Flagship project · native iOS and Android app
BEON.RUN – a mobile app for live streaming runs, rides and hikes with GPS
A native iOS and Android app that combines live video with GPS position, a map, statistics and chat. Supporters watch everything through a single link in the browser, with nothing to install. Concept, backend, mobile app and website delivered by one team.
About the project
A product, not just an app
BEON.RUN is a platform for runners, cyclists and hikers that turns an ordinary workout into a live event. A regular stream shows a picture. BEON.RUN shows the whole route: where you are, your pace or speed, how far to the finish and what your supporters are writing. All in one window, updated live.
I built it as a product: from concept and architecture, through the native iOS and Android app, a backend for video streaming and real-time GPS data, to a multilingual website, user accounts, pricing and a shop. It is the project that shows how I combine e-commerce, backend and mobile expertise into one working system.
- Native iOS and Android app
- Live video and GPS position in a single stream
- Browser-based viewer, no account and no app required
- 7 languages: PL, EN, DE, ES, PT-BR, SV, ZH
- GPX routes, group training, replay, events for organisers
- Freemium model: free start, paid plans and a shop
App features
What a BEON.RUN user gets
Live streaming from the route
Video straight from the phone, with front and rear camera switching. Streaming also works with the screen locked, with no extra hardware.
Live GPS and map
The marker moves on the map in real time. Time, distance, running pace or cycling speed are calculated from GPS and refreshed every few seconds.
Routes and GPX files
Import a route, follow it and get a warning when the athlete drifts off course. A route finder for discovering new ones.
Group training
Several people, one map and multiple perspectives. Viewers switch between participants and see who is where.
Replay and recordings
The emotions stay after the workout: video, route and chat are available to replay and share.
Chat and viewer support
Supporters write live and the athlete hears messages read aloud. Goals, messages and a supporter leaderboard are on the way.
Events for organisers
Races as a live event: participant list, shared map, one link for supporters and the media.
Resilient to weak coverage
GPS data and statistics are buffered and sent when the connection returns. Viewers never lose the route, even if the video drops for a moment.
Scope of work
What was designed and delivered
Native iOS and Android app
Activity screens, camera and streaming, background GPS, notifications, login, payments and locked-screen operation. One code base for both platforms.
Real-time backend and API
Video streaming server, GPS and chat data channels, queues, webhooks and an API for the app and the web viewer. Architecture ready for hundreds of parallel streams.
Website and viewer player
Multilingual product website with SEO, registration, pricing and a shop, plus a lightweight LIVE player that runs in any browser with no installation.
Marketing and go-to-market
Name, identity and product messaging, feature pages built for search, a freemium model and scenarios for runners, cyclists and race organisers.
Interface
The app and the LIVE viewer
Screenshots from the current version of the app and the beon.run website.
Technical challenges
What was hardest
The biggest challenge was combining live video with GPS data in one coherent stream, so that a viewer sees the picture, the map and the statistics in the same window with minimal delay. On top of that comes a phone working outdoors: weak coverage, a locked screen, limited battery and an app running in the background for an hour or more.
The solutions: buffering and re-sending GPS data after a connection loss, adaptive video quality, on-device route guidance with warnings, chat with text-to-speech, and on the server side task queues and scalable streaming. The whole system was designed so that a race organiser can broadcast many participants without any infrastructure of their own.
- Synchronising live video with GPS position and statistics
- Streaming in the background and with the screen locked
- Resilience to coverage loss and battery saving
- One link for viewers with no account and no app
- Multiple languages and time zones in events
Want a similar app for your product or store?
I design and build native iOS and Android apps together with the backend, API and website. If you are planning a mobile app for a PrestaShop store, a service platform or your own product, let’s talk about scope and pricing.