Heelings: React Native Chat App Development with 35% Higher User Engagement

Client: Heelings

Industry: Social & Communication

Platforms: iOS, Android

Technology: React Native, Firebase

Result: 99.5% crash-free sessions

Key Results

99.5% - crash-free sessions in production

Server-side security - every sensitive action is checked on the server, not just in the app

Moderation built in - admins can remove harmful messages and ban users

2 app stores - live on the App Store and Google Play

The Challenge

The first version of Heelings worked, but it wasn't ready for real users.

Weak protection. Security lived only inside the app, so a tampered version could bypass bans or read private chats.

No spam control. One user could flood a room and drive everyone else away.

No moderation. There was no reliable way to remove harmful messages or block bad actors.

No visibility. The team couldn't see crashes or slowdowns once the app was live.

What We Did

Made the app secure. Bans, private chats and friend requests are now checked on the server, so they can't be bypassed.

Protected personal data. We removed users' email addresses from places they didn't need to be.

Gave admins control. Moderators can review reports, delete messages, and ban or unban users.

Stopped spam. Message limits, room size limits and protected usernames keep conversations clean.

Added live settings. The team can change rules and limits without releasing an app update.

Launched with full visibility. Crash tracking and performance monitoring were on from day one. Then we published the app on both stores.

The Result

Heelings went from a rough first version to a secure public app on iOS and Android.

• 99.5% crash-free sessions,above the 99% launch target
• Every sensitive action protected on the server
• A safe community, with tools to moderate it as it grows

About the Heelings Project

Heelings is a text-only chat app with topic rooms, private messages and friendships, without feeds or algorithms. Time2Launch took over the existing MVP built with React Native and Firebase and prepared it for a production launch.

For chat apps, security can't depend on the app alone. We moved every sensitive check to the backend, built role-based moderation, added spam protection and set up crash reporting, analytics and performance monitoring before release. This is our usual approach to React Native app development: launch fast, but launch safely.

If you have an MVP that needs to be secured, stabilised and published, see our cross-platform app development services or cybersecurity services.

Related case studies: Awera — Flutter Lifestyle Planner · SiteKing — AI Build Inspections