How to create a Flexy application in Algeria: the complete guide

In Algeria, “doing a flexy” means topping up a phone’s credit, usually at a neighbourhood shop. Behind that simple gesture there is a full chain: a credit provider, resellers who hold a balance, end customers, and operations that must be traceable at any time.

A Flexy application digitises that chain. It lets a reseller top up a number in seconds, follow their balance and check their history. It also gives the network manager a clear view of sales, commissions and incidents. This guide details what to plan to build it properly.

01Who a Flexy application is for

The product serves several profiles, with different screens and different rights. Identifying them from the start avoids building a single app that suits nobody.

• The reseller: a shopkeeper who tops up customers’ numbers. They want a fast, readable app that stays reliable on an average connection.
• The wholesaler or distributor: they fund the resellers’ balances, set their terms and follow their activity.
• The network manager: they run the whole network, watch volumes and handle complaints.
• The end customer, if you also offer self-service top-up in the app.

02The essential features

1. 01
   Top-up by operator. The reseller picks the operator (Mobilis, Djezzy or Ooredoo), enters the number and the amount, then confirms. The screen limits typing errors, for example by asking to confirm the number.
2. 02
   Offers and bundles. Beyond plain credit, the app can list the offers your provider makes available, sorted by operator.
3. 03
   Reseller balance. Each reseller sees their available balance in real time. A top-up only goes through if the balance covers it.
4. 04
   Operation history. Every top-up leaves a record: date, number, amount and status. The reseller can find an operation when a customer has a doubt.
5. 05
   Clear statuses. An operation is successful, pending or failed. Pending cases are the most delicate and follow a rule everyone knows.
6. 06
   Balance funding. The reseller asks for a refill, the distributor approves it, and the movement appears in both histories.
7. 07
   Notifications. Low balance, failed top-up, approved refill: the information arrives at the right moment.
8. 08
   Accounts and security. Protected login, a confirmation code for sensitive operations, and the ability to block an account remotely.

03The back office, the invisible half of the product

The app the reseller sees is only part of the system. The back office lets the manager follow what really happens in the network, and it often decides whether the product succeeds.

• the list of resellers, their balances and their terms;
• the full log of operations, filtered by date, operator, reseller or status;
• reconciliation between the operations recorded and those confirmed by the provider;
• tracking of commissions and margins, according to the rules you define;
• handling of complaints and operations to check;
• dashboards to read activity without exporting files.

Codex builds management tools of this kind, such as the BZ Telecom ERP, which brings together a sales dashboard, financial tracking and real-time indicators.

04Before development: the commercial and technical framework

A Flexy application does not create credit: it relies on a provider that delivers it. Before the first line of code, you need to know exactly who the app talks to and under which rules.

• the credit provider: an operator, or a distributor authorised to resell;
• how it exposes its services: technical interface, documentation, test environment;
• the commission and billing rules between the levels of the network;
• the obligations to respect, to confirm with your legal adviser and your partners.

These points are clarified during the scoping workshop. They shape the architecture, the schedule and the quote.

05Mobile app, web or both?

Resellers mostly work on their phones: an Android app is usually the priority, and iOS can follow depending on your network. The back office is more comfortable on a computer, in a browser.

A cross-platform approach such as Flutter or React Native shares most of the code between Android and iOS. The choice depends on your priorities; the article native or cross-platform app details the criteria.

06A useful first version, then improvements

It is better to launch a simple product that works perfectly than a complete product that hesitates. A reasonable first version contains:

• top-up for the three operators;
• the reseller’s balance and history;
• refills approved by the distributor;
• the back office for operations and resellers.

Then, based on feedback from the field: offers and bundles, finer statistics, self-service top-up for the end customer, or a loyalty scheme for resellers.

07Mistakes to avoid

• drawing screens before the credit provider and its rules are confirmed;
• leaving pending operations without a clear procedure;
• neglecting reconciliation: an unexplained gap quickly costs the network’s trust;
• forgetting slow connections: the app stays usable and never doubles a top-up;
• publishing the app on a store account that is not in your name.

08What changes the budget

The cost depends on the scope, not on a standard rate. The main factors:

• the number of profiles: reseller, distributor, end customer;
• how complex the commission rules are;
• the integration work with the credit provider;
• the target platforms: Android only, Android and iOS, web back office;
• the level of reporting and control expected.

Codex sends a detailed quote after the scoping workshop. To prepare that meeting, read how to write a project brief.

09The steps with Codex

1. 01
   Discovery. A workshop to understand your network, your provider and your rules. You leave with a clear scope, a schedule and a quote.
2. 02
   Design. The reseller journey, the back-office screens and the technical architecture. You approve every screen before development.
3. 03
   Development. Short sprints with a demo at each step, and tests on sensitive cases such as pending operations.
4. 04
   Launch and support. Publication on the stores in your name, training for your teams, then maintenance and new features.

Read next: how to launch a mobile app in Algeria and the Codex mobile development service.

10Building it with Codex

Codex is a software studio founded in Algiers in 2014. More than 15 engineers and designers build products in French, Arabic and English, and the team has built more than 20 products in-house. The source code, the accounts and the data stay in your name. See the published projects and the certificates of completion.

The work starts from the studio in Algiers: Cité 440 Logements, Ain Malha, Djasr Kasentina. Doha and Marseille stay the offices already published.