Posts

Will Manuel

What is a Progressive Web App (PWA) and How Can it Benefit my Business?

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“What is a Progressive Web App (PWA) and How Can it Benefit my Business?” you ask? A Progressive Web App, or PWA, is a web app that has the functionality of a mobile app. It is an app that you can use, but you don’t need to download it. It is available on the internet and is similar to the website you might have. The main difference between a PWA and a website is that it is more like an app that can be added to your home screen.

What is a Progressive Web App?

Progressive Web Apps are user experiences that can have the reach of the web and are:

  • Reliable: Load quickly even in uncertain network conditions.
  • Fast: Respond quickly to user interactions with silky smooth animations and no glitchy scrolling.
  • Engaging: Feels like a natural app on the device, with an immersive user experience.

This new level of quality allows Progressive Web Apps to really earn a place on the user’s home screen.

Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

As mentioned earlier, PWAs are flexible because they can be installed on any device and operating system. This allows businesses to offer their app to a larger audience. In addition, PWAs do not require regular updates since all changes are made in the cloud and automatically downloaded to the user’s device. As a result, PWAs have a lower development and maintenance cost than traditional apps. This means that the benefits of Progressive Web Apps can drastically improve user engagement over other types of websites.

Installable

Since PWAs can be installed on the device’s home screen, they are not restricted to the browser and don’t require an app store. This also allows offline connectivity, push notifications, and background sync features.

Connectivity Independent

  • Offline support: One of the best benefits of PWAs is that they’re designed to allow you to access them without an internet connection. The primary service workers are javascript files that sit between your browser and the network, intercepting requests and serving up their own cached responses if the network isn’t available. That means if you use a PWA to search for something in your Google Drive when you have no internet, the service worker will fetch the results from its cache instead of requiring an active connection.
  • Push notifications: Another great benefit of service workers is that they can send push notifications to users’ devices even when they’re not actively using your PWA. This can be a great way to keep users engaged with your app in-between visits.

Safe and Secure

PWAs are served through HTTPS, which means that any communication between the web application and the server is encrypted. This allows PWAs to have a safe and secure connection with the user, keeping their information safe from malicious attacks. Additionally, PWAs can only access data publicly listed online or stored locally on the user’s device. This means that the app does not have access to your phone’s personal or private data.

Responsive and Adaptive

We’ve talked about the benefits of a PWA, but what is the difference between a responsive and an adaptive website? Responsive web design takes into account device orientation and size. It ensures that each user has an optimal experience no matter what device they use. This means that one site will look different on your desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Adaptive web design takes this one step further by creating completely separate sites for mobile devices. This is important to understand because a PWA can be both responsive and adaptive, but it cannot be considered a PWA if it isn’t responsive.

When you visit [Mozilla’s website](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/) on your computer, you may notice that there are three sections on the page: “Find out how Mozilla fights for your online privacy”; “Firefox latest news”; and “What we’re talking about.” You may only see two sections on your phone: “Firefox latest news” and “Find out how Mozilla fights for your online privacy.” In this instance, Mozilla’s website is adaptive to screen size to give users the best experience possible depending on what device they are using.

Reliable Performance

Reliable performance is what makes a PWA so impressive. A PWA is always ready to load instantly, whether or not you are connected to the internet. It’s also capable of remembering what you were doing when you last used it, even if it has been a couple of months since your last visit. This means your customer will have an uninterrupted experience and can pick up where he left off every time he returns. If all this sounds too good to be true, it’s time for you to see one in action. The best way to do this is by visiting an e-commerce store that has developed its own PWA, like the video game retailer GameStop, the beauty brand Sephora and the fast-food chain Starbucks.

Compatible with Desktop and Mobile

Thanks to its cross-platform compatibility, Progressive Web Apps are accessible from any device. It runs on the web, not in a browser or native to any specific operating system. While PWAs have many similarities with mobile apps, they are not dependent on the browser as they can be launched outside of a web browser. They utilize a service worker, which is a script that works in the background and elevates the performance of PWAs to be faster than traditional websites. This allows them to work both online and offline.

Launchable from Home Screen

Once you’ve added a PWA to your home screen, it launches like any other app and feels like a native app. No browser chrome gets in the way. PWAs can also be used offline and send push notifications to users.

Why should your business care?

  • It is convenient: PWAs are more convenient than regular mobile sites or native apps because they can be launched from the home screen.
  • It is faster: PWAs are faster than mobile sites because they minimize HTTP requests and take advantage of service workers for network resilience.
  • It is easier to use: No friction is involved in downloading an app. It is easier for people to get on board with using a PWA.

Engagement Opportunities through Push Notifications.

If a customer downloads your app, they become part of an instant messaging ecosystem that lets you send the content directly to the user’s phone. The customer can either opt-in when downloading the app or accessing certain features within it. Just as you can use a blog to generate buzz for your business, you can also use push notifications to draw attention to special events and sales. This user-friendly system allows you to increase engagement and revenues by delivering promotions, content, and event reminders whenever they’re most likely to capture their target audience’s attention. You’ll have an easier time creating effective campaigns because push notifications have higher open rates than emails; however, it’s important not to overuse them or send irrelevant communications like email marketing campaigns.

Installation Indicator (Add to Homescreen)

When you visit the website, you’ll see a message prompting you to install the PWA. This is known as an install indicator. Once the app is installed, users will be able to access it like any other app on their device. They can easily find it and launch it from their home screen or apps folder (depending on what device they’re using).

Start thinking about how a PWA could be beneficial to your business and your customers.

Take a moment to evaluate your business and think about how a PWA could help you reach your goals. Is increasing your customer base one of them? If so, then there are definitely advantages to being able to access your website from anywhere with an internet connection via an app on a smartphone. Remember that by loading the initial page in HTML and allowing for offline access, you can widen the range of customers that have access to your site.

Think about how receptive your customers will be to downloading an app. This is one way PWAs differ from native apps; they don’t have to go through the same review process as other apps to reach their potential customers. Perhaps this makes it easier for you and/or your customers; however, having an app reviewed is essential because safety concerns or regulations within your industry make it better for you to go with a native app rather than a PWA.

Conclusion

In short, progressive web apps are a great way to bring some much-needed vitality into your business’s digital presence. Not only do they stand out among their competitors in terms of performance, but delivering content via this method is cost-effective and easy to maintain because there’s no need for it to go through multiple steps before reaching customers’ devices.

We hope this information is helpful for you to be fully informed about PWAs, its potential upsides, and any downsides. At the end of the day, it is all about what you feel is the best solution for your individual or business goals.

Will Manuel

9 FREE Mobile Apps That Instantly Make the World Better

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An individual spends more than 4 hours per day just looking at their phone. With technology changing the world, it does not hurt to make sure that your phone usage is changing the world for the better. Here are 9 free mobiles apps that can help you make the world a better place:

  1. Be My Eyes

This application lets sighted people help blind and low-vision individuals navigate their day-to-day lives. From minor tasks such as finding a misplaced items to bigger ones such as guiding visually-impaired users through a busy new environment, volunteers can lend their eyes to these people in need of assistance.

How it Works: The app requires registration by volunteers and blind or low-vision people. Users can specify a language, which helps them connect with individuals who can communicate with the tongue they are comfortable in. Visually-challenged users can request assistance via the app and they will be paired with an available volunteer. All communications are done through live video and audio calls.

  1. Donate a Photo

Photography enthusiasts who are looking for a way to help others through their talents, skills and passions are sure to find this app useful. Developed by Johnson & Johnson, this software allows users to share a photo in exchange donations to charity.

How it Works: You will choose a charity they want to assist. Once ready, you can take a photo via the dedicated app or pick one from your gallery. Sharing your post in social media feeds guarantees $1 donation for the charity of your choice.

  1. Wakie

Get in touch with people with similar hobbies, interests and passions with the Wakie app. Whether you want to learn a new language, or you simply want to talk about a topic you care about, you can find like-minded individuals with this app.

How it Works: Just create a topic that you find fascinating and be connected with a user with matching interests. You will receive a phone call from Wakie, with the matched user on the other line.

  1. Ecosia

You probably enter hundreds of queries in just one day. Why not make this frequent search work for both you and the environment? Ecosia uses 100% of its earnings to plant trees in various locations around the world. As of October 2018, they have planted over 39 million trees in places that need it.

How it Works: Simply use the Ecosia browser when keying in searches. Every 45 searches you make enables them to plant one new tree.

  1. Smappee Energy Monitor

Energy consumption is one of the major sources of any individual’s carbon footprint. With this app, you can view accurate and latest data all about your home’s data consumption. It shows how much energy your appliances use.

How it Works: You can use this by getting the Smappee Comfort Plugs (TM). Once you install these devices, the Smappee app shows you real-time data from the appliance that utilize the most electricity to the ones the consumes the least. This helps you manage your electricity more carefully, making your home a greener and eco-friendlier one.

  1. Recycle Nation

One way to minimize your environmental impact is to recycle your wastes. Recycle Nation makes this feat an easier one by offering a wide recycling database for its users.

How it Works: You only need to enter your location and the app will help you find recycling centers near you. It also connects you with sites to which you can send recyclable materials. Should you want to do it yourself, the app also offers tips, facts and a tracker for your environmental impact.

  1. BreadCrumbz

Navigating an unfamiliar terrain can be intimidating. To make this journey more accessible to more people, BreadCrumbz can be your best friend.

How it Works: Users can create a guide on how to get to and from a location of your choice. By providing a text guide and including pictures of landmarks, you can help a lot of travelers around the world. Should you wish to include reviews, you can with its rating feature.

  1. AirBnB

In this sharing economy, one of the best ways to cash in and help those in need of decent accommodation is to make your place available to them. AirBnB allows you to post an extra room in your home as a viable accommodation option for other users.

How it Works: Hosts can share their space with travelers. Simply make an account as a host and you can start uploading photos of the place, detailed descriptions of the room and nearby locations, as well as update your calendar based on availability.

  1. Red Cross Blood Donor

If you are looking for ways to provide medical assistance without any professional experience donating blood is your best bet. The Red Cross Blood Donor app allows a smoother way to help patients in need.

How it Works: Just download the app and you will find blood donation drives near you. You can set appointments, reschedule your appointment and track your donation history. You will also get notified if there is a shortage in your area and once your blood reaches a hospital.

By using these applications, you are on your way towards being a more productive individual, whilst also contributing to the communal endeavor of making the world a better place.

What apps do you think make the world a better place? Would love to hear what you use in the comments!

Will Manuel

6 Insightful Ways Mobile Apps Boost Company’s Visibility

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Nowadays, it’s safe to say that online platforms have a big influence on our lives. There are a lot of perks, especially for those who are engaging in trade and commerce. If you’re finally investing your capital to improve your strategies and reaching out to potential customers, you’re on the right track.

Aside from traditional media advertisements, there are now more ways to help boost your company’s visibility. In addition to having your own company website, creating a mobile application can be insanely beneficial in brand visibility and customer loyalty.

Here are a handful of ways mobile apps boost your company’s visibility:

Provide complete information and details

In television or radio commercials, businesses purchase time and space in order to promote a specific product or service. Therefore, a business owner only has limited time to introduce the product and urge people to buy it. Aside from being pricey, this marketing technique isn’t always effective.

On the radio, the time slot during rush hour is more expensive compared to slots during the wee hours of the evening. If you don’t have enough financial bandwidth, you can only air the advertisements during those later hours. With this, getting meaningful results isn’t always guaranteed unless you have an unlimited supply of funding.

Why carry the burden of paying for a hefty price when you can have your own application and provide essential information about your products. All of that is possible when you have a well built mobile application.

You can share, post and present different products without having to pay per second like in many media advertisements. In short, you have total freedom in choosing what content to post in the application. Users are able to connect with you and grasp the message you’re trying to convey.

Enhance customer relationship

Because almost everything is digital nowadays, people don’t always resort to search engines to find what they need. Some of them search the Apple Store or Google Play to find what they’re looking for.

If your app appears and it’s a good one, you can begin to build a solid relationship with potential customers. Note that this can only happen if you have an effective and user-friendly application.

Gone are the days when people actually wait for a page to load on the site. This is also applies to applications that are not mobile-optimized. In fact, it takes about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your app. If the graphics, navigation and overall design are unique and interesting, they’ll likely stay. However, when the phone application isn’t aesthetically pleasing, people will likely uninstall it.

Now, when this happens, you’ll lose a lot of potential customers. Sales can drop and eventually, competitors will take over. This is why it’s important to distinguish the needs, wants and trends to be relevant.

Provide accessibility

Accessibility is one of the biggest factors why a certain app can gain attention and popularity. If e-commerce functions and features are organized and easy to navigate, people will be happy to browse more products in the app. Who knows, existing customers might give you good reviews and even recommend your business to friends and family.

Also remember how powerful word of the mouth is. You can either get instant popularity or rapidly lose customers with a bad reputation and poor marketing.

Keep customers engaged

Promotions and the entertainment value of a mobile app constitutes to higher visibility. Make an effort to utilize pop colors and creative campaigns to get the attention and interest of your target market.

Find out what’s “in” and integrate it into the app. See what the competitors are doing and do it better. It’s also important to get to know who your target audience is to create a more personal approach.

Send important updates and notifications

For a mobile app to be efficient and relevant, constant improvement and updates must be done. Send alerts, promotions and special offers so the user can pay attention to the app and discover new products available.

However, don’t overdo this strategy as some people aren’t fond of daily notifications. Flash only crucial reminders like for a year-end or anniversary sale.

Retain existing customers

Pay attention not only in getting more downloads and installations but also in retaining existing users. If your mobile app download is good, then you can get more customers.

It’s important to work with experienced developers to create a useful, aesthetically pleasing and functional mobile app. Don’t settle for less and make sure to increase exposure across all mobile devices. Remember that there are a lot of people who depend on these applications in terms of lifestyle, education, beauty and health.

Finally, a higher level of visibility equates to more sales.

Get ahead of your competitors and make online visibility virtual through mobile applications!

Will Manuel

3 Tips for Coming Up with a Viral Mobile App

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In this age when smart devices have been dominating the majority of the population’s screen time, developers have the responsibility and opportunity to further tap into this demand. Whether for  business, study or day-to-day living, smart device users are booting up apps a lot of times per day.

If you are thinking of creating an app that can take advantage of this trend, here are 3 tips you need to consider:

Think of a Feasible Concept
Developing an app follows the same formula as making a business plan. One of the first things you have to do is to formulate a concept that will cater to the needs or wants of a specific audience. Your market can be from age groups, professions, and interests. This helps you create a solid and well-rounded program. You can flesh it out based on your target market or your concept, whichever comes first.

If you want to create a budget management app, think of a market that can benefit greatly from this idea. Entrepreneurs, homemakers and young professionals might fit into this category. Once you have a concept and a target market, you can start developing other aspects of the application such as features and interface.

Consider Accessibility
When developing an application, you want to make it accessible to a wider audience. However, one challenge users encounter with some apps is its lack of availability for the OS they use. There are some which you can use for Android but cannot be installed in iOS and vice versa. If you have to choose a specific OS, keep in mind that Android has a larger market share and more users as compared. Aside from the OS, you also want to make sure that not every customer has access to the internet at all times. Because of this, it is important to consider allowing offline use for your app. Customer support may also be a deciding factor, incorporate an efficient and effective assistance feature.

Use Appealing Aesthetics
Some believe that content is much more important than form. This line of thought holds function supreme over appearance. Whilst this can be true for others, it is always better to achieve a balance between these function and form. Remember, no matter how useful your application is, consumers might refrain from using your app if it looks tacky or off-putting.

One way to increase the chances and duration of user engagement is to come up with a design that suits your concept and target market. You might want to look at the latest design and color trends. In the past years, Millennial Pink and Gen Z Yellow have taken different industries by storm. Homes items, clothes and even music videos are tinted with these two varieties of pigments. If you are targeting younger audiences, keep in mind that to members of these generations, the aforementioned colors are not merely hues; they also signify cultural and social expressions. This illustrates how aesthetics can affect the appeal of your app, so make sure to use these elements wisely.

With progress and technology behind you, you are one step closer to creating an app that can boost your business and achieve your goals. By following these tips, you can ensure that your application will reach viral fame in no time.

Will Manuel

I have an idea for a mobile app, what should I do next?

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So you finally have that “eureka moment” and you’ve come up with the most amazing idea for a new mobile app. First of all, congrats! Now you might ask yourself what’s next?

There are a series of steps to follow to make sure you are heading in the right direction after coming up with your initial idea.

Here is a simplified version of the steps to take going forward:

1. Prequalify and estimate your market size

Ensure that you are not the only one in love with your app idea. Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and/or other business professionals what they think of the overall concept. Once you’ve gotten significant positive affirmations to feel confident in your idea, you will then need to estimate the market size for your app. Estimation gauges whether there is a sizable demand for what you would like to develop. There are two questions that you will need to answer:

● Is your app idea profitable? (aka, is it worth the time and monetary investment to proceed?)
● Is it a “nice to have” or does it solve a real problem?

This calls for some in depth research to determine your idea’s feasibility/profitability. You have to be realistic and open to the feedback you will get it as it is a critical step in any tech idea vetting process. Mobile app development is not easy and you will definitely spend a significant amount time and money regardless of your projects size. You wouldn’t want to spend all that on something that does not solve a real problem and/or brings in positive returns.

2. Write it down and decide on prototyping methods

It is now time to think through your idea by putting it on paper. Things will be clearer and you will be able to add whatever comes to mind without losing track of things that may come up. When you have everything written down it is time to find a prototyping tool. A good prototyping tool will have all of these three features:

● Easy and quick designing of mockups and wireframes.
● Allows sharing of design iterations with all parties involved.
● Free but upgradeable.

(We use Invision for our projects here at Core Mobile Apps)

Use the prototyping tool to take your written idea into the digital space so that you can then show it to whomever you wish to test it.

3. Test out your prototype

It is now time to see how your prototype performs with your selected audience. You need this to gauge users response and overall receptiveness to the app. A bare concept is ok as you simply want to get some initial constructive feedback and make iterative improvements. Another part of testing that will help you get some critical feedback is setting up a landing page for your app. This will not only be helpful in gauging the app’s popularity but you will be to tell if there is a market for it.

What should my landing page contain?

● Strong Call To Action (CTA)
● Articulate information
● A lead capture form (Name, Email at a bare minimum)

Ensure that your app is well explained and that it’s functions are clearly presented. This means including the features, pros and of course an original selling proposition. You will need a good amount of traffic to your landing page to get good test data. The more you have the better. Setting up a couple simple Google or FaceBook ad campaigns is recommended. For tracking traffic metrics, you can use Google Analytics.

Once you’ve prototyped your app, gotten some feedback, and garnered some genuine interest(email opt-ins), you will be ready to move to the next step.

4. Locate a mobile app development partner

Not everyone has the right skill set or qualifications to tackle your app project. Freelancers can be good for initial prototyping or rapid MVP type projects but this is not always the case for full on mobile app development. Development companies tend to have more experience, deeper knowledge and better qualifications than freelancers. When choosing a development company, it is always advised that you search for one that has the following:

● A portfolio displaying apps built. Ensure the interfaces are highly usable. This serves as a testament of their design skills.
● They are genuinely interested in your idea. This makes a huge difference in the overall success of a mobile app project/idea.
● They should have a solid strategy for you once the idea has been shared and can provide a roadmap on how the app will be built.
● They have reasonable prices. This is somewhat hard to determine as there is so much variance in mobile app development costs between different development firms but you should definitely have a budget in mind of what you can invest to get your app created.

If you are at this stage, we would love to hear from you!

Once your app is developed, move on to the next step.

5. Submit your app to the App Stores

This is of course dependent on the kind of response you got from the micro test(s). If your app received a favorable response then take it a step further and have it featured in the App Store(Apple and Google Play).

6. Raise awareness for your new app

You need to create a significant buzz to get eyeballs on your new app. If you build an amazing app and know one knows about it, does it provide anyone any value? Nope. This is a critical step in the success of launching a mobile app. Press releases, guest blog posts, podcast appearances, radio, tv, digital advertising are all good ways to gain a captive audience.

7. App Store optimization (ASO)

This is what you do once your app gets accepted into the respective app marketplaces. Optimization means you make it easier for people to locate your app. It’s a jungle in the stores because you are in competition with millions of other apps. Make sure to choose your keywords wisely.

8. Listening to the users

Your app is published but that’s just the start. Listen to the users and use their feedback to improve your app.

Hopefully this guideline will help you take your idea and quickly vet it’s demand. It is very important that you take each step in the process and collect feedback/suggestions throughout the entire process. Doing so will ensure that you have an idea that has wings are flies with great success once it’s launched.

Good luck!

How much does it cost to build a mobile app
Will Manuel

How much does it cost to build a mobile app? Things to consider

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The True Cost of Mobile App Design and Mobile App Development

There is no denying that mobility is the gateway to visibility online. At Core Mobile App Development we aim to help businesses reach their audiences via mobile devices through effective mobile app development and streamlined app design. We also have many startups and new entrepreneurs sending us great questions and the most common one is: “How much does it costs to build a mobile app?”

Mobile App Development Factors

First, let me state this; Mobile apps do not have a standard cost. This is because there are many variables and procedural factors to consider. So what are they?

Features and the complexity involved

The main aspect here is time, the more the time you spend in mobile app development the more you will need to spend. Some of the features that can be quite time consuming and therefore result in the increase of costs are;

  • API Integrations
  • Database encryption
  • Custom interface design/interaction
  • Sophisticated web admin panel
  • Features involving new coding or technologies
  • The incorporation of billing systems

If you are looking to keep your mobile application development project on a shoestring budget, you now know what to “avoid” but at the same time more features and more complexity usually means better performance overall(so keep this in mind). Find the right balance that is suitable for you.

How large is your app project? Look at well known apps

Besides the features and time, you can look at other well known apps to be able to get an idea of how

Mobile app development costs can vary greatly. Benchmark other known apps

much yours will cost. The best group to study in this case are start-ups. According to industry experts, start-ups can spend up to a total of $750,000 when it comes to mobile app development. Do note that this is not an actual figure but just a common round off of what they spend in case they want the whole package(see more on this below).

Scale and who you hire matters

The $750,000 figure includes legal fees and salaries for a team of four for a period of four to six months. This estimate would not be accurate when you hire freelance or outsourcing service company. This is because freelancers and outsource service companies come with their own fee structures, making it impossible to predict what it would cost going this route.

The breakdown is that the big guys spend more on mobile app development and mobile app design. The price can range between $500,000 to $1,000,000. The guys in the middle will spend anything between $100,000 to $450,000. Finally the entrepreneur who is simply starting out should set aside at least $15,000 to $100,000. This is a broad range, but at least having it in mind will void you of any major surprises.

Platform matters (iOS, Android or Both?)

Are you building an app for the iPhone or for Android? This question is important because Android apps are typically a bit more complicated to build hence taking up more time and costing more in many cases. This is what is referred to as paying the “Android tax”. It is advised that you start with the iOS platform before heading on to Android if cost is a major concern from the start.

What about the not so complex apps

These apps may not be complicated but still it comes down to the specific features that they contain. No matter what you cut or replace the best amount to start you off is $15,000, which is our minimum level of engagement(MLE). This is for professionally done trustworthy development utilizing our team of mobile app and web development experts.

Is that it?

Well the costs estimated above are simply the initial amounts you spend. After design and development there is management, updating and server costs. You also need to keep some funds aside for marketing purposes. Even if you are a one man show, budget for these uses because you will definitely need them later on.

I want something specific for me

We can help you with that simply fill this form and we will get back to you with a quote that matches your project needs.

Core Mobile App Development currently serves business in the following areas:  Orlando, Tampa, Miami in Florida and San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland in California. If your business is located within those areas we would be happy to help you with your mobile app needs.

Features of Tip Genie Mobile App
Will Manuel

Tip Genie Mobile App – Game changer for service industry professionals

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Every now and again, you see startups out there that have amazing ideas and put in the work to bring them to life through high levels of execution. In today’s competitive technology marketplace and where ideas are so abundant, seeing a company start from grassroots with an idea and actually bringing it to fruition is so inspiring!

TipGenie is a mobile payment app that helps service industry professionals earn more tips and gratuity by making it easy to tip without cash. Service industry professionals depend on tips to make a living, but we often don’t carry cash or forget to tip those that work behind the scenes.

Tip Genie Mobile Tipping App

Tip Genie Mobile App

Don’t just read this article, download the TipGenie app and start tipping some of the hardest working service industry personnel you know. They deserve it.

To learn more about the full features of the app, visit the official website: Tip Genie

Will Manuel

Apple: “Clean up your act!”. Major changes to the app store in the works

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Starting Sept 7th 2016, Apple will be be making some drastic changes to it’s app store SERP’s (Search Engine Results Pages) in an effort to clean up some of the rampant rubbish currently cluttering up their app store. The changes were spawned from an outcry within the the “legit” app development community that higher quality apps were getting pushed down in the search results due to those who use blackhat or obscure ASO (App Store Optimization) techniques to move up in the rankings. These underminers also used long-tail, misspellings or exact match titles in their app listings to trick unsuspecting users and garner larger quantities of eyes to their apps. In 3 days, if Apple comes across a mobile app that has not been updated since 2012, they will alert the app’s developer of any changes/updates that need to be made. If the requests are not followed in a timely fashion, measures will be taken towards removal from app store.

The search function is one of the main methods customers use to find and download apps from the App Store. With hopes of altering search results, some developers have used long app names which include descriptions and terms not directly related to their app. App names you submit in iTunes Connect for new apps and updates will now be limited to no longer than 50 characters.

In a recent blog post published on Apple’s developer site, the iPhone creator laid out a list of App Store improvements crafted to “make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs.”

Apple also wrote:

“You will be asked to submit an update within 30 days to keep your app on the App Store. If you are unable to make the changes within this time frame, your app will be removed from the App Store until you submit an update and it is approved. Please note that apps that crash on launch will be removed immediately.”

This change is long overdue and we are happy to see these measures being taken to improve the quality of the search results within Apple’s app store.