Play-Dogs: Walk with your dog - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

Yes, I have been a developer for more than 10 years, and it is something I'm passionate about.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

Technically, the most challenging aspect was to provide the application to Android and Apple users. It takes a lot of time to test both platforms, and we want to be sure the user experience is the same on both platforms.
The requirements are not the same, and they both ask regularly to update some features to stay up to date with the latest technologies and their evolving policies.

From a business point of view, the most challenging aspect was building the community. As Play-Dogs is a collaborative application, the community is essential and is required to have content on the app, and so as to bring more people. It is the problem of the chicken and the egg, but now the community is big enough and very active.

_{Michael Pamingle}

Michael has a Master's in computer science and is passionate about computers since he was a little boy. He is working as a cybersecurity expert and during his free time, he works on Play-Dogs.
10 years ago, he was the happy owner of Hiro, a Swiss White Shepherd. As he was walking with Hiro, he had the idea of Play-Dogs, a mobile application where everyone could add their dog-friendly places on it. He created it and this simple idea became a real success, with a community of more than 70'000 users.

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

I really like Footpath, the developers really did an amazing job at creating path on map and the app is simple enough, with good functionalities.
Another one is Good To Go, as the goal behind it is really honorable and it is an app that is easy to use, so you enjoy using it daily.

How long have you been working on this app?

Since 2014 I'm working on Play-Dogs, but I really did the advertisement of it in January 2020, right before the Covid, and the community has been growing really fast since then!

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

As I am a dog owner, I'm the first user of my own app, so I can really relate to my users. They want to find nice walks to do with their dogs, including all the information required to go safely with a dog. A user wants to be able to find all kind of dog-frienly places, such as accommodation, parks, beaches or activities and never be refused again in one of those places :-)

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 think Play-Dogs is unique on the market, as it provides all the important places a dog's owner wants, and in addittion, propose walks with a lot of information, and the path that the user can follow easily with the GPS.
It is 100% free and anyone can add content.
I even got some feedback that I have users not owning a dog that use Play-Dogs as a hiking application.

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

We are working on several features, including a premium version where users will be able to download map offline.
Another big feature that is coming is the creation of groups, which allow users to meet and discuss in an easy way.

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.)?

You are a dog owner? You should clearly download the app and give it a try ! The community is growing every day and you should not hesitate to add content, as it will motivate users to the same.