We published our first app on Google Play

Until now, everything we had published lived in a browser: stores, websites, dashboards. Despacha pushed us one step further. The person delivering isn't sitting at a computer; they're on the street with a phone in their hand. They needed an app.

Since late August, Despacha's app has been available on Google Play. It's our first app published in an app store.

If you don't know Despacha yet, start with the post where we explain it.

What the app does

It's built for one person: the one carrying the order.

• Scans the label. Point the camera at the QR code and the order appears with the address and customer details.
• Shows the day's route on a map, with live location.
• Closes each delivery with evidence: photo, GPS location and the name of the person who received it.
• Records what didn't go right. If nobody's there to receive it, the order is marked as not delivered, with a photo and the reason.
• Works for in-store pickup too, when the customer comes to collect their order.
• Warns when there's a new version, so nobody keeps delivering with an outdated app.

Everything marked in the app shows up instantly on the store's dashboard and on the customer's tracking link.

How we built it

It's built with React Native and Expo. We write it in TypeScript, the same as our websites, so we didn't start from zero. The first commit was in late April, and the version in the store today is 1.1.1.

What we learned publishing it

Publishing an app is not like putting a website online. A few things we didn't expect:

• Google reviews before publishing. Every version goes through review, and you have to declare what data the app uses and why. Ours uses the camera (to scan and take photos) and location (for the route and proof of delivery).
• A privacy policy is mandatory, and it has to say exactly what's stored and who it's shared with. In our case: name, email and location while the order is on its way, shared only with that shipment's customer.
• A new version doesn't reach everyone at once. Google Play can take a while to roll out an update. That's why the app warns when there's a new version, and we keep a direct download as a backup.
• Name and icon matter more than you'd think. We only settled on the final ones in version 1.0.3, because on a phone screen they compete with dozens of other apps.

What about iPhone?

The iPhone version is on its way. For now, the app is available on Android through Google Play.

What it means for Mi Primera Tienda

Publishing Despacha on Google Play lets us offer something we didn't before: mobile apps. If your business needs an app for your team or your customers, we've already been through the whole process, from the first line of code to Google's review. Let's talk.

Next week: how we integrated with Falabella Directo.