Medellín Guide: Now Available in App Store

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Medellín Guide iPhone app

Medellín Guide iPhone app

I’m proud to announce the Medellín Guide App is now available on iTunes!

For more than a year now, I’ve been secretly working with a developer on an application to bring together the best information from Medellín Living into a mobile app for iPhone users.

The Medellín Guide is a high-quality, custom-built app that features:

  • 180+ listings, including the city’s best restaurants, cafés, nightlife, attractions, parks, malls, housing and tourism services.
  • High-resolution photos to help you choose where to go.
  • A “Nearby” map which allows you to see places relative to your location.
  • Ability to save your favorite places, and safely store them via iCloud.
  • Ability to share places via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, email and text message.
  • A built-in web browser, allowing you to read longer descriptions on Medellín Living without having to leave the app.
  • Available offline. Once the app is downloaded, there’s no need for an internet connection.

What you see today in Version 1.0 is only the beginning. We’ll continue to add more listings and new features to make the Medellín Guide the best mobile city guide in the world.

Why an iPhone App?

As I mentioned in the initial announcement last week, a third of Medellín Living’s readers access the site via smartphone, and of those, the vast majority use an iPhone.

While this site is mobile-friendly thanks to a responsive design, the layout and content is geared more toward computer users. I wanted to create a custom experience for iPhone users so they can more easily access our recommendations while they’re out exploring the city.

We would eventually like to create an Android version too, but in the near term, our focus will continue to be on refining and improving the app for iPhone.

How to Get It

The Medellín Guide is completely free and available for immediate download in the App Store.

One last thing. We’ve put in countless hours to make this app a reality, and we’re happy to give it away for free as a service to readers. All we ask in return is that if you enjoy using the Medellín Guide, please take a minute to rate and review it on the App Store.

Download on the App Store

 

PS – To celebrate the launch of Medellín Guide, we’re giving away a $100 Amazon gift certificate.

Enter the contest here and help us spread the news about our app for a chance to win! Offer ends 11 p.m., EST, Tuesday, December 23, 2014.

PPS – If you’re in Medellín, we’re also hosting a party at Humo from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, December 16, 2014 to celebrate. The first 35 people will receive two free drink tickets good for 3 Cordilleras beers and there will be hors d’oeuvres too. RSVP on Facebook

Like the story? Take a second to support Medellin Living on Patreon!

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6 COMMENTS

  1. David:

    Please develop an Android App for Medellin Guide.
    Best Wishes to you during the Holiday Season and may you have a Prosperous New Year 2015

    Roberto J. Chevres
    Jacksonville, FL

    • Hi Roberto,

      We’ve received a lot of requests for an Android version. It’s something we’d like to develop, but we can’t put a timeframe on it yet.

      Happy holidays to you too!

    • The app is available for iOS (Apple) only, specifically the iPhone and iPad.

      It’s not designed for use on a desktop computer, but all the information in the app is readily available on the blog here.

  2. Hello I like your app I was thinking of getting a app like this done for where I live in the UK just thought I would search Medellin first as my Wife is from there and we visit every 2 years. Could you tell me how did this for you.

    Thanks Ian

    • How did we make the app?

      My partner is an iPhone app developer, so he handled the technical side. I wouldn’t even know where to start in that respect.

      I wrote all the content, took most of the photos and also gave feedback on design and functionality. We relied heavily on existing content on the blog, as well as new content I added into custom fields just for the app, which can’t be seen publicly. Then we export the content as an XML file and it’s parsed into the app. I don’t know the details, as my partner handles that part.

      I wish I could say it was easy, but it took us well over a year, and a lot of time and energy. If you were to hire a contractor, it could easily cost thousands of dollars to develop an app from scratch. At some point, we may try to license what we’ve built. I think it’s better to license or buy an existing app you can adapt for your purposes than try to build from scratch (unless you have a technical partner or sufficient funds).