Custom app development consulting
Magnate Interactive designs and builds native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and even Apple Vision Pro, plus web apps for marketing campaigns and live events. My first iPhone app, MASH, launched on the App Store in January 2009; a million people downloaded it in that first year.
Maker of MASH, SketchParty TV, Waypoint EDU, and StareMaster
Services
Magnate Interactive. Matt Braun. One and the same. Yes, it's true that I design and build my own apps, end-to-end, mostly solo. But on projects for larger companies I bring in trusted collaborators and work with agency partners. I can tackle full builds alone, or work alongside your team, consulting for apps already in the App Store or creating event activations with immovable deadlines.
01
Native apps in Swift and SwiftUI for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. Camera and AR features with ARKit and RealityKit, iMessage apps, in-app purchases and subscriptions, and every blocking friendly-reminder from App Review. I can also help you move your older Objective-C codebases to Swift while the app keeps shipping.
02
Full-stack web apps for marketing campaigns and live events: kiosk games, big-screen game shows, and the registration and lead capture behind them. When the idea calls for it, I build real-time 3D and WebXR that runs in the browser. And sometimes I've been known to ship native apps using web technologies (React Native), if you really want to.
Crowd-drawing kiosk games and booth activations, with lead capture that gets attendee details into your CRM.
ARKit and RealityKit on Apple devices, Unity on Meta Quest. My asset pipeline runs on Blender and Photoshop, with AI-assisted tooling over MCP.
Architecture, release process, and UX reviews for large companies and startups, from a developer who ships sophisticated apps of his own.
App Store optimization (ASO), launch planning, and localization. SketchParty TV ships in seven languages.
Apple platforms
Modern Swift and SwiftUI apps for every device, from wrists to living rooms.
Choose a device to see an example of what I've built for it.
iOS
This is where most projects start, with an app for iPhone. In my view, it's simply the best platform for apps, supporting 3D AR gaming experiences, world-class productivity solutions, and everything in between.
iPadOS
Waypoint EDU turns a class outing into an AR scavenger hunt. Apple named it App of the Day and demonstrated it in hands-on labs for press and VIPs. I give iPad apps their own layouts, Apple Pencil support, and keyboard shortcuts.
tvOS
SketchParty TV is a drawing party game for the living room. Apple featured it at WWDC 2016 and in editorial collections in more than 20 countries. It ships in seven languages.
macOS
MASH launched on iPhone in 2009 and is now a native Mac app. I build for the Mac in SwiftUI and AppKit, with the menus, windows, and shortcuts Mac people expect.
watchOS
MASH runs on Apple Watch too. People look at a watch for a couple of seconds at a time, so I design watch apps around one glance and one tap.
visionOS
Floating windows, volumes, and immersive spaces built with Swift and SwiftUI. I created a prototype app for a museum using RealityKit, the same framework behind StareMaster's 3D opponents.
Still on Objective-C?
I move codebases to Swift one piece at a time, while releases keep going out.
Web applications
When you need to get an engaging experience in front of a crowd, fast, web apps are the way to go. Kiosk games, big-screen game shows, and registration flows for brands that need a crowd at the booth and clean leads afterward.
Recent work
A gameshow-style, two-team drawing and guessing game for a veterinary pharma client's expo booths, from LA to DC. I also built a registration signup flow with QR codes and magic links, so attendees' confirmed details are ready to go straight to the client's CRM.
01
Attendees scan a QR code at the booth, and provide their name and email address securely.
02
A magic link confirms their details and signs them in. Nothing to install and no password to forget.
03
Teams go head to head on the big screen (in this case, on a 20' LED display wall).
04
Those verfied contact details and opt-ins land in your CRM.
Promotions, quizzes, and games that people pass along on their own.
Touchscreens, TVs, and phones as controllers, built to run all day on a show floor.
QR check-in, magic links, and CRM integrations that keep the data clean.
Real-time 3D in the browser, plus AR and VR when the brief calls for it.
Client work
Apps for shoppers, health seekers, and motorcycle riders; games for tech conferences and 3D Augmented Reality in the browser; a global product launch in more than 30 languages. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest national and international brands, often alongside collaborators and agency partners when the scope calls for a bigger team.
Global beverage brand
A marketing activation for a worldwide product launch: the front end for AI image generation, and a camera app that runs in the phone's browser. It shipped in more than 30 languages.
Major retailer
I helped build the scan as you shop feature for a major retailer's mobile app, so customers can ring up items on their phone as they fill their cart in-store. I also worked on the front-end for an enhanced loyalty program, and more.
International motorcycle maker
I worked with a great team to help build new features for the companion mobile app for an international motorcycle maker and the people who ride its bikes. Incorporated third-party maps and music integration.
Enterprise software companies
A series of activations for tech conferences, with games and avatar creators that attendees could personalize. They ran on the show floor and for people joining online.
National non-profit
A marketing campaign for a national non-profit, built with WebXR so the augmented reality experience ran right in the phone's browser. It showed how good nutrition connects to learning and to the opportunities that follow.
Health tech startup
An iPhone app for a startup working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. Instead of a finger prick, it took close-up photos of the eye to detect glucose levels. (This project inspired StareMaster.)
Own apps
I design, build, and support every Magnate app myself. Publishing my own apps since 2009 keeps me honest about what App Review, launch week, and the years of updates and customer support after it actually takes.
Featured at WWDC 2016
Apple TV, iPad, iPhone
The drawing party game for Apple TV. Featured by Apple in editorial collections in more than 20 countries, and localized into seven languages.
Visit sketchparty.tv
1M downloads in year one
iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac
The original fortune-telling game for iPhone, launched in January 2009 and an early App Store Essential. Now a native Mac app.
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App of the Day
iPhone, iPad
Educational AR scavenger hunts. Apple demonstrated it in hands-on labs with press and VIPs.
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Built with RealityKit
iPhone, iPad
A camera-based staring contest against 3D opponents. Blink and you lose.
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For contractors
iPhone, iPad
Photo checklists, time tracking, before and afters, and reports, all done in the field.
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Party game
iMessage, iPhone, iPad
Two truths and a lie, recorded on video and played in Messages.
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Private beta
For accountants and lenders
Collects the documents accountants and lenders need from their clients, with MCP so you can talk to your data. Currently in private beta.
The full lineup, including Four in a Row and Tic Tac Toe Time Attack.
See every appEngineering advisory
Large companies bring me in for architecture review and to help them get unstuck. Startups bring me in earlier, to help them decide what to build first and how to get it into the App Store.
Honest assessment of patterns in your codebase and a clear plan for parts that slow your team down.
CI, TestFlight/Firebase, phased rollouts, A/B testing, so shipping an update becomes routine.
Screenshots, keywords, and product page copy, plus a plan for ratings/reviews and possible featuring.
A pass against Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and the patterns your users already expect.
How I work
Short feedback loops and builds in your hands early, so you always know what's done and what comes next.
A call about what you're making, who it's for, and when it has to ship. You get a straight read on scope, budget, and who should be on the project, even if I'm not the right fit.
Something you can tap or play early on, so the big decisions get made on real screens.
Regular TestFlight builds and staging links. You watch the app come together on your own phone, with frequent updates.
App Store submission, launch day monitoring, and the updates that follow.
Ways to work with me
End-to-end design, engineering, and launch, from the first sketch or wireframe to the App Store or the show floor.
Forward-deployed senior Apple and web developer that joins your standups and helps your team ship faster.
Architecture, code quality, release readiness, and advice when you want a second set of eyes.
Games and sign-up flows for a global product launch, a national tour, or a single trade show.
Start a project
I can help solve your problems and get you where you're going faster. Providing solutions for event technology, high-end marketing campaigns, and native Apple apps. Send a few lines about the project and your timeline, and I'll set up a call.
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