Companion apps for connected products
We build and improve companion apps that make connected products straightforward to use — with the engineering to support new devices, firmware changes and long-term development.
The product experience
Give customers a straightforward way to set up, control and understand their device. We design iOS and Android apps around the features of your hardware and the situations in which people use it.
Guide customers through finding, connecting and getting started with their device.
Make the product’s useful features easy to access and adjust.
Show useful information such as battery levels, device settings and readings.
Provide a clear firmware-update experience and room for the product to develop after launch.
Our work · Alto Professional
8
speaker models supported
5+
years of ongoing development
We’ve continued developing Alto Professional’s companion app as its speaker range has grown, adding support for new models and over-the-air firmware updates on selected speakers.
Working directly with the manufacturers, we’ve also helped standardise aspects of the firmware’s Bluetooth communication, making additional models easier to integrate.
Product ranges
We’ve helped established companion apps support growing device ranges, working with manufacturers and firmware teams around the world to agree and test how the app and hardware communicate.
A consistent specification makes subsequent models easier to integrate, while allowing for the features and behaviour that differ between devices.
One app, growing range
Mobile app
One experience
Shared across the product range.
Shared specification
Common communication layer
Product range
Early integration
We check early firmware against the agreed app–device specification, working directly with your team and manufacturers. This helps identify integration issues while the product is still being developed, rather than discovering them close to production.
After launch
We continue developing companion apps as new devices, features and firmware arrive, and keep them working across iOS and Android updates. We can stay with an app we’ve built or take over an existing one.
Common connection issues we design for
We’ve encountered these situations repeatedly in real products. We build in the checks, states and guidance that help customers understand what’s happening and get connected.
How clients engage
Start with a new app, or bring us in to develop and support an existing one. We can stay involved as your product range grows.
Tell us about your product
Whether you’re planning a new connected product or looking after an existing app, we can talk through the product, the integration and the next stage of development.