AMF - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

Since 9th grade I started coding…I knew it was my thing when I could imagine things and bring them to life just by writing code. Since 2012, I’ve been coding Android apps.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

Having a low budget. Only one watch and one phone to deliver an almost universal app. I have one Amazfit Pace international version with stock ROM and one Galaxy S7 stuck on Android 7. There are users wearing Amazfit Pace China version, international version with stock and custom ROM. And there are many Android flavors stock/custom ROM out there on the market. Being a solo developer on this app, and dedicating my day and night to give tech support, answer emails, find bugs, develop new things…it’s quite challenging.

_{Carlos Roberto Brolo}

My name is Carlos Roberto Brolo, I'm 33 years old. I live in Guatemala City. I'm a geek who loves programming, photography and bodybuilding. When I’m not at the gym, I'm in front of my PC giving ideas to life through coding. My full job is teaching Computer Science, giving Computer Science Standard Level for "APDE El Roble", a school part of the IBO world here at Guatemala.

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

Spotify, has the music I like and works great on my PC and phone for a cheap price.

How long have you been working on this app?

Before the first release to public, I worked around 50 days in a row. Now, after the first release, I have worked for approximately a month giving out 18 updates to the watch version. I made changes users asked for, implemented new things and corrected bugs.

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

Easy access to read and reply notifications received on watch.

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

There is only one app I know with similar capabilities, but it gives a lot different UI than I intended with my app. The innovation my app brings to Amazfit Pace/Stratos is the ease of reading a notification. Since the moment the notification is received, the watch is unlocked to show the notification with a color combination that eases reading with a low light condition. Then the app gives access to the user to reply to the message using quick reply (canned responses) or to access the emoji and basic keyboard. Additional features include muting a contact or muting an app for a determined amount of time. The app has been translated into Czech, English, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish with the help of the community.

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

First of all, stability. The app has some features I wish everyone could use as I intended while I did coding. But due to so many variations on Android versions and Watch OS (stock/modified ROMs), it's very difficult to deliver the same experience to all devices, on a low budget and being the only developer as well. There are some surprises I want to bring to the app…but I don’t want to make them public yet.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

If you are a Pace/Stratos user, try the app and you will feel the difference receiving notifications. If you have some issues or suggestions, contact me at [email protected].