Restoration and Evolution of Sports Networking Mobile App
Summary
A US software product company lost the ability to update its sports networking app when a former subcontractor withheld access to the code. INNERLUXES stepped in to regain control — migrating to a new repository, reverse-engineering the app, and reconfiguring the servers in two months — then spent the next 14 months evolving the product with a UI redesign, advanced chat, gamification, and a web admin panel.
About the Client
The Client is a US-based software product company. One of its key offerings is a sports networking mobile app that lets sports enthusiasts find workout partners, chat, schedule group activities, and join sports events.
A Former Vendor Withheld the Code, Blocking All Back-End Updates
The Client hit a critical roadblock when its previous development subcontractor withheld access to the old code repository, making back-end updates impossible. With user expectations rising and competition growing, inaction was not an option: the Client needed to quickly regain control of the project, migrate to a new repository, and update the app to keep and grow user engagement. It turned to INNERLUXES for its expertise in product development and reverse engineering.
Regaining Control: Migration, Reverse Engineering, and Reconfiguration
INNERLUXES quickly assembled a dedicated team — a front-end developer and a Node.js developer. The Client provided access to a new repository that held an unknown version of the code, different from the one running on its servers, so the team had to analyze the repository, work through the code, and set up a fresh development environment, as well as regain database access and reconfigure the servers, which were still pointed at the old, now-inaccessible repository.
With control restored, the team moved on to evolving the app. Because there was no version history, the developers reverse-engineered parts of the application to understand its architecture and development history well enough to make safe, reliable updates, and added testing and documentation where features needed clearer explanation. To keep delivery smooth, INNERLUXES ran a biweekly release cycle, with each sprint ending in test builds released to TestFlight for the Client's review, fixes for the Client's feedback, and final production builds submitted to the App Store and Google Play on the Client's schedule.
Evolving the App: Chat, Gamification, and a Web Admin Panel
INNERLUXES enhanced the application across several areas:
- Advanced chat (SendBird integration) — extended customization of chat appearance and behavior (message display, notification preferences, chat visibility); roles in group chats (admin, host, member) for structured, moderated communication; event scheduling inside group chats tied to the event management system; message reactions and @mentions; pinning important chats; muting chats; and sharing images and videos.
- Gamification and dashboards — improved reward-calculation logic for fair, accurate points, and optimized dashboards so users can track progress, achievements, and engagement more intuitively.
- Web admin panel — a dedicated panel to monitor events (participants and schedules), access engagement and feature-usage reports, control user access and account recovery instantly, and review and resolve reported chat issues for a safe, well-moderated community.
INNERLUXES also implemented a UI redesign, coding a new interface from the Client's mockups to make the app more usable and visually engaging.
A Consultative, Agile Approach With Knowledge Transfer
The Client's priorities shifted throughout the project, sometimes requiring urgent releases at short notice. INNERLUXES applied mature collaboration and change-management practices to assess, prioritize, and integrate new requests without scope creep, delays, or budget overruns, and took a consultative approach — outlining different ways to implement features with timelines and business benefits. For instance, rather than build a complex admin interface, the team proposed a streamlined version with only the essential features, cutting development time and cost while still delivering the needed administrative efficiency. To support the future, INNERLUXES documented the functionality at a developer level and gave the Client's growing internal team a detailed knowledge transfer, ensuring a seamless handover as additional developers joined toward the end of the project.
A Restored Back End and a More Competitive App
In two months, the Client regained full control of its sports networking app's back end through rapid migration, reverse engineering, and reconfiguration. Over the following 14 months, INNERLUXES delivered a new UI design, a range of quality-of-life improvements, and new capabilities — including advanced chat features and a web admin panel — leaving the Client with a stronger, more competitive product and an internal team equipped to keep evolving it.
Technologies and Tools
React Native, Nest.js, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Amazon SES, SendBird, Twilio, MySQL, Docker, Swagger, TestFlight.