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Available for new opportunities

Pankaj Gaikar

Technical Architect

12+ years architecting exceptional mobile experiences across iOS and Android. Specialized in scalable architecture, native platform excellence, and shipping products that scale. Currently at Velotio Technologies in Pune, India 🇮🇳

0 Years Experience
0 Apps Published
0 App Downloads

Get to know me

I bring enthusiasm and a futuristic approach to every project I'm a part of. I live for turning ideas into reality, especially when it involves solving complex puzzles and challenges.

My apps include comprehensive unit tests, UI tests, scalable architectures, and design patterns with well-documented, easy-to-read code, and automated deployment to the App Store.

In my free time, I like to read books 📖, play games on PlayStation 🎮, and play football ⚽️. I love listening to music 🎵 and I'm always open to discussing new ideas 💡

Languages

Swift Objective-C Dart JavaScript C++

iOS Frameworks

SwiftUI UIKit Combine WidgetKit CoreLocation CoreData SwiftData HealthKit Core Bluetooth MusicKit AVFoundation MapKit WeatherKit Network Framework

Architecture

MVVM VIPER Redux Clean Architecture RIBs

Tools & CI/CD

SPM Xcode Cloud GitHub Actions Fastlane Firebase TestFlight

Where I've worked

Velotio Technologies

Pune, India
Technical Architect Apr 2023 – Present

Architected a full-fledged on-device Analytics SDK (Firebase alternative) for Capillary Technologies with offline-first event pipeline, dynamic remote-configurable ads & experiences, custom notification routing & deep-link handling, and modular Swift Package–based architecture. Result: enabled multiple enterprise apps to ship analytics without a backend rewrite.

Designed and built a complete OAuth2/PKCE SDK for WSO2 with ASWebAuthenticationSession-based login flows, token lifecycle management (refresh, revocation, secure storage), strong PKCE/state/nonce validation, and developer-friendly UI components. Result: provided drop-in authentication for mobile clients across enterprises.

Modernized a large-scale mapping/navigation app by migrating from legacy UIKit + Objective-C to SwiftUI + MVVM + Clean Architecture, improving maintainability with decomposition into Swift Packages, and refactoring core modules: location services, routing stack, bookmark system, and offline map caching. Result: reduced crash rate and improved development velocity.

Led major refactor of a Push-to-Talk (PTT) communication app by migrating from legacy Objective-C to modern Swift, integrating Apple PushToTalk framework, Opus-based audio engine, Bluetooth accessory support (Onyx/Voyager), and implementing real-time event handling. Result: improved stability from 85% → 100% crash-free users, enabling enterprise rollout.

Swift SwiftUI Combine MVVM Clean Architecture SPM AVFoundation Mapbox PushToTalk Opus OAuth2/PKCE URLSession

TIDAL Music AS (Block Inc.)

Oslo, Norway
Senior iOS Developer Feb 2021 – Mar 2023

Built the core playback engine ("BoomBox") as a standalone Swift Package with unified audio pipeline for streaming, offline playback, gapless playback, and crossfade. Integrated DRM, caching, bitrate adaptation, and audio session routing. Became the foundational playback layer used across iOS, iPadOS, CarPlay, and Apple Watch. Result: reduced playback-related crashes by 40%.

Deep-rooted debugging of audio pipeline edge cases by stabilizing HLS/DRM flows, buffer underruns, and session interruptions. Implemented real-time monitoring, analytics hooks, and automated crash triage.

Led development of the TIDAL Apple Watch app (50K+ active users) achieving feature parity with iOS: offline downloads, playback control, library sync. Built using SwiftUI + Redux architecture for deterministic state management. Result: shipped major performance improvements for watchOS background tasks.

Modernized critical parts of the iOS app by migrating Now Playing screen from Objective-C to SwiftUI with animated artwork transitions, rewriting media controls, queue UI, and device routing logic. Result: improved testability & modular design using a Redux-inspired data flow.

Swift SwiftUI Combine Redux DRM Widevine FairPlay AVFoundation SPM HLS watchOS

Media Magic Technologies

Pune, India
iOS Developer Jun 2015 – Sep 2020

Built the Play-Fi Network Player App (200K+ Downloads) — multi-room wireless audio streaming over Wi-Fi, gapless playback, DLNA/UPnP control, Chromecast, Alexa, and AirPlay device discovery.

Integrated global streaming services including Amazon Music, Apple Music, TIDAL, KKBOX, Qobuz with OAuth2 auth, playlist sync, search, DRM, and high-res audio caching.

Authored custom networking protocols in Objective-C, Swift, and C++ for UDP/TCP device discovery, Wi-Fi provisioning flows, and OTA firmware updates.

5-year product lifecycle support — refactored legacy architecture, optimized networking stacks, built automated QA tools and crash analytics for global speaker manufacturing partners.

Objective-C Swift C++ AVFoundation UPnP/DLNA Chromecast Alexa OAuth2 REST APIs

Featured Work

A selection of apps and projects I've designed, built, and shipped.

Everything I've built

Aura

Aura

Editorial Apple Music client — Sessions, Mix Lab, Last.fm

RetroWeather

RetroWeather

11 gaming console themes, WeatherKit-powered forecasts

Lecture Studio

Lecture Studio

AI-powered study notes, transcripts, flashcards & quizzes

Myra

Myra: Android TV Remote

Free iOS remote for Android TV over Wi-Fi

Pulse

Pulse: System Monitor

Live CPU, memory, battery & network diagnostics

QRMint

QRMint

Offline QR code generator & scanner, 100% private

HealthView

HealthView

HealthKit workout tracking & fitness insights

AppRank

AppRank Analytics

Global App Store rank tracking for indie devs

APOD

APOD

NASA Photo of the Day with Home Screen widgets

Noise

Noise: Audio Mixer

100+ soothing sleep sounds with custom mixing

Favorite Photos Widget

Favorite Photos Widget

Custom photo slideshow widgets for Home Screen

Tamil Compass

Tamil Directions Compass

Compass localized for Tamil language speakers

Compass Pro

Compass Pro

Minimalist digital compass for navigation

Age Countdown

Age Countdown Widgets

Birthday countdowns & life milestone widgets

GST Calculator

GST Tax Calculator

Indian tax slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%), offline

Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj History

Life, battles, forts & legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji

Tipsy

Tipsy: Tip Calculator

Multilingual bill splitter, 100% free & offline

QuoteSphere

QuoteSphere

Daily inspirational quotes with Home Screen widgets

Radio

Radio

Global internet radio streaming across genres

Footy

Footy

Live football scores, standings & match schedules

Satish Nagargoje

Satish Nagargoje

BJP Youth Wing constituency portal, Marathi/English

Siddharth Jadhav

Siddharth Jadhav

Official portfolio for Marathi cinema's Comedy King

Royal Dominators

Royal Dominators

Cricket tournament management platform

Instagram Clone SwiftUI

Instagram Clone SwiftUI

150+ Stars · Full SwiftUI Instagram reproduction

WorldCup Countdown

WorldCup Countdown

Open-source FIFA countdown widgets for iOS

What colleagues say

"

Pankaj has worked for my projects back in Media Magic and then later at Velotio. He is both a strong iOS developer and Android mobile app developer. He's also leading and providing guidance to junior developers. He is easy to communicate and provide timely feedback. I highly recommend him to any mobile development organizations.

Ping Gao
Ping Gao
VP of Software Engineering, Xperi Inc.
"

It was my great pleasure to work with Pankaj at MMT. Pankaj is an experienced iOS developer. He takes pride in his work, and he's very responsible and responsive to requests, very easy to work with, excellent communicator. He sees the needs of the team and goes an extra mile to support business needs.

Faeez Kadiri
Faeez Kadiri
Senior Technical Architect · FFmpeg | GStreamer | C++
"

Few people have the opportunity to work with someone 'Ridiculously efficient' like Pankaj. He made my life easy by owning complete delivery of one of the projects I was handling. I was impressed by Pankaj's ability to deal with even the toughest problems – effortlessly.

Sachin Nagawade
Sachin Nagawade
Former Manager, Media Magic Technologies
"

I've seen him excel at core elements of his job like building feature rich applications, delivering consistently. He goes a step ahead by interacting with UX, QA team to improve the product. This rare mix of productivity and ambition sets a great example for the rest of the team.

Latish Bhanarkar
Latish Bhanarkar
Engineering Lead - Quality, Persistent Systems
"

He can be your best buddy, pal, mentor, colleague or rival — it's up to you how you pursue with him and he will be best in all these roles. One of righteous, dedicated and goal oriented professional, best to have near around.

Shailesh Tripathi
Shailesh Tripathi
Senior Colleague, Media Magic Technologies
"

Pankaj is very detail-oriented, motivational and goto person. Having worked with him, I can safely say that he is there for every issue his teammates face, he likes taking ownership of tasks.

Rahul Choudhury
Rahul Choudhury
Lead/Senior Android Engineer, Altimetrik

Latest Articles

Thoughts and tutorials on iOS development and architecture.

Medium Nov 20, 2023

Xcode Cloud vs GitHub CI/CD: Which one is right for you?

A comprehensive comparison between Apple's native Xcode Cloud and GitHub Actions for iOS CI/CD pipelines. Exploring features, pricing, and integration capabilities to help you choose the right tool for your team.

Read Article
Medium Oct 15, 2023

Solidifying your Swift code: Understanding and applying the SOLID principles

Deep dive into the 5 SOLID principles of object-oriented design and how to apply them effectively in Swift and iOS development to create maintainable, robust architectures.

Read Article

Let's Work Together

I'm always open to discussing new projects, creative ideas, or opportunities to be part of something great.