Platform
Mobile, Web
Services
Mobile Apps
Industry
Social Media, Dating
Team
5 Members
Time
5 months
About Frangle
Frangle (Friends with the Right Angles) is a mobile-first social platform designed to help people in recovery build genuine friendships and explore romantic connections in a safe, judgment-free space.
The client came to us with a clear vision, a basic prototype, and thoughtfully crafted user flows for a community-focused app inspired by familiar dating experiences. Our role was to take that foundation and bring it to life with features tailored to sobriety, emotional safety, and shared values.
Frangle blends connection with intention, creating a space where recovery is respected and relationships are built on trust.
The Challenge
Frangle wasn’t just another social app. It needed to feel personal, private, and safe for a community that often faces stigma. While the concept was well-defined, turning it into a fully functioning product came with real challenges.
The app had to verify sobriety without compromising anonymity, support both friendship and dating modes, enable secure real-time discovery, and create space for emotionally safe conversations. All of this had to fit within a simple, trustworthy mobile experience from the very first release.
Our Strategy
Our team approached this project systematically, breaking it down into distinct phases:
Phase 1
Discovery
We collaborated with Frangle’s leadership to deeply understand the emotional and behavioral needs of their audience. Through competitive analysis and user research, we outlined the core features that would shape the app experience:
- Sobriety verification
- Milestone celebration features
- Matching by intent (friendship vs. romantic connections)
- Local meeting discovery
Alongside feature planning, we defined early-stage acceptance criteria, key workflows, user journeys, and privacy-first data storage protocols. This helped us balance the need for a quick MVP launch with a clear path toward long-term scalability.
Phase 2
Planning
Our UI/UX designer crafted a calm, inclusive interface in Figma with a focus on emotional safety and ease of use. We moved from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, always keeping the end user’s comfort and clarity in mind.
Key design highlights included:
- A clean, minimal interface to reduce overwhelm
- Accessibility best practices for an inclusive experience
- Soft colors and intuitive navigation to support emotional comfort
- Visual cues that reinforce sobriety, support, and trust
The result was a design system that felt thoughtful, welcoming, and purpose-built for the recovery community.
Phase 3
Design
Our engineering team brought the app to life using Flutter for fast, cross-platform mobile development and Laravel for a reliable, scalable backend. We focused on building the core functionality that would make Frangle both engaging and secure from day one.
Key features developed included:
- Option to choose between friendship or romantic connections
- Real-time user discovery based on location
- Sobriety date tracking with visible milestone celebrations
- Secure onboarding and user verification
- In-app messaging with built-in moderation tools
Each feature was built to support meaningful, safe interactions while staying true to the app’s recovery-first mission.
Phase 4
Development
We ran thorough quality assurance across both Android and iOS to ensure the app performed smoothly and reliably. Alongside performance testing, we focused heavily on user safety and data protection.
Security features implemented included:
- Two-factor authentication for secure logins
- End-to-end encrypted messaging
- In-app moderation tools to manage user behavior
These safeguards helped create a trusted space where users could connect without compromising their privacy or peace of mind.
Phase 5
Testing & Security
We launched Frangle’s MVP to a select group of users and saw strong early engagement. The app performed reliably under real-world conditions, thanks to a solid DevOps setup built on AWS.
Post-launch, our team focused on:
- Gathering user feedback to guide improvements
- Addressing bugs and edge cases quickly
- Refining the product roadmap based on real usage patterns
This phase helped validate the core experience while setting the stage for future feature rollouts and broader adoption.
Phase 1
Discovery
We collaborated with Frangle’s leadership to deeply understand the emotional and behavioral needs of their audience. Through competitive analysis and user research, we outlined the core features that would shape the app experience:
- Sobriety verification
- Milestone celebration features
- Matching by intent (friendship vs. romantic connections)
- Local meeting discovery
Alongside feature planning, we defined early-stage acceptance criteria, key workflows, user journeys, and privacy-first data storage protocols. This helped us balance the need for a quick MVP launch with a clear path toward long-term scalability.
Phase 2
Planning
Our UI/UX designer crafted a calm, inclusive interface in Figma with a focus on emotional safety and ease of use. We moved from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, always keeping the end user’s comfort and clarity in mind.
Key design highlights included:
- A clean, minimal interface to reduce overwhelm
- Accessibility best practices for an inclusive experience
- Soft colors and intuitive navigation to support emotional comfort
- Visual cues that reinforce sobriety, support, and trust
The result was a design system that felt thoughtful, welcoming, and purpose-built for the recovery community.
Phase 3
Design
Our engineering team brought the app to life using Flutter for fast, cross-platform mobile development and Laravel for a reliable, scalable backend. We focused on building the core functionality that would make Frangle both engaging and secure from day one.
Key features developed included:
- Option to choose between friendship or romantic connections
- Real-time user discovery based on location
- Sobriety date tracking with visible milestone celebrations
- Secure onboarding and user verification
- In-app messaging with built-in moderation tools
Each feature was built to support meaningful, safe interactions while staying true to the app’s recovery-first mission.
Phase 4
Development
We ran thorough quality assurance across both Android and iOS to ensure the app performed smoothly and reliably. Alongside performance testing, we focused heavily on user safety and data protection.
Security features implemented included:
- Two-factor authentication for secure logins
- End-to-end encrypted messaging
- In-app moderation tools to manage user behavior
These safeguards helped create a trusted space where users could connect without compromising their privacy or peace of mind.
Phase 5
Testing & Security
We launched Frangle’s MVP to a select group of users and saw strong early engagement. The app performed reliably under real-world conditions, thanks to a solid DevOps setup built on AWS.
Post-launch, our team focused on:
- Gathering user feedback to guide improvements
- Addressing bugs and edge cases quickly
- Refining the product roadmap based on real usage patterns
This phase helped validate the core experience while setting the stage for future feature rollouts and broader adoption.
The Solution
We brought the Frangle concept to life as a fully functional, mobile-first platform designed specifically for the recovery community. By combining essential social and dating features with thoughtful, sobriety-focused tools, the app delivers a unique experience that supports real connection without compromising safety or intent.
The final product includes sobriety milestone tracking, secure and anonymous messaging with moderation tools, location-based matching with custom filters, and profile personalization aligned with recovery values.
The Results
Frangle’s MVP launch met all core objectives, delivering a stable, engaging product within the planned timeline. Early users responded positively, validating the platform’s mission and functionality. With a solid technical foundation in place, the app is well-positioned for broader rollout and future growth.
95%
Beta users reported feeling safe on the platform
100%
Scalable backend ready for national rollout