Pola

The Pola app helps shoppers in Poland find information about the origin of any product simply by scanning its barcode. Developed by NGO Klub Jagielloński as part of its “Code for Poland” initiative, Pola gives consumers the power to easily identify locally produced products by seeing information about where manufacturers are based and operate. To reach the greatest number of users across Poland, the app’s creators chose Android as a key development platform. “Android is an extremely popular platform in the Polish market,” says Developer Grzegorz Kapusta. “Its development tools are user friendly, and working on the platform is really straightforward.” As the first app of its kind on the market, Pola was an instant hit. Since being introduced in November 2015, it has been downloaded over 200,000 times and has around 5,000 daily users. “With Pola we are able to give people access to information they previously didn’t have,” says Grzegorz. “And because Android is an open platform, we can make the app available to users on a much wider range of devices, which helps us reach even more people.” While fragmentation is a challenge due to the varying quality of smartphone cameras, the Pola team are looking at using Android’s flexible development options so users can add numerical input using their phone keypad. With the help of Android, Pola has grown from the seed of an idea into a powerful tool in the hands of the consumer, and Grzegorz is excited to see where the journey will lead in the future.

Because Android is an open platform, we can make the app available to users on a much wider range of devices, which helps us reach even more people.

Grzegorz Kapusta, Android Developer, Pola