Product
Prioritize features members use
Plan releases around pledge drives and events
Balance innovation with maintainability
Public media software for audiences who expect more than a stream
Listeners and viewers want your content everywhere: phones, cars, connected devices. Public media teams are stretched thin keeping apps current across platforms. We partner with organizations like KQED on mobile product strategy, UX, and Flutter development for the long haul.
The challenge
Your audience moved on. Your app is catching up.
Streaming on the web is table stakes. Members expect a polished mobile experience, offline listening, personalization, and support for CarPlay and Android Auto. Internal teams juggle CMS work, fundraising tools, and a backlog of platform updates. Vendor-built apps go stale. Rebuilds stall because nobody owns product strategy alongside engineering.
Mobile products built for public media
Product, design, and engineering for organizations where mission, membership, and daily listening all shape the roadmap.
UX & Design
Listening and viewing flows that feel familiar
Accessible design for diverse audiences
Onboarding that supports membership goals
Development
Flutter apps for iOS and Android
CarPlay and Android Auto integration
Reliable streaming, downloads, and notifications
Featured work
KQED: mobile partner since 2021
KQED
Flutter mobile apps for iOS and Android
We have been KQED's mobile development partner since 2021, building and evolving their Flutter apps for iOS and Android. The work includes CarPlay and Android Auto integration, ongoing feature development, and the kind of long-term maintenance public media needs but rarely gets from one-off agency projects.
KQED's apps are widely regarded as among the best in public radio. That did not happen from treating mobile as a side project. It came from sustained product and engineering partnership.
Why public media organizations work with Uptech Studio
Long-term partnership, not a handoff
Public media apps need ongoing care: OS updates, platform changes, new listening habits. We are built for multi-year engagements where we learn your organization and your audience, not a six-month build and goodbye.
Flutter for iOS and Android together
One strong codebase for both platforms means your limited budget goes further. We have shipped Flutter in production for KQED and other clients, including in-car experiences that are hard to get right.
Mission-aware product thinking
We understand that public media products serve listeners, members, and communities, not just engagement metrics. We help you make tradeoffs that respect the mission while still shipping software people want to use.
Works with your team
We plug in alongside digital, editorial, and engineering staff. You keep institutional knowledge; we bring senior mobile and product capacity you can scale up or down as priorities shift.
Common questions
Do you only work with public radio, or other public media too?
Our deepest experience is with public radio and streaming media, anchored by KQED. We also work with other mission-driven media and digital products. If your audience expects strong mobile and connected-device experiences, we are likely a fit.
Can you take over an existing app or do we need to rebuild?
Both. We assess what you have, what the audience needs, and whether incremental improvement or a structured rebuild makes sense. We will recommend a rebuild only when the existing codebase is holding you back more than a transition would cost.
Do you support CarPlay, Android Auto, and other connected platforms?
Yes. KQED's apps include CarPlay and Android Auto integration. In-car listening is a major use case for public media, and we treat it as core product work, not a nice-to-have checkbox.
How does engagement work for nonprofit budgets?
We structure work in phases: discovery, a focused release, then ongoing partnership. Public media organizations often start with a defined initiative and expand as trust and results build. We are transparent about scope and cost at each stage.
Serve your audience wherever they listen
Building or rebuilding a public media app? Let's talk about what your audience needs and what a sustainable partnership looks like.
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