DogMate.
Project Overview
DogMate is a cross-platform mobile application (iOS & Android) built with Flutter that helps dog owners find the perfect companion for their pet. The app works on a Tinder-like principle — users browse dog profiles nearby, swipe right to express interest, and start a conversation once matched.
Key Features
🐾 Matching System (Dog Tinder)
The main screen presents swipeable dog profile cards. The interface features smooth swipe animations with gesture detection, pagination, and automatic preloading of additional profiles as the user approaches the end of the list.
📍 Geolocation-Based Search
The app uses the device’s GPS to filter dogs within a configurable radius from the user’s location. Owners can set their dog’s location on an interactive map (flutter_map + OpenStreetMap) with reverse geocoding for address display.
💬 Real-Time Chat
After a match, a conversation is automatically created. The messaging system works in real time via Supabase Realtime — new messages appear instantly without refreshing. The chat UI includes message grouping, read receipts, and timestamps.
🔔 Push Notifications
Integrated push notification system (Firebase Cloud Messaging) notifies users about new messages and matches, even when the app is in the background.
🐕 Dog Profile Management
Users can add multiple dogs, each with a detailed profile including:
- Photo gallery (multiple photos with swipe browsing)
- Breed information (from a breed database)
- Sex and personality traits
- Location on an interactive map
👤 User Profile
A comprehensive profile configuration screen with avatar upload (from gallery or camera), personal data management, and full account deletion.
🛡️ Safety & App Store Compliance
The app meets Apple App Store requirements including:
- EULA — terms acceptance screen before using the app
- User blocking — ability to block unwanted contacts
- Abuse reporting — system for reporting inappropriate content
- Account deletion — full account and associated data removal
🔍 Advanced Filtering
Configurable search preferences screen allowing users to filter dogs by:
- Breed
- Sex
- Geographic range (radius in km)
Tech Stack
| Layer | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Flutter (Dart), Material Design |
| State Management | Riverpod |
| Backend / BaaS | Supabase (Auth, Database, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions) |
| Database | PostgreSQL (via Supabase) |
| Push Notifications | Firebase Cloud Messaging + Flutter Local Notifications |
| Maps & Location | flutter_map, Geolocator, OpenStreetMap, reverse geocoding |
| Image Handling | CachedNetworkImage, image_picker, compression & caching |
Architecture & Technical Highlights
- Service pattern — business logic separated into dedicated services (DogProfileService, ConversationService, MessageService, UserDataService, ImageService, PushNotificationService, DogSeekerService, DogBreedsService)
- Riverpod Providers — reactive state management with dependency injection
- Smart image caching — dedicated ImageService with 7-day cache, 100-object limit, in-memory resizing, and URL optimization
- Pagination — lazy loading of dog profiles with automatic prefetching before reaching the end of the list
- Supabase Edge Functions — serverless backend logic (e.g., generating personality trait descriptions)
- Realtime subscriptions — listening for new messages in real time via Supabase channels
Challenges & Solutions
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Smooth swipe animations on cards with photo galleries | Custom gesture handling with AnimationController and PageView |
| Optimizing image loading in profile lists | Dedicated ImageService with caching, prefetching, and server-side resizing |
| GPS-based distance filtering | Geolocator integration with location parameters in Supabase queries |
| App Store compliance | EULA implementation, blocking/reporting system, full account deletion |
| Push notifications on iOS and Android | Firebase Cloud Messaging with per-device token management |
Platforms
Outcome
DogMate is a complete, production-ready mobile application prepared for publication on the App Store and Google Play. The project demonstrates the full software development lifecycle — from concept and design, through backend and frontend implementation, to meeting app store requirements.
Have an App Idea? Let’s Talk!
Looking for a team to turn your idea into a working mobile application? We build custom mobile solutions for iOS and Android — from MVP to a full-scale product ready for the stores.
What we can do for you:
- 📱 Cross-platform mobile apps (Flutter) — one codebase, two platforms
- ⚡ Backend & cloud infrastructure (Supabase, Firebase, AWS)
- 🗺️ Integrations with maps, GPS, push notifications, and payment systems
- 🚀 App Store & Google Play preparation and submission
Whether you have a detailed spec or just a rough idea — we’re happy to help at every stage.
👉 Get in touch or book a free consultation — let’s discuss your project and find the best solution.