Streamline your branding and marketing with your own customer app.
The Branded Mobile App gives your business its own custom-branded iOS and Android app, built on Pogozo, published under your name in the App Store and Google Play.
Once it's live, your clients download your app instead of the generic Pogozo App, with your icon, splash screen and brand colour throughout.
We manage the build, maintenance, compliance and fees associated of creating and hosting the app.
Turning on the Branded Mobile App
Go to Settings - Integrations - Connected Apps
Switch on the toggle on the Branded Mobile App tile.
This shows a one-time setup fee and a monthly subscription. The monthly fee is added to your existing Pogozo subscription and charged pro-rata if you enable it partway through your billing cycle.
TIP: Turning on the Branded Mobile App requires an active Pogozo subscription and a default payment method already saved on the account . Add a card or bank account under billing first if you don't have one.
If you have a discount code, enter it under Have a discount code? and click Apply. Leave it empty if you don't have one. Valid codes update the price shown and are confirmed with a Discount code applied tick.
Check the Due today total, then click Continue to Setup.
TIP: Once you have applied for the branded mobile app you can't switch it off yourself from the Integrations page. Get in touch with the Pogozo team if you need it deactivated.
Designing your branded app details
After you confirm the pricing popup, you're taken straight to the Branded App Setup page.
You will need to fill in the following details:
App Name: Your app name must be unique. This is what clients will search in the App Store and Google Play Store. We strongly recommend you search your app name in the app stores to make sure they are not taken. If your desired app name is taken it will be rejected from the App Store.
Descriptions: Short Description (up to 80 characters) and a Full Description (up to 4,000 characters): This tells people searching in the App Store and Google Play store what your app is used for.
App Icon (Android and iOS): This is the icon that users will see when the download your app or open the app on their phone or tablet. You must use the exact size and format or your image won't be accepted.
Android (Google Play Store): 512x512px | PNG | Max 5MB
iOS (App Store): 1024x1024px | PNG | Max 5MB
Splash Screen Image: While your app is loading this is the screen your client sees. You must use the exact size and format or your image won't be accepted.
Splash screen image: PNG | 1284x2778px | Max 10MB
Feature Graphic: Is the image displayed in the in the Google Play Store. You must use the exact size and format or your image won't be accepted.
Feature graphic: PNG, JPEG or JPG | 1024x500px | Max 10MB.
Primary Brand Colour: will be used for the buttons and accent colours in the mobile app. If you have seen the Pogozo app it will replace anywhere the "Pogozo teal" is used.
Contact Details: This is the contact details of who to contact if we need clarification about your app.
General Website, Support Website and Marketing Website if you have them; these are optional but help your listing look complete in the app stores. We suggest you add at a minimum your homepage to the general website field. Do not put the Pogozo website here. Conflicting app details and website details may cause your app to be rejected from the app stores.
Testers: These are people in your business who you would like to send the prototype test app for testing. You can add as many testers as you would like. You cannot add testers after the app has been sent for review and you cannot share links with others who have not been added as an authorised tester. Each tester will receive their own invitation to test the app on their personal mobile.
Test Accounts: are required by the App Store and Google Play Store to test your app before is it ready for production. They will use these credentials to log in as a client and a team member to verify the app works, so they must be real log ins and real passwords.
IMPORTANT: Do not give out the data to a real client or team member. We strongly suggest you create an admin team member with hidden permissions and a new client specifically for the app testing.
TIP: Passwords you enter here are encrypted before they're stored, and they're never shown back to you in plain text once saved.
If your branded app application is still in draft mode you can get back here any time by clicking Continue Branded App Setup on the Branded Mobile App tile under Integrations.
Saving a draft or submitting for review
While your completing your application, you can click Save Draft at any point to save your progress and come back to it later, nothing is submitted for review yet.
When every field is filled in and you are ready to submit your app, click Submit for Review.
Confirm on the warning popup. Once you submit, you can't edit your app details in Pogozo until the review is complete, so it's worth double-checking everything first.
TIP: Once you have submitted the app for review our developers will build a prototype. You cannot make changes to the app while your prototype is being built. Once the prototype is built you will be able to review the prototype on your phone or tablet before submitting the final ok for the developers to build the final app for the App Store and Google Play Stores. If, when reviewing the prototype, you want to make changes you can submit a request for changes.
Testing your prototype
Once the developers have built your prototype they will be uploaded into the testing platforms for each app store.
The iOS App Store testing platform is called TestFlight and the Android Google Play testing platform is called FireBase. You will receive an email from each of these when the app is ready to review. The average time for the App Store and Google Play store to review a prototype and make it available for testing is 24-48 hours.
TIP The prototypes for each store may be accepted at different times and you may receive the credentials to test a few hours apart.
Testing iOS with Test Flight
Before you receive your iPhone invitation, Apple has to review the test build. This usually takes 24–48 hours, but can occasionally take longer. Once approved, you'll receive an email from TestFlight with the following instructions:
1. On your iPhone, download the free TestFlight app from the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/testflight/id899247664
2. Open the TestFlight invitation email on your iPhone and tap "View in TestFlight".
3. Tap Accept, then tap Install.
4. Your app will appear on your home screen with a small orange dot next to its name, this shows it is a test version.
TIPS: Your iPhone needs to be running iOS 16 or later. Each test build is available for up to 90 days.
Testing Android with Firebase
Before you receive your Android invitation, Apple has to review the test build. This usually takes 24–48 hours, but can occasionally take longer. Once approved, You'll get an email from Firebase App Distribution (Google) inviting you to test your app with the following instructions:
1. On your Android phone, open the invitation email and tap the link.
2. Sign in with a Google account and accept the invitation. You can use any Google account, it doesn't have to be the email address the invite was sent to.
3. When prompted, download the Firebase App Tester app (recommended). You can also get it by visiting appdistribution.firebase.google.com on your phone. Sign in with the same Google account you used to accept the invite.
4. In App Tester, select your app and tap Download. The app will appear on your home screen.
TIP: Each invitation link can only be used once. Your phone may ask you to allow installs from "unknown apps" for App Tester. This is normal for test builds, please follow the prompt to allow it.
Approving your app for development
Once you have tested your prototype, you will need to approve your app for development. Your app will not be developed and released into the app stores until you approve your prototype.
In Settings - Integrations - Connected apps you will see your branded app has a button Approve App.
Click Approve App and you have the option to approve the app for development or not approve the app for development.
Once you approve the app, the development team will start to build your app and prepare it for release to the App Store and Google Play Store.
If you do not approve the app, the application form will revert to draft and you can make any changes you want. You will then have to re-submit the application and our team will rebuild the prototype for you and resubmit the prototype to the app stores.
Tracking your app's status
Your Branded Mobile App tile and the Branded App Setup page both show a status chip so you always know where things are up to:
Draft while you're still filling in your application. You can continue to make changes. Our development team have not started building your app and no development can start until this has been submitted.
Submitted once it's with Pogozo for review. Our development team will begin to build your prototype testing app. Once build we submit the app to the App Store and Google Play Store. Once approved by the App Store and Google Play Store the prototype will be ready for testing. This process can take 24-48 hours for the app stores to accept your prototype. Once ready you will be sent the testing details to review your app.
Building: Once you have reviewed your prototype and accepted the design your app will be built by our development team. Once built it will be submitted tot he App Store and Google Play Store for testing. This process can take 24-48 hours for the app stores to accept your app. Once ready your app will be published to the Google Play and App Stores.
Live: Once your app is is published in the App Store and Google Play it will update to live and you can then download your app.