A single home screen
The live stream, what's coming up, and the latest posts and videos on one clear screen. Open the app and you know what's happening around TheVR.
Case study
TheVR 2.0: one app where it all comes together.
TheVR, the team of János Komzsik and István Fábián, reaches nearly 3 million followers across its channels. We built their first app live, with the community, and on launch day it became the #1 free app. Version 2.0 was developed behind closed doors, and a lot more went into it: a single home screen with the latest news, a Shopify-based shop, redesigned notifications and a more modern look.
Try it
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Sector
- Media, community, e-commerce
- Client
- TheVR
- Version
- 2.0, following 1.0
- ~3Mfollowers across TheVR's channels
- #1free app on the App Store and Google Play when 1.0 launched
- 10,000concurrent users the back end was sized for
- 2.0major release: new home screen, shop, notifications, look
The starting point: 1.0
We built it live, with the community.
TheVR didn't want the app to bring in new viewers. They wanted a reliable home for their existing fans, bringing together everything that had been scattered across five platforms. We developed the first version in public, on Twitch, together with viewers' feedback.
- Built live on Twitch, with TheVR's viewers involved
- News, schedule, shop, inventory and notifications in one app
- #1 free app in both stores on launch day, ahead of BudapestGO, MySpar and Vinted
- Thousands of five-star ratings, and a back end that handled the rush
Launch day of 1.0
#1
among free apps, on both the App Store and Google Play.
App Store Google Play
Ahead of, among others:
- BudapestGO
- MySpar
- Vinted
- SkyShowtime
1.0 → 2.0
This time we built it quietly.
Version 1.0 showed what fans love and what they were missing. We didn't stream 2.0: we developed it behind closed doors, within the team, so that it would land all at once as a surprise, with far more features.
Closed development
Internal demos and test builds instead of a public stream, kept secret until launch.
Development
1.0 · In public, live on Twitch, with the community
2.0 · Behind closed doors, within the team, kept under wraps until launch
Home screen
1.0 · A feed of social media posts
2.0 · A single, clear home screen: the live stream, what's coming up, the latest posts and videos
Shop
1.0 · Selected collections from the online shop
2.0 · A full shop inside the app, integrated with Shopify
Notifications
1.0 · Push notifications about new content
2.0 · A redesigned notification system
Look and feel
1.0 · The first version's own visual identity
2.0 · A more modern, cleaner design
| Area | 1.0 | 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Development | In public, live on Twitch, with the community | Behind closed doors, within the team, kept under wraps until launch |
| Home screen | A feed of social media posts | A single, clear home screen: the live stream, what's coming up, the latest posts and videos |
| Shop | Selected collections from the online shop | A full shop inside the app, integrated with Shopify |
| Notifications | Push notifications about new content | A redesigned notification system |
| Look and feel | The first version's own visual identity | A more modern, cleaner design |
The app
Five screens, one TheVR universe
From the moment it opens, 2.0 knows what matters: the live stream if there is one; if not, what's on today and what has just been released. The schedule and the shop are one tab away.
Real screenshots from 2.0, on iOS.
01. Today: everything at a glance
If they're live, that's the first thing you see. Below it: what's still on today, the latest posts and the newest videos.
02. Timeline
All of TheVR's channels in one feed: YouTube, X and the rest, with no need to open five apps.
03. Schedule
A weekly view of upcoming streams with times and cover images, from The Happy Hour Show to Simulator Wednesday.
04. Shop
New arrivals and categories: the same range as TheVR's online shop, because it comes from the same place.
05. Product page
Image gallery, price, stock information and description, with the basket one tap away.
Shop
The merch lives in the app too.
In 1.0 the shop pointed to selected collections. In 2.0 there is a full shop inside the app: we connected it to TheVR's existing Shopify store, so fans can browse without leaving, and the team doesn't have to maintain the range in two places.
- Products, prices and stock come straight from Shopify, with no manual syncing
- A new collection in the online shop is a new collection in the app, instantly
- New arrivals and categories on the app's own native screens, not an embedded web page
Features
Everything happening around TheVR
The five core features of 1.0 grew into a complete fan app with 2.0. What worked stayed; what was missing was added.
Live stream indicator
When they're live, the card sits at the top of the home screen. One tap and you're watching.
Timeline
Posts from every channel in one feed, labelled by source.
Schedule
Daily and weekly views of upcoming streams, so nothing gets missed.
Shop powered by Shopify
New arrivals, categories, product pages and a basket, with live product and stock data.
Redesigned notifications
We rethought the notification system from the ground up, so the things that matter reach the fans.
Inventory
Coupon codes and prizes in one place, just as users have been used to since 1.0.
Technology
A mention on Happy Hour means a rush.
TheVR's audience doesn't arrive evenly. When the app comes up on a stream, tens of thousands open it within minutes. We sized the back end for exactly that with 1.0, and the new features of 2.0 were built on the same foundations.
Sized for peak load
After a mention on Happy Hour, tens of thousands of people open the app within minutes. The foundations were built for that, not for an average day.
Microservices in the cloud
AWS, Kubernetes and Docker: the busy parts scale on their own while the rest keeps running undisturbed.
Push at scale
Notifications optimised with a Redis cache, so news of a new video reaches everyone at the same time.
Native iOS and Android
Two native apps, each with its platform's own experience, backed by more than twelve years of mobile experience.
How it was built
Not a project. A product, for years.
We have worked with the TheVR team, János Komzsik and István Fábián, since the very first version. In 2.0, design, mobile development, the shop integration and the back end were all in the hands of one team that knew every decision and lesson from 1.0.
A more modern look
A cleaner, more consistent interface in TheVR's black, red and white world, building on what we learnt from 1.0.
New home screen
Today and Timeline tabs: the live stream, upcoming shows and the latest content in one place.
Shop with Shopify integration
Products, categories, stock and a basket in the app, straight from TheVR's existing Shopify store.
Redesigned notification system
The logic and presentation of notifications, rethought from the ground up.
iOS and Android app
In both stores at the same time, with the same feature set.
Scalable back end
The rush-proof infrastructure of 1.0, extended for the new features.
Long-term partnership
The same team from 1.0 to 2.0. That's what the Studio model is about.
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