Dear Petcube users and fans,
I'm excited to announce we’ve launched a new iOS version. Petcube App 4.0 is available as an update, and new users can download it today from the App Store. This is the app we wanted to build from day one when we started the company 6 years ago.
Connecting pets to the Internet
When my co-founder and CTO Alex Neskin built the first Petcube prototype, we realized that not only he was able to call his dog Rocky at any moment, but that anyone from his family or friends could now connect and play with Rocky. It became evident that Petcube would become the missing link connecting pets to the internet.
We chose to pioneer in human-pet communication because of the important bonds we have with our pets. Petcube has sold hundreds of thousands devices with people live streaming, chatting, and playing with their pets daily. Pet parents spend an average 50 minutes a week interacting with their pets on Petcube and make an average 11 calls per week. I hope they call their moms weekly as well!
Sharing is caring
We’re seeing that 20% of Petcube users share their cameras with family and friends. Some share cameras with the Petcube community, so pets get additional love and popularity. Many of our rescue partners share their cameras to encourage playtime and increase adoptions.
The Petcube app was used by more people without a Petcube Camera than by people who have actually owned a device. That’s fascinating, given that features for people without a camera were kind of buried in the app interface until now.
Live Stream and Sharing
App 4.0 brings a number of improvements for both camera owners and standalone app users. We’ve simplified the interface. There’s no more navigation tab at the bottom, which means more space for things that matter. Everything is accessible from the home screen - your cameras, video timeline, and a place to share pics, videos, or Petcubes.
If you have a Petcube camera, the video loads much faster. A simple tap is all that’s needed to access a live stream. The camera opens in vertical view mode, giving you a glimpse of the latest recorded videos and social interactions. Flip your phone horizontally to enter full screen mode for your live stream.
Petcube Community
We’re taking the community aspect of the app one big step further.
It’s now easy to share a photo or video of your pet from the home screen. Finally there’s a place to post all of those cute pet pics. And, you can always go to your profile to browse through history of your pet’s best photos. The algorithmic feed will show you the best content from the people you follow and suggest new accounts.
Sharing a Petcube is almost like starting a live video stream, but it’s also interactive! You can allow viewers to talk, play, or treat your pet - depending on which Petcube camera you have. We’ve built granular privacy settings so that you’re always in control of whom you’re sharing with and for how long. Some people will only share those cute moments with their family, plenty people feel comfortable sharing with a larger group of friends, and some will be starting public streams, making their pet a celebrity-star, driving lots of fans and attention.
Rescues & Celebrity Pets
We have always been thinking about how we can help pet rescue organizations to get more pets adopted. With Petcube’s new app, anyone will be able to play with publicly shared pets looking for a loving home. And then - just follow the link in the profile and you can donate to this rescue or contact them to initiate the adoption. Or find your favorite celebrity pets like Nala the cat and grumpy dog Anuko the Husky, and maybe you’ll get lucky to play with them one day. If not, you can always support them by buying more of those Nala the Cat T-shirts — they just got the new one that you MUST have.
Big Thanks!
We are grateful to our community for constantly helping us improve, and for joining our quest to reinvent pet care and connect pets to the Internet. I can’t wait to see what we will do together with this new Petcube App!
We'll also be releasing a number of improvements for the Android platform as well, so more to come in the future. Tell us what you think, share with friends, and share your love by playing with pets through the app. Thanks for all your support!