In 2024, I released the Local Ventilation Controller app on the Play Store — a personal project born out of a real-world need.
💡 The Problem
I regularly used a local HVAC controller that was only accessible via a web browser. This worked fine, but the experience was clunky:
- No home screen icon
- No system integration like back button or dark mode
- Needed to re-open browser tabs every time
🔧 The Solution
I decided to build a dedicated Android app that wraps the controller’s web interface inside a native WebView.
This gave me:
- A standalone app experience
- Icon and launcher support
- Better control over caching and navigation
- The option to add native features later
📱 Under the Hood
The app is minimal by design:
- Built using Kotlin
- Uses
WebViewto load a local IP - Blocks external navigation
- No data is collected or shared
It was one of those small but impactful apps — useful to me every single day.
>