Catchups - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

No, I taught myself how to code using Youtube videos! I created the iPhone version of Catchups myself.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

Learning everything from scratch and having to search the web for solutions to bugs (not being a developer) was EXTREMELY challenging. There may or may not have been objects thrown (ha!)

_Vinnie

Hi all, my name is Vinnie and I am the creator of Catchups. I quit my 9-5 job 1.5 years ago and have been working on Catchups ever since. I believe everyone is always looking for something fresh and came up with the concept of Catchups staring at the roof (yep!). Since then, I have taught myself how to write code, I have taught myself admin duties and have mustered up the courage to walk up to people and talk to them about my chat (not something I could say about myself 2 years ago). I live in Sydney, Australia, and my dream is to build my parents a home one day! Thanks for taking the time to check out my app and if you ever need any more information, we can catch up on Catchups! My username is @vinnie. See you there!

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

Snapchat - I love the user interface. In particular, the clean white background. Catchups has adopted this approach as well. The white really brings out the colours and features of the app!

How long have you been working on this app?

1 year, 4 months, 32 days (not that i'm counting!)

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

People are always looking for something fresh so our mission is to refresh the way you message.

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.

I wanted to refresh the way people message. We all know of the traditional messaging apps out there. I wanted to create an app where the core functionality of the app was great messaging but coupled it with a fresh approach. So I had created a center-aligned chat screen (this was something I did by accident and ended up as the main feature - ask me how!). Along with that, I created really cool text-based stickers which could replace the need to physically type a message. Till this day, our Indian community communicates more using stickers, rather than typing, which is exactly what the objective was! Whilst we still have similar features as traditional messaging apps (ability to send messages, images, videos, drawing, share a location), we offer end to end encryption which is a major factor, especially in this digital age where privacy is so important. There are a number of apps out there that do not offer this level of privacy. Also, unlike other messaging apps, we do not run ads, nor we do not have subscriptions. We don't collect your legal first or last name, your mobile number, your address or any credit card info. We want our users to have that peace of mind that when they use Catchups, their chats belong to them and are not being monitored by anyone. We consider ourselves to be a fairly private application that runs off an email address! We love our community so much and are so proud of where we are. We currently have users in 25 countries refreshing the way they message!

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

We love our user feedback and we even have a section on our website where our users can let us know what features they would like to see in the upcoming updates (https://www.catchupsapp.com/have-your-say). We take our user feedback very seriously because, without our community, we are nothing! So in saying that, we have an overwhelming response to include audio and video calls to our app. We have not only taken this on board but we have already started the implementation of these features and can't wait for our users to use them.

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.)?

I would love any new users reading this page to give us a go. We are a company that values your privacy, does not flood your chats with ads or charge you any fees. We love our product we have created and the community we have gathered and would love for you to give us a download on the App Store or Google Play and send us some feedback!