Nearly five years ago, I built PodLP, a podcast app for flip phones. Now, I work in DevRel on Cloud Phone, a Chromium-based remote browser that runs on devices with as little as 16MB RAM. Development is straightforward—native Chrome v128+ support means no need for transpilers or polyfills.
These devices have small screens and cater to low-income users in emerging markets. I originally built PodLP because I wanted a podcast app for KaiOS flip phones, and the early pandemic gave me the time and motivation.
I’m curious—what drives web developers to explore niche platforms? Is it the novelty, financial opportunities, impact, or something else?
Keaton said:
In 2025, I would think that if someone has a dumb phone, it’s because they don’t want apps
In western markets, that’s partly true, although many still want utility apps. In emerging markets, people buy these phones because they can’t afford a smartphone
Oakley said:
I think progressive web apps are much better than mobile apps
They can be PWAs are basically what Cloud Phone supports, though it currently doesn’t handle web manifests and offers limited features due to hardware constraints, fragmentation, and complexity
Having started with Android over a decade ago, making a living is quite hard now on any platform. Developing for Cloud Phone and KaiOS has less competition. It can also be a good way to introduce your product to new users who will later upgrade to smartphones. But you can’t expect to charge this user base a monthly $30 fee
Vaughn said:
I guess it would have to be as a non-profit project I can’t see people with this phone spending money on apps
That’s fair, this group doesn’t have much extra money. However, PodLP made decent revenue (for a side project) via sponsorship. Advertising is still the main way to make money