Mobile app development in Montpellier

Scopes is a mobile app development agency based in Montpellier. We design and develop iOS and Android apps for companies, startups and public organisations, in Occitanie and remotely across France. A single senior technical lead follows each project from scoping to publication on the stores, and assembles the team the assignment requires.

What we build

iOS and Android apps in React Native and Expo when the product needs to ship quickly on both platforms from a shared codebase, or natively in Swift and Kotlin when performance, sensors or system constraints demand it.
The services behind the app: API, database, authentication, notifications, geographic search, payments. A mobile app is never just a screen. Its rules live on the server.
Operational tooling: administration interface, support, logging of sensitive actions, monitoring dashboards. Everything needed to run the product after release.
Distribution: developer accounts, code signing, App Store and Google Play review, staged rollout, updates.

How we work

Scoping in two to three weeks: user journey, business rules, regulatory constraints, platform choice and estimate. The deliverable is a scope you can make decisions on, not a hundred-page specification.
Architecture: data model, states and transitions of the journey, separation between business rules, API and interface. Decisions are written down and dated.
Development by complete features: rules, API, persistence, screen, then verification of the journey. Each increment is tested and demonstrable.
Testing: unit tests on decisions, integration tests on the database, interface tests on errors, retries and sign-outs. Tests on real devices are kept distinct from simulators.
Production release and handover: publication on the stores, monitoring, documentation and handover to your team if you wish to bring the work in-house.

The less visible things we handle

Mobile apps rarely fail on the home screen. They fail when two users perform the same action at the same instant, when a network response arrives after a sign-out, when the phone's clock does not match the server's, or when data reserved for one person is displayed to another. We design for these cases from the start: transactions and locks in the database, idempotent requests, server-side reference time, privacy enforced in the API rather than in the interface.

Our note A simple interface, rules that hold details these choices on a mobile app for meeting up that is currently in development.

Technologies

TypeScript, React Native, Expo, Swift, Kotlin, Fastify, Node.js, Rust, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, Vitest, Docker. We choose the stack according to the product and the team that will maintain it, never the other way round.

Who it is for

Startups in Montpellier and Occitanie that need to ship a solid first version rather than a prototype to be rewritten.
Companies that want a business app for their field teams, their customers or their partners.
Public organisations and regulated sectors, where traceability, data protection and reversibility matter as much as deadlines.
Technical teams that need senior reinforcement on mobile architecture, taking over an existing app or preparing a production release.

Frequently asked questions

React Native or native? React Native with Expo covers the majority of business and consumer apps with a single codebase, fast updates and access to native APIs. Native remains preferable for highly graphical uses, real-time processing or deep system integration. We decide during scoping, with written criteria.

How long for a first version? A publishable first version generally takes between three and six months depending on the scope, the number of integrations and whether a back office is needed. Scoping gives a reasoned estimate before any commitment.

Do you only work in Montpellier? We are based in Montpellier and are glad to meet our clients in Occitanie in person. Most of the work is done remotely, with regular check-ins, for clients across France and Europe.

Do you take over existing apps? Yes. A takeover starts with a short audit: architecture, technical debt, release pipeline, tests. It results in a sequenced plan that restores deliveries without stopping the service.

A mobile app project in Montpellier or elsewhere? Describe your context: the service concerned, the deadline and what cannot fail. We reply with an honest reading of the scope. We also build web applications and websites in Montpellier.