New Product | App | Bespoke & Custom Software
Building Tracker’s New Touch App
Leading vehicle tracking and recovery company
For 30 years, Tracker has provided GPS and VHF vehicle tracking across the UK, boasting a 95% recovery rate, where 80% of vehicles are recovered within 24 hours. The majority of customers manage their account via a mobile app, something which Tracker wanted to update.
The task
As part of its product packages, Tracker offers an iOS and Android app for tracking your car or motorbike, recording trips you have taken and checking whether your vehicle is secure. Some of the functionality which Tracker’s customers rely on includes theft reporting and battery health.
It was a fairly short project timeline which presented us with a challenge, and we needed to keep the builds and customer feedback loops short, so we used sprint methodology for this project. Each week we would provide Tracker with a test build and then incorporate feedback into the backlog for the next sprint.
Implementing interesting features
The idea of geofencing is great for Tracker’s customers. It enables them to set a defined location boundary around their vehicle and should it move out of that area, the customer will receive a notification immediately. Not just useful in case of theft, but probably helpful if you have children who sometimes borrow your car, too.
Mapping is a fundamental aspect of the Tracker app, being used to position your vehicle and to display crime statistics for geographic regions. We adopted Apple Maps for iOS and Google Maps for Android which allowed for cross-platform mapping functionality, all while giving Tracker’s users an experience they are familiar with.
The technologies we used
We’re big believers in using React Native here at Si digital. It allows for more rapid app development and smaller overheads, as a single React Native codebase can be used for both iOS and Android. As a team, we’ve also got a lot of expertise using JavaScript and the two go hand in hand.
We integrated with Tracker’s existing REST API to connect the app to Tracker’s backend systems. Due to the complicated nature of the data, we chose TypeScript to help us reliably handle data from Tracker.
The resulting app is clean, easy to navigate and provides drivers with that additional element of security, knowing they can keep their vehicle secure at the touch of a button.
We continue to work with Tracker on new features and developments. You can find out more about the Tracker Touch App on their website.
