This is a proposal to build a dedicated mobile app for Rav Wolfson's shiurim — making them easy to browse, listen to, and return to on a phone or tablet, with a real listening experience built around the way people actually engage with shiurim. The app would be built on an existing platform already in use by another audio shiur library, which is what makes a short build time and a very low cost possible. Below is an overview of what the app does, what it would cost, and how it would come together.
The simplest way to evaluate this is to see the existing app, which is already on both app stores and in active use:
- iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shaar-hayichud-classes/id1542889125
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.yrappdev.shaar_hayichud
- Web: https://app.shaarhayichudresources.com/
An app for Rav Wolfson would be its own fully independent, fully branded app — only his shiurim, no shared library with any other content or speaker.
The content is organized into whatever folder-like structure makes sense — categories, sub-categories, series, individual shiurim. Each level can have its own title, description, and metadata. Listeners browse down through the structure until they reach a series or shiur and play the audio.
- Recents — every shiur a person started shows up in a recents list with playback position remembered, so they can pick up exactly where they left off.
- Series progress tracking — if someone is in the middle of a longer series, the app remembers where they are within it and lets them jump straight to the next shiur in one tap.
- Favorites — listeners can save shiurim they want to come back to.
- Offline download — any shiur can be downloaded with one tap and then listened to with no internet connection.
A key difference from something like Google Drive, Dropbox, or a websit: because the library structure (titles, descriptions, hierarchy, durations) is stored locally on the device, navigating the entire catalog is instantaneous and works offline. The only time internet is needed is to actually stream a shiur — or to download it the first time for later offline listening.
The result is a polished, focused listening app rather than a file-browsing tool — built for the way people actually engage with shiurim over time.
Given the family connection, Yehuda is offering this well below what it would normally run.
Covers building out the dedicated app and submitting it to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Covers the app's continued existence and the platform-wide maintenance and improvements it benefits from.
Important on what this yearly fee is and isn't:
This is not a service contract. There is no contractual SLA, no committed feature roadmap, no guaranteed turnaround time on bug reports. In practice, however, Yehuda is maintaining and improving this platform — fixing bugs as they're discovered and adding features over time — and any app on the platform receives those improvements as part of being on it. Although it is important to note that this app is being developed on a very part time basis. The yearly fee reflects that ongoing relationship: the app stays alive, current, and improving along with the platform, on a best-effort basis.
Both the setup and yearly fees are well below market rate for what this kind of app normally costs to build and maintain.
- Media storage — the audio files would be re-hosted on storage optimized for fast app delivery. This is a small yearly cost that scales modestly with the size of the library.
- Custom domain (optional) — if there's already a domain you'd like to use, that's free. If you'd like a new one, domain registration is typically just a few dollars per year and Yehuda can handle the purchase.
The same platform can also power a web version of the app, accessible from any browser. The only additional requirement is a domain to host it on — no other cost. Listeners get the same browsing, recents, favorites, and audio playback experience in a browser as on their phone.
A feature Yehuda is planning to add to the platform is optional user accounts. Once a listener creates an account, their progress, recents, and favorites would sync across all their devices — phone, tablet, and the web version. This will be available to any app on the platform when it ships. Another is custom, shareable playlists.
Tags are a powerful way of grouping content, more flexably then a fixed folder hierarchy. The app supports tags, but how that could be used for Rav Wolfson is something that would require further discussion.
The app would be built around Rav Wolfson's existing shiurim, like they're organized in the google drive.