and challenges for socialization  in the venue.

What we did

A couple of draft ideas and designed screens, the back end was not even started, but we already were doing some work on the project, mocking the API calls, doing the most agile project in Chili history.

Design

Development

Research

Redesign

We’ve revamped app with a fresh look and improved functionality.

Two smartphones side by side displaying an open app with a dark theme

Discover and Connect Nearby

Join the conversation and explore what’s happening around you with chat option. Whether you’re looking to meet new people, find local events, or simply engage in lively discussions, this feature lets you connect with individuals and topics in your vicinity.

A hand holding a mobile phone displaying the open "WhyNott" app on its screen

Two users interact on the "whyNott" app, chatting about party

Visual representation of an invitation to join a group chat prior to the event's closure

Mobile app displaying a map with the current locations of friends marked for easy navigation and connection.

Get Discounts and Share the Joy

Win exciting coupons and discounts for your favourite venues and share the love with  your friends! WhyNot platform offers you the chance to snag exclusive deals and savings  on dining, entertainment, and more.

An image featuring the text "Get surprised" in a bold

Open mobile app "WhyNott" featuring a spin wheel for users to win various exciting rewards and prizes.

Open mobile app "WhyNott" displaying the win rewards screen

Open mobile app "WhyNott" displaying the various win rewards screen

Dark&Light theme

Customize your app experience and enjoy the perfect balance of style and functionality with versatile light and dark themes!

Three smartphones side by side displaying an open app with a dark theme

Chats & Technical complexity

Chat is the core functionality of the app, it’s functionality is backed by the XMPP — an open protocol for real-time communication WhatsApp uses it.  Smack in the library of choice on Android for handling the XMPP Message exchange & XMPP connection state. iOS had to work on a lower level than Android since they did not have an equivalent of Smack library.

Efficient Offline Message Synchronization in XMPP Applications

Offline message history sync against the Message Archive. Every time the application reconnects  to XMPP, it has to check for messages, received while being offline.

Two smartphones side by side displaying an open app with a white theme

Optimizing SQL Data Models for High-Performance Chat Message Retrieval

Designing efficient SQL data model with proper indices/relations for the maximal SQL Query performance e.g. a user may have thousands of chat messages stored on a device & the app has to select only those belonging to specific chat/conversation.

Seamless Data Migration: Ensuring Smooth Transition Across Application Versions

Data migration between the different application versions — handling the case if SQL table model changes, users on older app versions have to be migrated to the new schema, without losing the data.

Two smartphones side by side displaying an open app with a white and dark theme

Team involved

The new app born from the collaboration of «STAARTER», «Chili Labs», and «Overpriced»! Together, we’ve created a seamless experience for you.

Business, marketing, idea Staarter

Design  Overpriced

Development  Chili Labs