PawMiaw

The pet matching app:find your pet's perfect match, playdates and adoption, with PawMiaw Plus powered by RevenueCat

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Inspiration

Finding the right companion for a pet — a playmate, a partner, or a forever home — still happens through scattered classifieds and word of mouth. We wanted to make it as simple and joyful as a dating app: swipe, match, chat, meet. That's PawMiaw 🐾

What it does

  • Swipe & match — browse pet profiles nearby and match with compatible pets
  • Chat — matched owners talk directly in the app to arrange playdates or adoption
  • Pet cards — every pet gets a beautiful shareable card (in-app and as a server-rendered link preview) to invite friends
  • PawMiaw Plus — a subscription (powered by RevenueCat) that unlocks unlimited swipes and premium perks
  • Fully localized in French and English ## How we built it
  • Frontend: React + Vite, wrapped with Capacitor for the native Android app
  • Backend: TypeScript, Express and Prisma, deployed on Render
  • Monetization: RevenueCat SDK (@revenuecat/purchases-capacitor) drives the Plus subscription paywall, with entitlements mapped to user accounts via webhooks
  • Sharing: custom server-side card rendering (canvas) so shared links show branded pet cards in WhatsApp/social previews

Challenges we ran into

  • Getting link previews right across WhatsApp/Facebook — we ended up rendering Open Graph cards server-side per pet, with proper caching
  • First-ever Google Play release: keystore signing, AAB builds, and store compliance (native app must never show external payment links)
  • Keeping the paywall fully localized and consistent with the app's design system

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Shipped a real app to Google Play — first-ever store submission, signed, compliant, and live during the Shipaton window
  • A complete product, not a demo — matching, chat, profiles, sharing and payments all work end to end
  • RevenueCat integration done right — the Plus paywall is native, localized, and entitlements sync to our backend via webhooks, so a purchase instantly unlocks features everywhere
  • Branded share cards — server-rendered pet cards that make every shared link look beautiful in WhatsApp and social feeds
  • Bilingual from day one — the entire app, including the paywall and share cards, works in French and English

What we learned

Shipping is a feature. Polishing the last 10% — store submission, localization, share flows, a paywall users actually understand — took as much care as building the core product.

What's next for PawMiaw

  • iOS release
  • More species and smarter matching
  • Growing PawMiaw Plus with new premium features

How to test (for judges)

Android: Install PawMiaw from Google Play (link under "Try it out" above). Test PawMiaw Plus (premium) for free: In the app, open Premium and start the 7-day free trial. It unlocks all Plus features (unlimited swipes, see who liked you, boosts, games) at no charge; cancel anytime during the trial. Purchases are powered by RevenueCat (entitlement "plus", product plus_monthly). iOS: Currently in App Store review.

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