I love creating new mobile apps. I do not post them all on the PlayStore because they are mostly build for me personally. The problem with that is that when I need that app I do not know where I stored it. I could use something like HockeyApp or AppCenter. But the Android app is the worst so I wanted to build something custom that had the same functionalities.
Backend
I used NodeJs to create the backend for Launched. I had to find a way to upload apps and store them in a secure location. I use docker to host the app itself so I mounted a volume that was located on my Synology NAS. This way the apps are backed up as well. With AAPT I can detect app information without passing it over the API.
Web Frontend
For the web application I used Angular 4. The application is more like a CMS where you manage the apps itself. Publishing a new app is currently only possible over the API with the Gradle plugin. You can view, download, share and delete apps on the web app.
Native app
Because the HockeyApp Android application was full of bugs but the UX of the app was actually OK. I based the mobile design on the HockeyApp design. I used the material guidelines to make sure I did not make the same mistakes. I ended up with an app that supports both public and private apps. You could install any app provided by Launched right from the mobile interface.
React Native app
Around this time I worked on a project at icapps where I provided native support for a React Native project. I thought it would be nice to create the launched app in React Native to see what the performance was of a React Native app. Turns out that it work but the performance was not something I would want to work with all day. So I stopped working on the React Native app.
Koen Van Looveren
A passionate Android developer always looking for the next Big Thing. Working hard to deliver beautifull and quality apps.