Inspiration
The inspiration for Hangout came during my trip to Toronto for a hackathon. I(Rishi) spent three days feeling bored, believing I didn’t have any friends nearby. After leaving, I realized I had several friends in the area and could have had a much more enjoyable time if I had known. This experience sparked the idea for Hangout, an app that connects friends who are close by.
What it does
Hangout notifies users when their friends are within a 1 km radius, giving them the opportunity to meet up and hang out if they choose. It’s a simple way to stay connected with friends in real-time and avoid missing out on spontaneous hangouts.
How we built it
We built Hangout using Flutter for the frontend to ensure a smooth and cross-platform experience. Firebase was used for real-time data, managing friend lists and location updates. The app monitors friends' locations and triggers a notification if they are nearby, giving users the option to connect.
Challenges we ran into
One of the major challenges was optimizing the app’s location tracking without heavily draining the battery. It was tricky to balance the need for accurate, real-time updates with maintaining a light resource footprint. Another challenge was safeguarding users’ privacy, particularly when handling location data, which required encryption and strict permission handling.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud of building a fully functional and user-friendly mobile app that solves a real-world problem. The optimization of geolocation services to balance performance and accuracy is a key accomplishment, as well as successfully integrating real-time notifications and privacy protections.
What we learned
We learned a lot about geolocation services, notifications, and real-time database interactions. Working with Flutter and Firebase taught us valuable lessons in efficient app performance and creating a seamless user experience. Additionally, understanding the importance of privacy when dealing with location data was crucial.
What's next for Hangouts
Next, we plan to implement additional features like customizable radius settings, group notifications for multiple friends nearby, and better integration with social media to enhance the user experience. We’re also considering ways to enhance user privacy even further and improve battery optimization for long-term use.
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