An Indian streaming app for movies, web series, live TV and short reels, with offline downloads and subscriptions. Half a million people have installed it.

Client
Kahani Play
Platforms
Android
Timeline
Launch, then 70+ releases
Year
2024
Google PlayWebsite
The Kahani Play streaming app on a phone in a living room lit by a TV

500,000+

Downloads on Google Play

70+

Releases shipped

7

Payment options, from UPI to cards

Kahani Play needed a streaming app that holds up for a large Indian audience: smooth playback on cheap phones and patchy mobile data, offline viewing for people who download on Wi-Fi and watch later, and payments that work for everyone, whether they pay by UPI, wallet or card.

  1. 01

    I built it natively for Android in Java, with ExoPlayer handling adaptive HLS and DASH streams so video starts fast and adjusts to the connection, plus Chromecast support for the TV.

  2. 02

    The catalogue covers movies, web series with seasons, live TV, radio, events and short-form reels, with search, wishlist, favourites and comments.

  3. 03

    Offline downloads let people save episodes on Wi-Fi and watch them later, stored locally with Room.

  4. 04

    Subscriptions and premium 'Gold' series run through seven payment options: UPI intents, Razorpay, PhonePe, Cashfree, Easebuzz, SabPaisa and Stripe.

  5. 05

    Sign-in is by phone OTP or social login, with Firebase for push notifications, remote config and crash reporting.

  6. 06

    The newer platform behind it moved to a NestJS + MongoDB API with a Next.js admin panel for uploading and publishing content.

  1. Discovery

    Mapped the content types, the payment methods the audience actually uses, and the devices and networks to design for.

  2. Design

    A dark, poster-led interface where the content does the selling, with genre chips and rows that are quick to browse.

  3. Build

    Native Android in Java with ExoPlayer, Retrofit and Room, Firebase and a payment layer that wraps seven gateways.

  4. Launch

    Released on Google Play, then tuned playback, start-up time and crash rates using real-world data.

  5. After launch

    More than 70 releases since launch: new formats like reels, new payment options, and a rebuilt backend and admin panel.

The home screen: a featured series, genre chips and new releases

The home screen: a featured series, genre chips and new releases

Home, a series with its episode list, and offline downloads

Home, a series with its episode list, and offline downloads

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Kahani Play has crossed 500,000 downloads on Google Play. More than 70 releases on, it's still growing, with a newer backend and admin panel that let the team publish content without needing a developer.

Scope

Android app, Video streaming, Offline downloads, Subscriptions, Payments, Admin panel, Backend API

Stack

Java, ExoPlayer, Retrofit, Room, Firebase, NestJS, MongoDB, Next.js

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