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Case study · Social

Loosid: an offline-first social network for recovery

Loosid · Core React Native developer · ~2019–2022

social · recovery

Loosid is a social network built for people in recovery — community feeds, group chat, dating and sobriety tools in one app. I was a core React Native developer on it for around two and a half years.

That longevity meant owning real product surface: a UI overhaul, the data layer, and the offline behaviour that made the community usable anywhere.

The challenge

A recovery community can’t only work on strong Wi-Fi. Members needed their feeds, messages and tools to stay usable on patchy connections — which meant the app couldn’t assume the network was there.

On top of that, a long-lived social app accumulates features and data; keeping it fast and coherent through a major UI overhaul was a constant balancing act.

The approach

The app used RealmDB for an offline-first data layer — reading and writing locally, then syncing — so content stayed available and interactions felt instant regardless of connection.

Data came through a mix of GraphQL and REST services, integrated behind a consistent client layer. I contributed heavily to the UI overhaul and to keeping the growing codebase maintainable across both platforms.

What I built

  • Community feed and groups
  • Real-time group and direct messaging
  • Dating and connection features
  • Sobriety tracking and recovery tools
  • Offline-first sync so the app works without a live connection

The outcome

I served as a core developer for roughly 2.5 years — the kind of tenure that only comes from shipping reliably on a product people depend on.

The offline-first architecture kept the community usable in the real world, not just on a fast connection, and the UI overhaul modernised the whole experience.

Tech stack

React NativeRealmDB (offline sync)GraphQLRESTReal-time messagingPush notifications

Need an app that works offline or in real time?

Offline sync and real-time features are a big part of my work. Let’s talk about what yours needs.

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