I'm Umer Aftab, a senior mobile app developer with over seven years building iOS and Android apps in React Native. I'm also CEO of Britxel, a software house, and of BrightAppData, an App Store Optimization tool that is free for everyone to use.
Most people writing about mobile development have never shipped a product of their own. Running these two is where the opinions on this site come from — and why the advice is about what breaks in production rather than what looks good in a proposal.
Software house · CEO
A software house building mobile and web products for clients. When a project needs more than one pair of hands — a backend team working in parallel with the app, or design capacity alongside development — this is where that comes from.
britxel.comApp Store Optimization · CEO · Free
An ASO tool for App Store and Play Store keyword research, competitor analysis and listing data — and it is free for everyone. Building an app is only half the problem; if nobody can find it in a store search, the build was the easy part.
brightappdata.com| Area | Stack | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform apps | React Native, Expo, TypeScript | 6–12 weeks to first release |
| Native modules | Swift, Kotlin — where React Native falls short | Alongside the app |
| App backends | Node.js, Postgres, Convex, REST and realtime APIs | Built with the app |
| Store releases | App Store Connect, Google Play Console | Days, plus review time |
| App Store Optimization | BrightAppData, keyword and competitor research | Ongoing |
The framework choices are not fashion. React Native shares most of the code across both platforms, which is the only reason ongoing monthly work is affordable rather than double-priced. Where it genuinely is not enough, the answer is a native module in Swift or Kotlin — not a workaround stacked on a workaround.
Four products that reached real users. Where an outcome was never measured, no number is claimed for it — there are no invented download counts on this site.
A doctor–patient telemedicine app — appointments, consultations and records on mobile.
A UAE car maintenance app for booking oil changes, batteries, tyres and vehicle services.
An AI writing tool built so drafts stay private rather than being shipped off to a server by default.
A competitive EA FC gaming platform where players challenge opponents and track rankings.
I cut the feature list before I quote it.
Almost every first scope is twice the size of the version that should ship. That hour is worth more than any discount.
React Native by default, native when it isn't.
Heavy background processing or deep Bluetooth work needs a native developer — even if that means not me.
The store listing is part of the job.
An app nobody finds in search may as well not have shipped. I run an ASO tool, so this is not outsourced.
You own the code and the listings.
Repositories are yours; apps publish under your own Apple and Google accounts. Leaving should never be hard.
I work from Pakistan, UTC+5 — which is an advantage, not a compromise. My afternoon is the UK morning, my evening is the US East Coast morning, my morning is the Australian afternoon, and the UAE sits one hour behind me.
A senior mobile app developer with over seven years of experience building iOS and Android applications in React Native. He is also CEO of Britxel, a software house, and of BrightAppData, an App Store Optimization tool that is free for everyone to use.
Both, and you choose. For most app projects you work directly with me. When something needs a full team — parallel workstreams, a large backend, design capacity — Britxel provides it. The decision is made on what the project needs, not on what bills more.
An App Store Optimization tool I built and run, free for everyone. It handles the part of app work most developers ignore: keyword research for the App Store and Play Store, competitor analysis, and listing data. Building it is why ASO advice on your app comes from daily practice rather than a blog post.
Over seven years building software, focused on mobile. The apps below are ones I built and shipped, not concepts — a telemedicine platform, a car maintenance app, a privacy-focused writing app, and a competitive gaming product.
I work from Pakistan (UTC+5). That puts my afternoon in the UK morning, my evening in the US East Coast morning, and my morning in the Australian afternoon. The UAE is one hour behind me, so that overlap is effectively the entire day.
React Native is the default because one codebase shipping to both stores is what makes ongoing work affordable. But it is not right for everything — heavy background processing, deep Bluetooth work and serious real-time graphics belong in native Swift or Kotlin. If your app is one of those, I will say so rather than sell you the wrong tool.
Yes, if it is React Native or Flutter. I read the codebase first and give you an honest answer on whether continuing is cheaper than rebuilding. Sometimes it is not, and knowing that early saves more money than any discount.
A conversation about what the app has to do and who opens it. Most first feature lists are roughly twice as long as the version that should ship. Cutting that list is usually the most valuable hour of the project.
Send me what it needs to do and who opens it. You will get back a realistic scope, a timeline, and an honest answer — including if that answer is that you should not build it yet.
Written by Umer Aftab · Last updated 10 August 2026