The Weekendest iOS app is now live!
Completely new redesign, and new features include Trip Tracker, Contextual Service Notices
The Weekendest is now live on the App Store! The new app has all the features you liked about the Weekendest, in addition to elements of goodservice.io, a brand new user interface redesigned for using it on-the-go, better performance with the underlying libraries using operating system-level hardware acceleration, and new features that take advantage of native frameworks.
Background
The Weekendest was started back in 2019 as a web app, which brought the first ever real-time map of the NYC Subway. There were many reasons to create a mobile app: mobile users now make up the majority users of both goodservice.io (36% in 2019 vs. 72% in 2024) and the Weekendest (62% in 2019 vs. 79% in 2024), and there are limitations to features and performance with a web app.
I did not have any mobile development experience then. When I was laid off from my day job in October 2023, it was the perfect opportunity for me to pick up Swift UI, and to re-write a project I first wrote 4 years ago, which itself was also a challenge.
UX Redesign
Most transit apps primarily focus on trip planning: where you have to enter where you want to go before you get any sort of train information. That’s nice if you’re making an unfamiliar trip, but if you are commuting, or going anywhere you already know your route, having to input into a trip planner feels like an unnecessary step.
For that, all you really care about is when the next train is coming, and maybe if there are any delays. Every other app requires at least a tap, if not multiple taps, to even get to that information. The Weekendest gets you that on startup with zero interactions. And if you’re near multiple stations, you can see train times across them all, so you can view all your alternatives at a glance.
Looking at departure times at a given subway station, you can also view contextual service notices like delays, service changes, and elevator outages that may affect how you’re traveling. The app takes into account not only the train route that is currently affected, but also whether you traveling from the current station is affected by each notice.
New iOS Native Features
I promised myself that I wouldn’t make a native app, unless there were legitimate features that I couldn’t possibly replicate on the web. I was really inspired with how major transit planning apps took advantage of iOS’ Live Activity to show step-by-step directions on the phone’s Lock Screen.
Thinking about as a transit rider, what else would I like to see, I came up with the Background Trip Tracker. Simply follow a train trip, and you can get the train’s next stop information, along with transfer connection times on your phone’s Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (if applicable) without keeping the app open. This is useful to know whether or not you need to hustle to make your transfer, or if it makes more sense to make a different transfer elsewhere if the transfer requires a very long wait. (This feature requires an add-on premium subscription of $1.99/month or $14.99/year).
What’s Next
As expected, after hearing about the release of this app, many folks have asked when I would release an Android version. Since I’ve never owned an Android phone, or developed on one, I will have to actually learn how to do it first, but I do recognize that there’s a need for one. So as I wrap up the development work on the iOS app, I will start exploring and learn how to develop an Android version of this app.
For those of you on iOS, please check it out, and let me know what you think.
The Weekendest iOS app is now available on the App Store. Follow The Weekendest on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram for further updates about this project.
