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Product studio · UK

We build apps that make it to market.

ARJL designs, engineers and runs mobile products end to end. Three of our own are live right now. Yours gets the same care, the same stack and the same standards.

Start a projectSee our apps
  • 3apps live right now
  • iOS + Androidfrom one codebase
  • Idea → launchdesign, build, run
  • Manchesterstudio, UK-hosted apps

In market now

Our own apps, live right now.

We don’t only build for clients. We design, ship and operate our own products, so everything we recommend has already been tested on real users, real devices and real app review.

Ether

Live · Dating · iOS & Android

See who’s actually here.

A dating app made of ten-second video intros instead of photos and bios. Age-verified and free. Nights roll out region by region: once a week, a region opens Ether together, starting in the North West.

What we built

  • Video capture, upload and playback pipeline
  • Facial age estimation at signup, photo deleted straight after
  • Every intro safety-scanned before it goes live
  • Nights: a region goes live together, weekly
  • Chat that opens only on a mutual spark
Download on theApp Store, EtherGet it onGoogle Play, Etherether.dating
Ether's Nights screen: “The North West is live”, with a Bring someone button

Slipcue

Live · Music · iOS & Android

You need to hear this.

Send a friend a song and it opens in their music app, whatever they use. Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Deezer or Amazon Music. No dead links, no feed, no followers.

What we built

  • Song matching across six streaming services
  • Links that open straight in the listener’s own app
  • Mixtape Club: a theme, one song each, a reveal
  • Keep a revealed volume as a playlist in Apple Music, TIDAL or Spotify
  • Sign in with Apple and Google
Download on theApp Store, SlipcueGet it onGoogle Play, Slipcueslipcue.link

Posy

Live · Keepsake video · Web & Android

One video from everyone who loves Mum.

A group video for a birthday, a wedding, a retirement or in memory of someone. Friends each record a short message in their browser, with no app or account, and Posy turns them into one film you deliver by private link. Free to make and deliver. Pay only if you want the finished film.

What we built

  • Recording in the browser from a private link, no app or account
  • One film from everyone’s messages, each with their name
  • Add videos you already have, like ones sent on WhatsApp
  • Send it for me: Posy emails the film to the person it’s for, at the time you choose
  • Pay in the app or on the web to keep the finished film, in full HD
Get it onGoogle Play, Posyposy.video

Capabilities

Everything it takes to ship.

One studio from the first sketch to the thousandth release. No hand-offs between agencies, no gaps between design, build and operations.

  • Product & design

    Flows, interface and brand, prototyped on a real phone before any production code is written. We design for the first thirty seconds, because that’s when people decide.

  • iOS & Android apps

    One React Native codebase, native where it matters: camera and video, location, push, deep links, Sign in with Apple and Google.

  • APIs & backend

    GraphQL and REST APIs in TypeScript on Node, with MongoDB, Redis and background jobs, built to stay fast as usage grows.

  • Cloud & delivery

    Kubernetes, CI/CD and gated releases. Services build once and roll back automatically; over-the-air fixes don’t wait for app review.

  • Trust, safety & compliance

    Content moderation, age assurance, GDPR data rights and Online Safety Act duties, designed in from day one rather than bolted on.

  • Launch & growth

    App Store and Google Play submission, store listings, analytics funnels, dashboards and alerts, so you know what’s working from the first install.

How we run production

Launch day is day one, not the finish line.

The release pipeline that runs Ether, Slipcue and Posy is the one your app gets. Every change travels the same road to production.

  1. 01Commitreviewed, tested
  2. 02BuildiOS, Android, server
  3. 03Stagingdeploys itself
  4. 04Release gatea person signs off
  5. Livehealth-checked

  • Nothing is rebuilt for production

    The server image that passed staging is the exact one that goes live. No “works on my machine”.

  • A human gate on every release

    Production waits for a sign-off. Server deploys then check their own health and roll back if it fails.

  • You hear about problems first

    Crash and error tracking in every app, so issues are found before your users report them.

  • Fixes without the wait

    Over-the-air updates ship JavaScript fixes to phones in minutes, with no new app review.

How we work

From idea to the stores, in four steps.

Senior and hands-on. You work directly with whoever builds your product, with no account managers in between, and you own everything we make: the code, the accounts and the store listings.

  1. 01

    Shape

    We pin down who it’s for, what it has to do on day one, and what can wait. You leave with a clear scope and a plan you can hold us to.

  2. 02

    Design

    A clickable prototype on your phone, so you can put it in front of real people before we build, and a design system your app can grow into.

  3. 03

    Build

    Working builds on your phone throughout, through TestFlight and Google Play testing, so you see progress rather than status reports.

  4. 04

    Launch & run

    Store submission and review handled, then monitoring, updates and iteration for as long as you need us.

Start a project

Got an app that needs to exist?

Tell us what you’re building and where you’re up to. An idea on a napkin or an app that needs rescuing, we’ll tell you honestly what it takes.

Tell us about your projectcontact@ar-jl.com