How to make an app like Poparazzi: the ultimate guide

Are you the biggest fan of Poparazzi??

The name Poparazzi has been buzzing the news lately. But, why? – The Poparazzi app made its debut on Monday, 24th of March, and very shortly became many App Store’s #1 app! In the social media apps industry, this is considered a good success (as app developers, we can vouch for that!)

Keeping this in mind, many people must be wondering if they should invest in similar projects. The answer to that question is a big yes. Here is why:

• Apps are more than just a way to pass time. They mean big business.
• The app industry recorded 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in consumer spending in 2020.
• Android apps alone witnessed 3.5 trillion minutes of app usage time last year.
• In the United States alone, the time spent on apps surged the time spent on TVs.

“Moreover, we can say app market = big bucks $$”

Now, the next question is ‘how to build an app like Poparazzi?’ – We have done the research for you. Keep reading the blog to find out all the development steps you need to know about to build the perfect app like Poparazzi (we also have a bonus section for you!).

What is Poparazzi app? Insights into the viral photo-sharing application

what is poparazzi app?? – To explain in one line, Poparazzi is a photo-sharing app.

Like Instagram? – No, this is where the fun happens.

Unlike Instagram and other famous photo-sharing applications, Poparazzi does not allow its users to upload photos taken using the front camera. 

The app gives a fun twist to a ‘paparazzi photoshoot’. Here, the users are only allowed to post pictures of other people. There are no filters, no comments, no captions, no follower count.

The company reflects its main motive as hyping up your friends. 

How does Poparazzi works? User flow of the popular photo-sharing app 

A user’s profile is divided into two sections :

1. Photos they take of their friends, and 
2. Photos that were taken of them by others.

The user profile also shows which user has taken the most photos of them.

The app does not allow the users to play around with the pictures. You just quickly snap a pic, tag your friends, and upload! 

The photos a user is tagged in will not be displayed on their profile unless they follow the photographer’s account ( although, the app automatically follows everyone from the phonebook once the app is downloaded).

There is also a pop score feature that tracks the number of pictures a user takes.

To sum up, the ‘how does poparazzi works’ question, the app wants to promote simplicity in social media. Their motive is to allow the users to live in the moment and share happy moments with their friends without digging deep into filters and other artificial sources. 

Why app like Poparazzi are in trend? – People love photo-sharing apps! 

The answer to ‘why app like poparazzi are in trend’ question is simple.

It is natural to wonder about the secret of the success of such social media apps. It is simple – people love sharing moments. And the best way of doing that? Photo-sharing!

After a mere few days of debuting, this is where Poparazzi stands:

• Investors such as Eric Newcomer (who also invested in Uber and Snapchat) secured an eight-figure investment with the platform.
• Another round of investment will secure the app investments valuing over $100 million dollars, says Forbes.

Such apps provide the users an ease of use. No need to look perfect! 

How to develop an app like Poparazzi? 

Now, the main question – How to build an app like Poparazzi?

The Mobile App Development process consists of the following steps:

• Ideation
• UI/UX Design
• Development
• Testing
• Launch
• Marketing

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Ideation

Having a solid app idea is naturally the first thing to focus on. We need an app that now only gets downloads but also makes the users come back. 

So how to check the feasibility of an app idea? 

• Conduct market research
• Analyze competitors
• Set goals and objectives (such as budget)
• Sketch out a timeline for the project

You also need to be familiar with the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. You can dig deep into app store analytics and numbers such as how many downloads did the competitors get last year or what all features did they introduce and how do they benefit the app.

In this case, all this research would be based on Poparazzi and other such photo-sharing platforms.

Step 2 – UI/UX Design

This section is especially important for an app like Poparazzi. 

The aesthetic and appeal of an app are what captures the user. The conceptualization and visualization should ensure an easy user experience. Meaning, your app should not be too complicated for your user to use (but also not boring).

Whichever app you choose to build, Android or Apple (or both), ensure that you follow the latest trends of that market. Having an app with user-friendly, advanced features not only attracts the users to use the app but also keeps them engaged for a long time. 

Some necessary pointers to consider:

• Visualize every screen of that app. Consider every banner, button, arrow, etc.
• Having an exceptional UI that is also user-friendly is a must.
• All the app screens should be cohesive and descriptive of the primary objective of the app.
• Create as many iterations and choose the best. Play around with button shapes, banner sizes, different fonts, and more.

Step 3 – Development

Now that we have the design in hand, we can move on to the main development part.

Building a fully functional prototype of the app is an unspoken rule (a rule that Idea Usher always follows!).

The development process entails three phases:

• Alpha phase: This phase focuses on the core functionality of the application. A lot of bugs may arise but that should be something to worry about.

• Beta phase: Now we incorporate all the features and functionalities. The app also undergoes light testing (some bugs get fixed, some don’t).
• Launch phase: After undergoing rounds and rounds of testing, a final, bug-free app gets launched in the market, ready-to-use for the users!

A feature-rich app is great, but not very useful if it is not compatible with all sorts of devices.

For instance, you build a fitness app. It has all that a user can need – a step counter, BMI calculator, water intake tracker, free guides and exercises, games, etc. The user finds it fascinating and downloads it. But, wait a minute. The app is not completely compatible with mobile devices! So as the user downloads the app, their mobile device is unable to take the load of the app and crashes all the time. In this case, not only will the user delete the app but also may discourage others from using it.

To avoid that, work with top app developers. The developers at Idea Usher undergo every aspect of the app development process with a fine comb. 

Step 4 – Testing

Testing is a very important and interesting part of app development.

No matter which you choose, iOS or Android, every app should be robust and accustomed to the latest trends and practices. Proper testing is important to remove all bugs and make a fully functional app.

It is essential to conduct all tests before the app launch. Otherwise, investors will have to pay more to get the bugs fixed that arise in the future. 

A professional mobile app development company such as Idea Usher prioritizes testing. We follow many protocols to uncover bugs and remove them permanently. Our developers carry out testing on all features and functions. 

A quick rundown of various types of testing: 

• Functional testing to see if the features are working the way they should.
• Usability testing to evaluate the ease of use of the application.
• Performance testing to measure the response time of the application.
• Fit and Finish testing is done by designers to ensure that the developers maintained the theme and UI of the application.
• Regression testing is the testing of features at every development stage.
• Device-Specific testing is checking the app on different devices, screens, and OS.
• User acceptance testing is about asking the target users to try out the app and give their feedback.

Step 5 – Launch

After investing an endless amount of time, energy, and money into creating an app, you would definitely want to nail the app launch.

An important thing to remember is that Apple and Android, have different guidelines. Go through these guidelines thoroughly and ensure you are following them. This will help in a seamless app launch.

Step 6 – Marketing

App marketing is just as important as any other steps we mentioned above.

The best way of marketing is by deploying result-oriented strategies. Social media platforms are the best way to start off. But how?

Here are a few ways you can use social media to your advantage:

• Making engaging videos about your app and its usage to help the user understand better.
• Connecting with influencers tackling this niche for promotions.
• Posting pictures/videos reflecting the importance of your app in the user’s current lifestyle.

Idea Usher has used the above-mentioned strategies multiple times to generate great traffic for our clients. We have many more such tricks under our hat that can help your app move up the leaderboard!

What technology stack will you be needing

Next in the ‘how to develop an app like poparazzi’ question comes the mobile development technology stack.

A mobile development stack is a combination of programming languages, UI/UX software, platforms, frameworks, tools, and more that are used in the process of mobile app development.

The mobile stack can be categorized as:

• Frontend: The interface that interacts with users.
• Back-end: Tools that create the underlying processing.
• Development: A platform that consists of all the essential components to build the app.
• Supporting: Tools that improvise the security, flexibility, and performance of the app.

The options that you choose to build your app with depending on the platform the app targets.

Android Tech Stack

If you are building an app for Android, the essential tech stacks that you will be needing are:

Programming Languages

Java: Java is considered the most popular language for building Android apps. Credit goes to its usage by top-tier companies, the language is well-supported and offers great scalability. You’ll have a wide range of options of tools and tech to choose from, additionally, they’re mostly open-source. 

Kotlin: Launched in 2011, Kotlin has become a favorite amongst app developers and, more so, considered as the second official Android development language by Google. Kotlin offers cleaner code, and saves approximately 30% off code space compared to Java. Additionally, Kotlin is 100% compatible with JVM, implying that you can still use Java frameworks for developing the app. 

App Development Tools

Android Studio: Android Studio is the official development platform for Google’s Android app. It is built around Jetbrain’s technology, and it provides an intuitive interface helpful for developers to build Android apps. 

UI Framework

Jetpack Compose: It is a modern UI toolkit that allows developers to explain the UI elements, and it will do the hard work of rendering it dynamically. Currently, it is not exactly production-ready but a developer version is available for use.

Android UI: Android offers pre-built templates that are ready-to-use for developers to build user interfaces quickly and efficiently.

iOS Tech Stack

If you are building an app for iOS, the essential tech stacks that you will be needing are:

Programming Languages

Objective-C: It’s the original language used to build iOS apps, and Apple still supports it. However, building an app with Objective-C isn’t easy. Developers are prone to make mistakes with it. 

Swift: Swift is a relatively newer language that was introduced in 2014. Developers favor it over Objective-C. Why? – Because of its safer syntax, fewer mistakes are committed and apps are developed much faster. It’s also easier to find developers who are adept in Swift as it’s easier to learn and master (although, developers at Idea Usher work efficiently with both!).

IOS Mobile Development Tools

Xcode: XCode is the official development tool offered by Apple, and it’s a go-to platform whether you’re using Swift or Objective-C. It consists of all the features needed to build a native iOS mobile app, including a top-tier visual interface builder. 

AppCode: Appcode was developed by a 3rd party and is an open-source alternative to XCode. While it enables iOS mobile app development, AppCode somewhat misses the features of XCode and to an extent, is still dependent on the latter. 

UI Frameworks

UIKit: UIKit is the basic framework one needs for building graphical components in an iOS app. It consists of templates defining the UI elements which form the building blocks of the app. 

SwiftUI: SwiftUI is a newer framework as compared to UIKit that offers a more efficient way of designing UI elements in iOS apps. However, it only works for IOS13 and above. There are also limited resources in it as it was just launched in 2019. 

Cross-Platform Tech Stack

If you are building an app for both Android and iOS, the essential tech stacks that you will be needing are:

Programming Tools

React Native (JS): React Native is said to be the top favorite amongst developers for developing a cross-platform app. It revolves around JavaScript and offers fundamental building blocks that work well on both platforms. 

Flutter (Dart): Flutter is Google’s solution to a cross-platform development tool. It features a ’hot reload’ that avoids wasting time on emulators and simulators.

Backend Technology Stack

A good back-end technology stack is essential for handling all the vital data, processes, and business logic for your application.

The back-end technology stack includes the choice of hosting provider, database, programming languages, and frameworks.

How to not look like you copied Snapchat/Instagram?

This is essential. You don’t want your users to stay under the impression that your application is not original.

While your idea may be inspired, it should not look like you stole it.

Solution? Hiring an app development team with good skills.

The experts at Idea Usher have got your back. By running advanced research and analysis for every niche, we know exactly how to make your app idea unique and make it stand out. 

When you come to us with an app idea, our tech architects run a thorough and in-depth market analysis. We understand all the latest trends and features that are connected to that niche and carefully curate a set of features and functions that would make your app better than the rest. 

You can scan through our portfolio page to see how we have done the same for our previous clients.

Bonus marketing tips: Design your app to attract millennials and Gen z 

When creating an app like Poparazzi, your target audience would naturally be millennials and gen z. 

Millennials and Gen Z are the generations of digital natives! They are the biggest segment of app users in every category and are the ones who grew up and live in a constant “connected” environment. They use apps for a variety of purposes, especially entertainment. 

While they may be hard to convince, it is not impossible to attract them to your app. Here are 4 ways how you can do it:

• Word of mouth: This method works effectively on these generations. Hearing good information about an app from their family and friends might convince them to give your app a shot.
• Social sharing: One of the biggest pain points of these generations is that they are always looking for better means to stay connected with their friends. An app like Poparazzi directly targets this point. Use that to your advantage. Offer free trials. Once they realize that the app is useful and is solving their problem, they will themselves promote its usage.

• Creative advertising: Your ad campaigns need to be smart and attractive. Old-school methods will not create the buzz. Find effective, result-oriented strategies and use them to your advantage.
• Real-time communication: Millennials and Gen Z always carry their devices with them. If your app can provide them with real-time support and updates, it will help them stay connected with their world better.

Idea Usher is the #1 choice for photo-sharing mobile app development

Whether you need an app for your business that connects your customers or clients to you on the go with live streaming video or just a simple photo-sharing software application like Poparazzi, Idea Usher is the premier choice.

We are here to help you capitalize on the photo-sharing mobile app revolution. With us, you don’t need to make heavy investments or technical hurdles. We’ll help you develop your iOS and Android-based photo-sharing app at economical costs. 

To know more, contact us for a free consultation!

FAQs

Q. There are already several photo-sharing apps in the market, what are the chances that my app will stand out?

A. If you work with us, the chances of your app standing out would be pretty good. Additionally, there are always going to be plenty of fish in the sea, but with the right technology and tools, you can very easily be the shark!

Q. What is the average cost of building a photo-sharing application?

A. An average app project under this niche can cost around $20,000 to $50,000. However, at Idea Usher, we deliver better quality at prices less than half of the market average.

Q. How can we avoid security breaches in such apps?

A. Security is always a great concern in this type of apps. Idea Usher adds layers of security and follows many protocols to ensure that the user information remains secure.