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iOS app for smartwatch Montresa iOS App

  • Client:
    Montresa, Switzerland
  • Request:
    To build an Emergency Watch app for iOS.
  • Result:
    Within 1.5 months our client got a completely developed and tested iOS app.
  • Technologies:
    • Xcode Instruments
    • Swift
    • CocoaPods
    • Foundation
    • UIkit
    • MVC
    • Core Bluetooth
    • Postman
    • Firebase Git
    • Git (Gitflow)

Challenge

Cogniteq was approached by Montresa about developing an iOS app for Emergency Watch, a high-tech wristwatch that provides the user with the possibility to trigger an alarm in case of an emergency.

Montresa already has a similar app for Android. Getting the app source code as well as the necessary documentation, was a good starting point for our collaboration. Our task was to create the required functionality on iOS and great UX design to meet consumer preferences for efficiency, convenience, and ease of use.
About the product

Montresa has developed the Emergency Watch for elderly users and those who want to feel safe anytime and anywhere. Their idea was to replace fusty emergency call devices with a stylish timepiece.

Emergency Watch has only one button. The following actions are set for a single-tap, double-tap, or long-press of the button:
• Call an emergency contact,
• Send an email with GPS-provided coordinates,
• Play sound.

Solution

The Cogniteq team succeeded in developing the Emergency Watch app for iOS. On the project, we focused not only on technology but also on usability and ease of use, as this was quite important for the app's target audience.

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    • App logic.
      By pressing the button of the watch, the app sends a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) message that contains data on the pressed button and the type of press (single-click, double-click, or long hold).
    • First time setup.
      There are plenty of functions that the user can try out on their smartwatch, but first, they need to connect it to the app. The Cogntieq team made sure that the process of pairing remains open and the app reads button presses using the GATT service.

      If the Bluetooth connection with the watch is lost, the user will get a notification that the watch needs to be reconnected.
    • Main menu.
      The main menu consists of bottom navigation. There are 3 selections available:
       1. Whatch. The given section contains a virtual clock widget. The user should click buttons to assign actions to them.
       2. Overview. This section gives a more complete idea of what action is assigned to each button and click.
       3. Help. This section includes help texts.
    • Actions.
      To bring convenience and functionality to the app, our experts have organized all the actions to be taken with the watch into different groups and ensured their assignment to specific types of button presses.

      Since some actions demand additional information, the user must grant the required OS permissions when adding an action. Otherwise, it cannot be added.

      All exceptions (for instance, Internet connection problems) are handled according to the triggered action and displayed in the Notification Panel.

      Actions are saved locally after every change. We used shared preferences to save a JSON representative of the watch model, which contains all the necessary data (MAC address, buttons with assigned actions).
    • Design
      Our highly qualified experts did their best to adapt the UI/UX of the app to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines.
    • Language localization.
      English is the app's default language. If the translation is available, it is installed in the system language.
    • Settings.
      Here, users are able to:
      • Select the type of press (single-tap, double-tap, or long-press) and decide on the action (to call, to send an alert, or play a sound) for each of them.
      • Set the time on the watch.
      • Unpair the watch, for example, to connect a new one.
      • Delete the configured actions.
    • Analytics.
      To get to know which of the actions are most popular with users, we have equipped the app with Firebase Analytics to collect statistics on the button clicks.

  • Communication actions

    • Play sound.
      When this command is sent, the mobile device plays a loud siren-like signal to find a lost phone or scare off suspicious characters. We made certain that even the Do Not Disturb mode will not mute the sound.
    • Alert.
      It is a powerful emergency feature on the watch. User exploits the timepiece to send a predefined email with location updates to a trusted family member or friend. Simultaneously, the phone call via Twilios VoIP API starts. The speakerphone defaults on every call activation.
    • Call.
      The user sees a notification with a phone number to be dialed and then can start an emergency call.

Result

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    Within 1.5 months, our client got a fully developed and tested functionality of the iOS app.
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    User feedback reports on the smooth-running app, a convenient and pretty easy-to-use solution for older adults and their families.