Instabug has launched its public beta to do exactly what you’d think. It is a tool that runs in the background of an app, enabling anyone to instantly send feedback on bugs with the shake of an iPhone.
Developers will then receive a full report on the bug, a screenshot, and relevant information about the user’s device.
The Egyptian startup has been working with over 200 beta testers, including SNCF, the national rail company of France. It recently won first place in a MIT’s Enterprise Forum for the Pan Arab region, a startup competition serving the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf.
According to the founders Omar Gabr and Moataz Soliman, both 22-years-old, it’s still business as usual. Post the beta launch, Instabug’s team are eager for app developers to sign up.
“The idea originally initiated from our sense that we want to build a startup for startups, as the startup ecosystem is growing at a huge rate, and we wanted to contribute to it,” said Gabr.
Gabr started the company to benefit startups in Egypt and other tech hubs around the world. It’s designed for developers who need a better way to communicate with their first set of consumers and avoid negative reviews in the App Store.
“In the mobile world, you don’t have a lot of time with your consumers — if you have a bad experience, that company might be done,” said Sean Jacobsohn of Silicon Valley-based venture firm Emergence Capital.
Too often, developers will receive a negative rating for their new app but don’t receive thorough feedback on how to improve the experience or fix a bug in real time.
Instabug asks users to simply shake their iPhone, and it automatically takes a screenshot of the bug to submit to the developer. It takes consumers to an internal feedback page to leave a short comment.
Developers will then receive a detailed report containing the feedback and information such as the device model, memory and storage usage as well as the Wi-Fi and carrier and the user’s location.
Instabug has raised a total of $150,000 in seed funding from angel investors based in Egypt. They received their first $10,000 from Flat6Labs, a local startup accelerator program.
