Apps that connect to something real
We build iOS and Android apps that talk to live operational systems — pumps, tanks, tills, stock and ledgers — not just a pretty front end over a form.
Plenty of studios can build you a good-looking app. Fewer can build one that reliably reads a forecourt controller, checks a prepaid balance, and behaves sensibly when the signal drops halfway through a transaction. Integration with real operational systems is our specialism — we wrote the platform on the other end of the API.
What we build most
- Management dashboards. Live operational data for owners and managers who are never at the site. Our own Cedars Fuel Automation app is exactly this.
- Loyalty & wallet apps. Balance, points, prepaid top-up, transaction history and station finder — front-ending a card platform.
- Field-force apps. Delivery, inspection, service and sales-rep tools that work offline and sync when they reconnect.
- Customer self-service. Booking, ordering, account status and payments over an existing back office.
- Staff & operations apps. Shift, stock count, attendance and approval tools that feed the central system directly.
Native or cross-platform?
The honest answer depends on what the app does, and we settle it during discovery rather than defaulting to whatever we feel like building.
Cross-platform usually wins when the app is screens, forms, lists and dashboards — one codebase serving both platforms is simply cheaper to build and, more importantly, cheaper to maintain for five years. Native wins when the app leans hard on device hardware, needs high-performance graphics, talks to specialised peripherals, or must match platform interface conventions very precisely.
Anyone who answers that question before hearing what your app does is selling you their preference.
The part most quotes leave out
Launch is not the end of the cost. Both platforms ship a major OS release every year, store policies change, dependencies get security patches, and an app that nobody maintains typically starts failing within one to two years. We put maintenance in the proposal from the start, because discovering it later is how apps get abandoned.
From idea to store listing
-
Discovery & definition
Who uses it, what job it does, what it must integrate with, and — hardest of all — what stays out of version one. We write the scope down and hold ourselves to it.
-
Design
User flows, wireframes, then interface design and a clickable prototype. You approve something you can actually tap before anyone writes code.
-
Build & integrate
Development in reviewable increments, with backend and API work alongside. You see working software regularly, not a reveal at the end.
-
Test
Real devices, weak networks, offline states and edge cases — plus your own team testing it before anyone outside sees it.
-
Publish
Store listings, screenshots, descriptions, privacy declarations and submission — under your developer accounts, with review time planned for.
-
Maintain & iterate
OS compatibility, store policy changes, security updates, crash monitoring, and the next set of features once real usage tells you what they should be.
Non-negotiables in every app we ship
Works on a bad connection
Offline states, queued actions, retry logic and honest sync indicators. Designed for the networks our clients actually have.
Secure by default
Encrypted transport, token-based authentication, role-based access and no sensitive data cached where it should not be.
Arabic & RTL ready
Right-to-left layout, Arabic typography and numerals handled properly — not bolted on after the English version shipped.
Built for real phones
Tested on mid-range and older devices, not only on the newest hardware in the office.
Mobile development FAQ
How long does an app take to build?
A focused first version with a bounded feature set usually takes eight to sixteen weeks from discovery to store submission. It extends when integration with existing operational systems, payment processing, or substantial platform-specific work is involved. Store review adds time that is outside anyone’s control, so we plan for it rather than promise around it.
Who owns the code?
You do, and it is stated in the contract — code and store listings. We publish under your developer accounts by default, because an app published under a vendor’s account can be painful to move later, and that trap catches a lot of people.
Can you work with our existing backend?
Yes. We integrate with whatever you have — a documented API, an undocumented one, or a database that has never been exposed. Where nothing suitable exists, we build the backend and API as part of the project.
What does maintenance actually cost?
It depends on the app’s complexity and integration surface, and we quote it as part of the proposal rather than leaving it as a surprise. What we will not do is imply that a shipped app has no ongoing cost — that is not true of any app on either platform.
Can you take over an app someone else built?
Often, yes. We start with a code and architecture review to establish what is there and what state it is in, then give you an honest assessment: maintainable as-is, worth refactoring, or cheaper to rebuild. Sometimes the answer is uncomfortable, and you get it anyway.
Do you build apps that take payments?
Yes, integrating with payment providers appropriate to your market and currency. Payment work adds compliance and testing requirements to the timeline, and we scope that explicitly rather than treating it as just another screen.
Tell us what the app has to do
Bring the job, not the feature list. We will help you cut version one down to something you can actually ship — then build it.