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  • How I Learned Dutch for Inburgering? Completely Free. An Expat Guide.

    How I Learned Dutch for Inburgering? Completely Free. An Expat Guide.

    The Dutch are really good with English language and you can use English language as a way of communication across offices, schools, playgrounds, markets, and for regular life; with neighbors etc. You do not need to be fluent in Dutch to be able to live in the Netherlands.

    You do need to learn Dutch if you would like to extend and convert your current temporary residence permit to a permanent residence permit or become a Dutch citizen through naturalization. At the time of writing this article, the current level requirements for the language experience is A2 for a permanent residence or naturalization as per the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).

    Learning Dutch

    If you have been learning German, then Dutch could seem quite similar to you at first. One of the major difference is the pronunciation of several words, and then, the several words, and the articles (Dutch language has two articles only 1/ de and 2/ het).

    Dutch, while they are welcoming to speaking English with you, are even more welcoming to teach you basics of Dutch.

    Tip: Even a Dutch person knows that it is difficult to speak Dutch.

    Challenges

    The biggest challenge learning Dutch is the availability and reliability of the English speakers. The Dutch quickly switch to English as soon as they realize that you do not speak Dutch. I have an experience where the Dutch person quickly switched to English to make sure that we are having the right conversation and the conversation is leading to the right direction.

    I was taking a Dutch language course and after a few weeks the assignment was to place an order in Dutch at a restaurant. I went to a local restaurant that I really love and I tried to place order.

    Me: “Voor mij, een portie friet”. The shopkeeper quickly switched to English and asked me, “What size?” I responded, “Klein”, he said, “Is this take away or for here?” I replied “meenemen”.

    This felt very unnatural because I was making an effort to speak Dutch but the person was making sure that they are getting the order right, it would not be fun for them if they got the order incorrect.

    Next, while this is not a major problem, but the Dutch “G” is a challenge to speak for many. Personally, as a native Urdu speaker, I do not find it difficult as we have a “ุฎ” (pronounced: “Khay”) and that made it a very easy experience.

    The Dutch alphabet is also easy, just a different pronunciation.

    Opportunities

    Learning Dutch is also very easy, and there are various opportunities for you to learn Dutch. In my experience, I used the following opportunities:

    • Speaking with neighbors, friends, and colleagues
    • Listening to radio, TV, paying attention to stations, announcements, etc.
    • Reading weekly newspaper, advertisement, and other Dutch material.

    I always pay close attention to the conversations in the grocery stores (not like peaking into personal conversations) but to understand how the shoppers ask questions, what is the response, how do directions work, and more.

    At the moment, the Dutch language experience requirement is A2, which is not hard. If you just read weekly material, have a conversation with neighbors, you are way ahead of your peers.

    “Inburgeren” Experience

    I took the A2-level Inburgeren exam here in the Netherlands โ€” I took it in Amsterdam. The DUO exam center is in Overamstel, and you can book an exam online at inburgeren.nl.

    The DUO exam center for the inburgeren exams for expats in the Netherlands.
    The DUO exam center for the inburgeren exams for expats in the Netherlands.

    The exam can be taken in other locations as well, but, prefer to find a location that is closer. A few pointers:

    • Always bring your valid ID card (passport, driver’s license, residence document) to prove that you are the person taking the exam.
    • Arrive at least 30 minutes before your exam time, this is to give you enough time to check-in, put your stuff in the locker, check your exam data, and be allowed to sit in the exam before the door closes. Yes, the door does close before time.
    • Ramp up your Dutch “cells” before the time, and practice before the exam day, not just before the exam.

    Planning

    Truth be told, I had been planning for the language exam since 2023 (3 years in the Netherlands) and at this point I could at least read and understand some words, at least listen to what they are saying.

    I planned to integrate into the Dutch society for several reasons, including applying for permanent residence, but also to understand the society a little more, to be able to participate in the Dutch conversations.

    Preparing

    I am the kind of person who prefers to prepare way ahead of the exam, not just one day before the exam. Infact, if I do not know anything or if I feel that I am not prepared, I’d rather not prepare anymore. Opening a book, or reading the guides, right before the exam raises my stress levels, and I believe it would not contribute anything.

    Think like this, what if right before the exam you learned a new formula or a sentence structure, when you get a question what would you do? Even if you know the answer, you may reconsider your answer because a new “fresh formula” is running in your mind.

    Dutch inburgeren is not tough. The tough part is thinking like a Dutch. A lot of people try to cram the material or practice all 50 online practice exams, but that does not cut it. You really need to spend time in the culture, meet your neighbors, order food in local, read the paper, and pay attention to how people interact in the market, in the train, in work environment, and on the street.

    The preparation for the Dutch inburgeren takes months, not weeks. But, the inburgeren exams, that is a different story and everyone has their own pace. For me, it took about 1 year.

    Participation

    I started my inburgeren exams back in 2023, and the objective was not to complete all the exams in one month, but to get an idea of how it would be like. I decided to take an exam, and reading made the most sense. I booked all the exams directly via the website and it costs 50 EUR per exam (when I did the exam, it was 50 EUR, the price may change).

    I will add more details for each exam type and any tips as I collect more details and resources. Thanks!

    One thing to note in the Inburgeren exam is, you are graded based on your understanding of the question. If your answer is perfect in grammar, but does not make sense as the right answer, then you do not get a grade. If you understand the question, you get half the points, and if you provide a perfect answer then you get the remaining half points as well. The “perfect answer” means correct use of grammar, right pronunciation, etc.

    Listening and Reading

    Like I mentioned, I took the reading exam first. I did the reading exam because I knew I can read Dutch, even if I cannot listen to it. The reading exam does not challenge you to produce the answer, rather it offers you a few choices that you have to use to decide which is the right answer. So, given all the information your task is to find what is the most obvious answer. I did IELTS a few years back and I had a small muscle to skim the text content and find the answer out of the options.

    The reading exam was rather easy and simple, and I passed the exam. Since the exam takes place on a computer, and the options are selected on the screen, it is comparatively easy to evaluate the results and provide a grade. I was aiming for 8.

    Passing the reading exam gave me the motivation to continue pushing and get done with all the exams. On the Listening exam, I repeated the same method. The exam is on computer, and you receive the results in 8 weeks (in practice, it is usually much faster, I got my results in a week).

    I passed this exam as well. In one go. This motivated me a lot. And now I was ready to move on to the next. As a next step, I wanted to do writing, because it was medium difficulty but did not require me to learn about different insurances, benefits, and responsibilities.

    Writing

    Writing exam is a fun, but different exam. As the name suggests, you must write the answers to the questions.

    Everyone is given a piece of paper that has questions on them and then you must provide a response within the bounds provided. You can cutout a mistake, but you must stay within the bounds of the answer field.

    I only have one recommendation: stick to the question, and do not over answer the question. If they ask for your favorite dish, do not write down the recipe.

    Writing exam also takes 8 weeks to provide a grade, I received my grades in about 5 weeks. I passed this exam as well, and I was now ready to proceed with the next exam. I decided to do KNM, as I was still scared of “speaking Dutch”.

    Speaking

    I did speaking exam at the last. The only reason why I was scared of speaking Dutch, and I was not comfortable “creating” sentences ad-hoc. I was able to understand, read, and even write a response back, but speaking was still challenging.

    I practiced speaking a lot with my colleagues, and in the neighborhood before scheduling an exam. I took about 1 month to prepare for the exam and when I was ready, I just made an attempt.

    Note: I made an attempt on an older version of the speaking exam. Now, the speaking exam has been updated.

    The exam takes place on computer, and you listen to questions that you must respond to in Dutch. Some questions are singular questions (“what is your name”) and some questions are multiple, such as (“what do you like to eat, how do you make it?”) The multiple questions were very difficult because you have to think of two sentences and then merge them together using either “omdat” or “want”. I always used “want”. Do you know why? ๐Ÿ™‚

    The exam results take about 8 weeks, and I got my grades in about 6 weeks. I passed the exam. I was relieved that I now finally have the grades and a diploma for inburgeren.

    Note: I did not do the labor market orientation, because I was working in the Netherlands and I could apply for an exception.

    KNM

    For me, this was the most challenging exam. The reason being, it demands a lot of knowledge and understanding of Dutch society, Dutch history, Dutch social security, work culture, and your rights, as well as the rights of others.

    The exam is also multiple choice questions, where you select the right answer for the question. The focus is on how you would react in given situations as a Dutch person. This is why I recommend spending at least 4-6 months interacting with Dutch natives and understanding how they do things.

    Learn about the social security, work culture, healthcare, childcare, family, housing, and other aspects of the Dutch society. History, education, and sports also play a crucial role in the exam and you should take a shot at learning more about that.


    Free Resources

    If you’re also learning Dutch, I’d like to share some resources that really helped me gain knowledge, insights, and experience in the language. Of course, these are only complimentary services and solutions. Use these along with real-world practice with your neighbors, classes, coworkers to learn how the native Dutch pronounce certain words.

    Duolingo

    The first and foremost choice for many is Duolingo.

    I have been doing Duolingo lessons for several years now, and I can vouch that Duolingo works in the long-term and not in the short-term. If you are attempting to clear the Dutch exam in a month or so, then Duolingo is not a good option for you.

    Do:

    • Find a time when you will do a lesson each day. It is the best way to build up a habit of doing Duolingo.
    • Do one lesson, or a max of two, each day, and build up a muscle memory to pick up new vocabulary.
    • Do work with friends and coworkers, because one of the objectives of Duolingo is to offer gamified way of learning.

    Don’t:

    • Overdo the lessons.
    • Don’t do tens of lessons each day, as you will be setting Duolingo on hard mode for yourself.
    • Just rely on Duolingo.

    Dutch Grammar

    This website gives you an idea about the Dutch grammar, sentence structure, and other parts of a Dutch sentence. The website is available free of cost, and focuses on beginner-friendly content.

    You can access the website here: https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/index.php?n=Main.HomePage.

    Oefenen

    The Oefenen website provides a practice ground to the readers to learn Dutch language and structures, including application of the langauge.

    You can visit the website here: https://oefenen.nl.

    Groningen University

    I really, really, really love the material provided by the Groningen University Language Center. Check out their YouTube channel here. On their YouTube channel, they provide a lot of courses (playlists) for you to learn A2-level Dutch.

    The content on the channel is free, and you can use language cafes and communities to practice the learnings.


    Did I miss something? Were you looking for something else? Please let me know in the comments below, and I’d be happy to add more details to the blog above. I am still collecting all the details and experience that I had from my exams. I will update the post and add relevant information and tips.

    Until then, thanks for reading.

    Good luck!

  • Happy New Year. How Did I Start My 2026?

    Happy New Year. How Did I Start My 2026?

    Happy New Year, everyone. May this year bring blessings, happiness, joy, and luck to you and your family.

    In this post, I am sharing the customs and the traditions of the Dutch and what I did–of course, I cannot take a cold dip.

    New Year in the Netherlands

    The Dutch really celebrate the new year, every year. And I mean, they really celebrate it. The top things they do, which, we can say are a cultural thing here now:

    • Celebrate with sweets; they tend to give gifts, and mostly enjoy Oliebollen. The Oliebollen are a type of donuts (doughtnuts), and is a Dutch delicacy.
    • Light up fireworks; this year alone the Dutch consumers spent over 129 million euros on fireworks. Which is a record high.
    • Take a dip; the New Year’s Dive is a traditional dip in the beach. The residents go to beaches and take a dip, but definitely, stay careful and vigilant. While the primary points remain the biggest beaches, such as Scheveningen, you can take a dip in your nearest beach too. There was an event planned in Almere Haven for the residents.

    My New Year

    I wanted to do something different. While the year started similarly, I decided to do a clean up of my street on the first day of the year. In Almere, we had a lot of fireworks and all that firework left a mess on the street. It has become a bad habit that people who enjoy the fireworks do not clean up after themselves. This trash is left for days and sometimes for weeks. The local municipality does the cleaning over the course of the next days, but that is too much work on their hands alone.

    So I decided to give them a hand.

    I started by cleaning the street. The objective was:

    1. Clean and remove all the debris from the street.
    2. Put the debris in a plastic bag and dispose of properly in a metal container.

    It took me about half an hour. A little bit more, but after the half an hour, the street was clean. The debris was removed.

    Fun fact: I had a neighbor stop me and tell me that it was not my responsibility, and instead, the people who used the fireworks or the municipality should clean it up. That is a very interesting take, and I respect it, however, if there is a delay or perhaps the authorities are busy, it can be done by ourselves too. After all, I call it my home so it is my responsibility to keep it clean as well.

    Missed Opportunities

    I still feel that I missed out on wishing everything a blessed year in my street. I could not connect with everyone on my street, and that would be on my list for the coming year.

    • For the neighbors, I would aim to deliver at least a wishing card to give greetings.
    • For the neighbors, that I have not had an interaction with, I will plan to have at least a coffee with them.
    • For the neighbors, that I have already met at least once, I would plan an activity.

    The new year should give me a milestone to plan an activity and stay connected with my neighbors and community.

  • I Lost My Data Saved in OneDrive. Multiple Times?

    I Lost My Data Saved in OneDrive. Multiple Times?

    I have been using OneDrive for years, and it has worked always. However, few times I experienced that the data was no where to be found. And, I would always blame it on myself that perhaps I did not save it, maybe I saved it in a different folder, and sometimes I just thought perhaps there was no data.

    One example of this is that I created a folder to put all the pictures of my marriage (from 2020) and now when I open the folder I cannot find the content that I had put there.

    Figure 1: The images are not found. I cannot claim what happened because this event was around 4 years ago. However, I do remember what happened 4 hours ago.

    I can see that the folder was created back then, but there is literally nothing in the folder. I have accepted the fate and I can review the photos on Google Photos instead. Here is the only three pictures left in the folder, and as noted by the date these were uploaded back in 2021–given such a date, why would I risk my own marriage photos being lost?

    Figure 2: The folder has some files from 2021 and that’s it.

    It wasn’t until last week when I had just uploaded a copy of very important data; video footage from my GoPRO, and I could swear that I uploaded it only to see that the data is not there anymore. Here are the two screenshots that show the activity:

    Figure 3: The OneDrive widget shows that the file was uploaded 4 hours ago to the folder.

    The content was uploaded to the folder (I named it 2025) and then after a few hours I could not find the content. Here is a log in the system that says that the file was deleted.

    Figure 4: The files were deleted from the OneDrive folder locally and thus from the online platform too.

    I cannot find the files in the recycle bin, or anywhere and there is no way to read the logs on what happened.

    Problem

    I can understand one of the following reasons to have happened:

    1. I deleted the files, by mistake, or through a keystroke (such as CTRL + Z).
    2. I deleted the files by resynching the folders using a different machine (my mobile, a different laptop)
    3. The network glitched and the files were deleted.

    What I cannot understand is why is there no logs of the activity in the system.

    The online folder details tab shows logs, but it does not show:

    • When was the content deleted?
    • Who deleted it?
    • Is there a way to recover the files?

    It should be possible to see what is happening, who is making changes, and be able to revert those changes for up to 30 days–which in this case was not met.

    OneDrive Subscription

    I am not using a freemium version of OneDrive, and this is what’s causing me to panic because. If this set of files can be deleted, I wonder what else could be deleted? The premium version of the OneDrive (or Microsoft 365) is not a cheap subscription and one of the perks is the paid cloud storage. I do use it for personal projects, most YouTube videos that I make have their content saved in OneDrive. I would like to control and audit the activity in my account.

    I share this account with my family and that means they also use the services for their activities. If they lose the data, that is not good either.

    References:

    • This Reddit thread talks about a similar challenge that the author was facing.
  • How Much does High-Speed Internet Costs in the Netherlands? An Expat Guide.

    How Much does High-Speed Internet Costs in the Netherlands? An Expat Guide.

    Have you recently moved to your own place in the Netherlands? Are you looking for internet services? This blog is for you. While the network coverage on the mobile networks is excellent and can be used to stream all day and night long, you sometimes need a connection to provide Wi-Fi services and to connect your devices to the network without having your phone’s battery drained because of the hotspot.

    In Pakistan, there is a limited option and availability for the internet services. The leading platform is definitely PTCL, while new players are entering the market that provide a better service, customer service, and competitive prices.

    If you live in a region where the fiber service is not available, then good luck connecting to the service and internet on a rainy day. The major problem is that the top speeds in Pakistan are still limited compared to the Netherlands. Here is a quick comparison between the internet services provided in Pakistan and the Netherlands.

    Comparison between the internet speed in Pakistan and in the Netherlands.

    In Pakistan, the procedure is to request a connection service from the provider (PTCL, for example) and then they ask you for a connection plan. You can chose to go with basic copper-wire service or use a fiber connection to your home (if the service is available).

    In the Netherlands, however, that is not the procedure. In the Netherlands, each house is equipped with the connection already. You do not need to get the underlying connection. You do need to get the connection set up.

    Figure 1: The optic fiber installation procedure details on the Odido website.

    If you’d like to read the specifics, check it out here on Odido’s website. Let’s start by reviewing the providers available and what services they offer.

    Internet Providers

    In the Netherlands, you can pick your own providers, the contract terms, the speed, and any additional add-ons. The internet providers provide:

    1. Internet (of course)
    2. Phone services (landline connections)
    3. TV-connections

    Each service provider offers the same bunch of services, just at a different rate, different offerings, and different contract terms. The usual contract terms are fixed for 1 year and then you can switch to a new provider. Every year there is a promotion for new customers and you can save a lot of money if you switch to the new provider. This is a big challenge, given you may have to change the Wi-Fi passwords on all devices. The leading internet providers are:

    As a consumer, you do not need to worry about what and how the underlying elements work. You only buy a subscription, have a technician connect you to the network and surf cat videos.

    Quick facts:

    • The Netherlands plans to have fiber optics installed in nearly all homes by the end of 2026. You can find the fiber coverage on most websites, like this one.
    • You can transfer your phone number to a new service provider free of cost when you take out a new subscription.
    • You always get a 14-day cooldown period, during which you can change or cancel your subscription free of cost.

    Price Comparison

    In the Netherlands, the best option is to be able to compare your subscription and switch to a better option. One of the leading platforms for the Independer, and you can just input your Postcode and House Number combination to receive up-to-date information about the latest and most excellent options.

    Figure 2: Independer is a leading comparison site for various services available in the Netherlands.

    Once you input the details, you will be redirected to the Mobiel.nl website, where you will see all available options. The website separates the options into categories, such as “affordable”, “fastest”, and among others it also shows the terms for the contract.

    Figure 3: Mobiel.nl is a website for purchasing and comparing mobile services.

    You can take out a subscription from here or upgrade to a new one. Remember, in the Netherlands, you receive 14 days of mind change period during which you can cancel a subscription without any costs to you. Beyond the 14 days period the terms of the contract dictate what is possible and if any charges will be applied. Usually, you have to pay 1 month 100% (that is the notice period) and then you may have to pay at least 50% of the remaining contract months amount if you cancel early.

    Personal Choice and Experience

    I have been an Odido (formerly T-Mobile) customer for the last 5 years. My personal experience with Odido has been very stable, and their service doesn’t really need a reboot or a technician.

    Service timeline

    While I did not change my service provider, I did upgrade the connection and subscription a few times.

    1

    100 mbps

    When I became a customer of T-Mobile, I ordered a 100 mbps plan for a year. The plan was quite cheap and they handled the installation. They usually send in a technician from Guidion. The installer set ups the device, and activates your connection. You can start surfing the internet the same day.

    2

    400 mbps

    Soon after, T-Mobile updated their offerings and added a 400 mbps plan. I did not move to the 400 mbps plan, as 100 mbps was already stable, and enough for myself and my partner.

    3

    1000 mbps

    I moved to a new house in 2022, and that is when I decided to upgrade the internet for a few years. I decided to go with a 1000 mbps subscription for two years, as the plan was at 50% discount for 6 months and costed me about the same as 100 mbps for the first 6 months. I am very glad I chose 1000 mbps plan.

    I am still on the same 1000 Mbps plan, even though I plan to upgrade to 2000 Mbps soon.

    Note: This is my personal blog, and this post is not sponsored by any providers that I have mentioned or not mentioned. ๐Ÿ™‚

    There are no flexible costs, hidden costs, you just pay one fixed monthly cost for your subscription. Here is the contract cost for my network connection.

    Figure 4: My Odido invoice for the December 2025 month with an outline of what was paid and what was the discount.

    This is the invoice for the month of December 2025. The fixed monthly costs are EUR 58.30 and I receive a discount of EUR 5 because I have two other connections (Odido offers a EUR 2.5 discount per connection on the same house address). The invoice is paid automatically from my bank account and I just recieve an email notification that everything is clear.

    That’s it for this piece. Good luck with your service connection, and enjoy all the cat videos.

  • Autumn Walk in Amsterdam

    Autumn Walk in Amsterdam

    Summer is the Europe dream, and the winter is simply tough to plan for. In the Netherlands, winter usually starts around October with the rainy days, rainy nights, and cloudy skies making it difficult for even sun to say good morning.

    My parents recently visited us here in the Netherlands and we wanted to take them out. The weather was wild, rainy, but the dine out made the day. All in all, it isn’t really the chills, but the fun bites that matter.

    I am working on a “walk in Amsterdam” video right now and that would be released on my YouTube channel, Expat’s Diary (by Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan).

    Autumn strikes

    Autumn is very beautiful in the Netherlands, with fifteen shades of orange on the streets, a wet reflective surface on roads, and a calm and cool environment.

    Orange spectrum leaves on the street.
    The leaves present a slippery but brisk way to walk across the street in the cold autumn weekends.

    In the last 5 years here in the Netherlands, I learned the best way to deal with the winter is to spend time with people you care about, or who care about you. Go out for a walk, grab coffee together, watch the sunset, and tell a story or remember a memory.

    The short days make it difficult to go for a long road trip, and the cold weather makes it difficult to enjoy the beach.

    But, family, friends, they bring the warmth during winter.

    Family dine out

    We visited the Belqees Restaurant & Cafe โ€” ู…ุทุนู… ูˆูƒุงููŠู‡ ุจู„ู‚ูŠุณ, and as always, really loved the family dine out experience. Even though we still call it “Yemen Restaurant” and love their “mandi”, they changed their name on Google Maps.

    And that’s it for this blog, thanks for reading and watching. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Developed twodos with TypeScript + Flutter

    Developed twodos with TypeScript + Flutter

    From a developer’s perspective, it is no longer a hello-world testing world anymore. Todos are the new Hello World.

    You’re doing groceries and you open the grocery list to find what items to buy and, boom, the list is no longer the last message in your WhatsApp chat thread anymore. Or, you have to scroll past a few messages to find the grocery list because you started another conversation.

    Lastly, definitely it is possible to use Google Tasks or another application to create and share the lists, but as a developer you’d rather spend 10 days building something than 10 minutes using something that exists. I definitely chose the path to build something.

    Developing the Backend

    When I started working on the application’s API, I wanted to use TypeScript. I chose TypeScript for two reasons:

    • I wanted to learn TypeScript-based complete app development, testing, deployment, and patching.
    • I wanted to add a different tech stack to my belt–no, okay, I lied, I wanted to work with sequelize. It is one of my favorite ORMs (after Entity Framework Core, of course).

    I developed the backend layer, which is barely an API that exposes certain actions that you can perform on the system. The API is exposed as a service, meaning, every interaction and action is done as a service; with your account + lists + tasks as the resources in the centre.

    The application also has a static HTML page for the homepage. You can visit the website here: https://twodos.app.

    The application is hosted on Microsoft Azure, and I am using Azure DevOps to manage the project and the entire software development lifecycle.

    Using Flutter for UI development

    Once I had the API ready, I tested it on Postman and via command-line based tests to perform user-journey actions. I knew it was time to do the UI. I wanted to give Flutter an opportunity to do the entire app development, cross-platform, and be able to patch and republish when possible and needed. The development went very smooth and I was able to target all major platforms. The objective I had was simple:

    • Make the application available on as many platforms as possible.
    • Keep the application simple.
    • The UI flows should correspond to the services and their features (the actions available).

    For this reason, the Flutter was the perfect choice. Even though I have not been able to deploy a Linux version of the application, the other platforms work perfectly fine.

    Oh, the iOS app was rejected by the App Store because it was too similar to other applications on the platform.

    Flutter made it very simple to write the application as a UI layer for the backend services and communicate when an action was made. I used the following packages to speed up the development:

    • Retrofit: handling HTTP interactions with the server.
    • Provider: to handle state management.

    I did not use Firebase because of a few reasons:

    • Firebase is not supported across all the Flutter platforms.
    • Analytics is useful, but, let’s be real. It is not supported for Windows, and that would mean either more work or less supported platforms.

    I still need to work on the push notification support, but the goal with push notifications is not to handle background messages rather the updates to UI. Here is a quick use case:

    • You go to grocery shop and open the list for the grocery items.
    • Your partner (with whom the list is shared) updates the list of items in real time.
    • You receive the updated list in real-time without having to reload.
    • The items you pick up are communicated in real-time with your partner as you “tick” them.
    The Play Store image for the twodos app. The message says "Create to-do list with your partner" and the screen shows two lists Grocery List and House Chores.
    Figure 1: The goal of the application was always to make it easier to create lists and share the tasks and their current status with the partner.

    The challenge with Flutter is that it is just a UI-development framework and a platform. It does not support anything complex, and once you start going down that rabbit hole you really see how Flutter lacks the performance–due to its declarative nature.

    Roadmap

    While the application is not a high priority for me, I definitely want to keep it active. For myself, at least. I would continue to add features and improve features or fix bugs to make the application stable. The goal is to:

    • Enable seamless accounts creation.
    • Enable push-notifications for in-app updates.
    • Allow blocking users or choose to keep your profile private.
    • Delete the lists and requests that do not receive interactions.
    • Make the app secure by running baseline privacy and vulnerability controls
    • Make the app building, testing, validation, screenshots, and deployment automatic via Fastlane.

    Finally, not right away but another goal is to make the UI simpler so the interactions happen naturally and give a cross-platform twodos experience.

    Download the application

    Check out the application on the Play Store. The application is only available on Android for mobile devices, but is available on macOS or Windows platforms.

    In the next blog, I will share the next updates as the application grows.

    Thank you for reading.