Why I built Orbitika: an offline toolbox for old phones
Short answer: I built Orbitika because many useful phone apps now need a subscription, a constant connection, or a new phone. Orbitika is a free offline app with a retro music player and 50+ tools and games, built to run on older Android phones and iPhones.
The problem
Phones keep getting more demanding. Apps ask for newer hardware, a constant connection and, more and more, a monthly payment. If you have an older phone, are travelling, or are somewhere with weak signal, a lot of those apps simply stop being useful.
I am a solo developer, and I wanted one small app that does the basics without asking for a subscription, an account or a signal: play the music files already on my phone, save a place and find my way back, and have emergency tools ready if something goes wrong. I also wanted it to feel like the music players I remembered from the MP3 era, and to run on the older phones many people still use.
What I wanted instead
- Everything works without Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- A music player that plays the files already on your phone, with the look of the Winamp era.
- A set of tools you can rely on when something goes wrong, including emergency translation in 14 languages.
- No streaming account and no subscription. The app is free, with a one-time Premium purchase for the emergency tools and extra visualizers.
- It has to run on older phones, down to Android 8.0.
What is inside
Orbitika has five parts: a retro music player with 13 visualizers and 7 themes, location marks, emergency tools, everyday tools, and 18 mini-games. The facts page lists everything in one place.
Testing on old phones
I keep a small "Old Phone Lab" of older devices: a Redmi Note 5, a Huawei Nova 5T and a Nokia 7.2. I use them to check how the app really behaves on older hardware. I am still running my first tests. I share results on X as I go and will write each one up here.
Who it is for
People with older phones, travellers, students and anyone who wants useful tools that do not depend on a connection or a subscription.
Try it
Frequently asked questions
Does Orbitika need internet?
No. Orbitika is designed to work without Wi-Fi or mobile data. The music player plays files that are already on your phone, and the tools and mini-games run offline, so they stay usable on a flight, on a trip or anywhere with no signal. A GPS fix does not need mobile data either, so you can still mark a place and find your way back.
Is Orbitika free?
Yes. Orbitika is free to download and use. Orbitika Premium is a one-time purchase of $4.99 (the price may vary by country), not a subscription, so there are no monthly fees. Premium unlocks the Emergency Tools and extra visualizers.
Which phones does Orbitika support?
On Android, Orbitika needs Android 8.0 or newer. On iPhone, it supports iPhone X and newer. It is built with older hardware in mind, and I am testing it on older devices (a Redmi Note 5, a Huawei Nova 5T and a Nokia 7.2) and sharing the results on this blog.
Can I play my own music?
Yes. The music player plays MP3 and FLAC files stored on your phone, so you can use your own collection without a streaming account. It comes with 13 Winamp-style visualizers and 7 retro color themes.