Building Buddy Check On Me

October 1, 2025 • By Adrien Lamoureux

Six months ago, I set out to learn something new: mobile applications. Despite 25+ years in software development, I had never dived deep into iOS or Android app building. That's when a conversation with a friend sparked an idea: what if there was an app that started a timer, and if you didn't stop it in time, it alerted someone you trust?

The idea became Buddy Check On Me, a mobile app with a serverless backend that keeps your friends or family in the loop — without subscriptions, without ads, and without expensive hardware. Along the way, I hit challenges I couldn't have predicted: authentication, messaging, cost models, in-app purchases, and app store approvals.