KODE’s Flutter-based mobile app

Empowering System Integrators (KODE Channel Partners) in Smart Building Management

Pre-Flutter times

KODE Labs was founded to help people who work, live and play in buildings enjoy their experience to the fullest.

Doing so meant that an experience could not be bound to a monitor. That’s why we started building the KODE OS mobile app. But we faced a problem right from the beginning. We had two members on our mobile team. Back in 2019, we had already integrated the first portfolio in KODE OS. KODE OS itself was quite complex, connecting every base building system, IoT and third-party apps, to not only visualize everything in one screen but actually optimize building operations altogether. In short, pressure was real, timing was critical and resources were limited. That’s when we ran into Flutter.

Post-Flutter times

Flutter is an open source framework by Google for building beautiful, natively compiled, multi-platform applications from a single codebase for both iOS and Android. Most importantly, it was (and still is) fast, productive, and flexible.

“Yet again, one of our top Core Values at KODE Labs – Do More with Less – came to life!” – says Endrit, Flutter Developer at KODE Labs. “Building and iterating quickly was a time saver, plus we could automate testing and fully control the code”.

Okay, but what has Flutter really enabled for KODE OS Mobile?

To understand how Flutter helped us scale with partners, we must first understand what users can do with KODE OS Mobile.

Manage your building or portfolio
When we say it this broad, what we really mean is that with the app you can check the network health of your data sources, devices and points. You will be able to see whether your devices are active or, god forbid, down.

Automatically test your device performance
We pay close attention to how we enable our Digital Commissioning tool for the easiest access possible. Building operators can see their systems performance in real time, schedule tests to run automatically, and view performance reports at their convenience.

Easily navigate and command and control your building
A floor by floor graphical view and graphics available per system help users easily navigate their entire building while checking its performance, space utilization, air quality, and more. You also don’t have to worry about managing and optimizing the timing and sequencing of building systems like HVAC, lighting, and security. You have a schedulers module that lets you remotely control and schedule your devices to turn on and off at your schedule.

Your building keeps you informed
Stay ahead of issues by setting up alerts for when a device or data source goes offline. And if you’re all about the details, you can even create routines to remind you when supplies—like toilet paper—are running low. Smart, simple, and always one step ahead.

Operations never stop—but you don’t have to chase every issue
There are times when you simply can’t address every issue right away—but that doesn’t mean you need to manually log every device, area, or alarm that needs attention. Instead, just bookmark them and attach a quick note for yourself or your team to follow up later. A simple solution that saves time, reduces stress, and keeps everything organized.

All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg to what you can do with the KODE OS Mobile. The level of complexity increases as more portfolios are integrated. That’s where Flutter was a life-saver. It allowed us to ship features faster with less code while creating tailored experiences for iOS and Android without compromise. Moreover, it made it easy for us to implement adaptive and responsive design which made KODE OS look beautiful for everyone (we don’t like seeing any iOS and Android fight :)) 

What about System Integrators?

The best part of using Flutter was that we are able to easily white-label the KODE OS Mobile theme. Our first step was to design the entire app. Then, with custom widgets, we simply plugged in our System Integrators’ brands. End result: Not only will each Partner have their own fully branded mobile app, but they can also push it to their own stores.

Final takeaway

As we onboard System Integrators in the future, white-labeling remains an important requirement, which is why we love working with Flutter. SI’s will have their own mobile app, Flutter’s ability to build a single codebase that works on both Android and iOS makes it much easier for KODE Labs to maintain all apps simultaneously.