TapLive

See any place in the world live through trusted local people.

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Inspiration

Most online information tells us what happened before. Sometimes, however, people need to know what is happening at a specific place right now.

A traveler may want to see a venue before visiting, a buyer may want a live view of an item, or someone may need local help in a city they cannot reach. TapLive was inspired by a simple idea: a trusted person nearby can provide a live and interactive view instead of relying only on photos, posts, reviews, or prerecorded videos.

What it does

TapLive is a real-time video and location-based order platform that helps people request live local access from others in different places.

A user creates a Live Request describing what they want to see or what assistance they need. Nearby Providers can discover and accept the request, go to the requested location, and start a live video session. During the session, the requester can communicate with the Provider and ask them to show specific details in real time.

The Shipaton MVP focuses on:

  • User accounts and profiles
  • Creating and managing Live Requests
  • Location-based Provider matching
  • Request acceptance and session status updates
  • One-to-one live video interaction
  • Location and session verification
  • Completion confirmation and controlled replay access
  • Premium digital features managed through RevenueCat

RevenueCat is being integrated to manage premium digital access, such as longer replay availability and additional member features. Payments for real-world services between requesters and Providers are treated separately from digital in-app purchases.

How we built it

We are building TapLive with a shared frontend using Next.js, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS, supported by shared backend APIs. The Android implementation is designed around the requirements of camera access, microphone permissions, location services, real-time video, and RevenueCat integration.

The backend is being developed with Node.js, TypeScript, AWS services, and APIs that connect the mobile interface to real-time order and session data. RevenueCat will manage digital purchase entitlements inside the mobile application.

We designed the system around a clear workflow: create a request, find a nearby Provider, accept the request, begin a live session, confirm completion, and provide controlled replay access.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges is combining live video, location data, user instructions, and trust features without making the experience difficult to use.

Location information must help confirm that a Provider is at the requested place while still respecting privacy. Camera, microphone, GPS, and mobile permissions also need to work reliably on real devices.

Another challenge is keeping the web and mobile versions consistent while validating that important features work correctly inside a mobile application. We also need to separate purchases for digital premium features from payments for real-world services.

Accomplishments that we are proud of

We turned a broad global platform idea into a focused mobile MVP with a clear user journey.

We created a shared technical direction for the frontend, mobile application, backend APIs, location features, live sessions, and RevenueCat integration. We also treated trust, privacy, and controlled access as core parts of the product instead of adding them only after development.

What we learned

We learned that real-time video alone is not enough. A useful live service also needs location context, clear instructions, session status, user consent, and a reliable completion process.

We also learned that mobile compatibility must be tested early. Camera access, microphone permissions, GPS behavior, live video, and purchase entitlements need to be validated on real devices throughout development.

What's next for TapLive

Our next steps are to complete the backend APIs, connect the mobile interface to real data, validate the core workflow on Android devices, finish the RevenueCat purchase and entitlement flow, and test the experience with early users.

After completing the Shipaton MVP, we plan to improve Provider matching, replay controls, trust and safety features, and support for additional locations and devices.

Our goal remains simple: help people see and interact with places around the world through trusted live human presence.

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