Rando DECODED: how to turn a random set of features into an app

2 min read
January 12, 2017

And possibly destroy some friendships with it.

Apparently, millennials are getting sick and tired of the carefully manicured social media profiles and are looking to shake things up. Make them more authentic, so to speak.

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First came snapchat, claiming to deliver the more “raw” photos and experiences, although the shear number of filters and photo manipulation options really stretches the meaning of the word “raw”.

Apps like Fling tried a different approach by letting you send your snapshots to complete strangers all across the globe, so you have no say in who you share things with.

The Rando app takes the idea of unfiltered content to a bit of an extreme, by taking away the very choice of what you share.

Wait, what?

Dare to play the messaging roulette?

Yeah, so the app just sends a completely random photo (video or a GIF) from your phone to your friends, so you better be pretty sure your camera roll is not R rated before you start sending “randos” to your friends.

It can be a real conversation starter, or a conversations stopper, the reviews say, depending on what the app digs up from your phone memory.

Ok, to be quite honest, it doesn’t just send things completely randomly. Along with the dreaded “Send blindly” option, the app can also chose 3 random photos from your phone and give you the final pick, post random quotes on Facebook or Twitter or send them via SMS.

It’s a strange set of features, to be quite frank, but not one that’s hard or expensive to replicate:

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The math’s not really difficult here, no need to brak out your calculators:

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So there yo have it, just over 10K and you’re ready to launch. With just one iOS developer working on it, an app like Rando could be delivered in a month.

Will Rando take over the messaging world? Your guess is as good as ours. But then again, the same was true for Twitter and Snapchat and just about any other app on your phone.

The moral of the story is that you it doesn’t take a lot to try. Bring your idea to life, test it out with an MVP and see where that will take you.

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Written by

Mario Zderic

Co-founder and CTO

Mario makes every project run smoothly. A firm believer that people are DECODE’s most vital resource, he naturally grew into the role of People Operations Manager. Now, his encyclopaedic knowledge of every DECODEr’s role, and his expertise in all things tech, powers him to manage his huge range of responsibilities as COO. Part developer, and seemingly part therapist, Mario is always calm under pressure, which helps to maintain the office’s stress-free vibe. In fact, sitting and thinking is his main hobby. What’s more Zen than that?

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