Mobile app designer and developer for Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mobile app design and development in Dubai, with Arabic and UAE PASS built in from the first screen
I'm Maniruzzaman Jubayer, a senior designer offering mobile app design and development in Dubai, working remotely from Dhaka with the team of designers and developers I lead. Together we take iOS and Android apps from the first Arabic and English flows, through UAE PASS sign-in and wallet or Aani checkout, to the day the build clears App Store and Google Play review, inside 8 hours of your working day.
The Arabic build ships in the same release as the English one, or the release isn't finished.
Free 30 min intro call · Design and build under one lead · One fixed quote
Teams who trusted my team with their apps and products
- Years leading a design team
- 3+
- Products shipped
- 50+
- Behance gallery features
- 22
Product designer and design lead, with a senior team behind me
iOS and Android app design in Dubai: the four problems I fix most
Dubai passed four million residents in August 2025, by the Dubai Statistics Centre's count, and across the UAE expatriates outnumber Emirati nationals. One app has to serve all of them, in two languages, on whichever phone they carry. These four problems decide whether it does.
Problem 01
Sign-up that ignores UAE PASS
UAE PASS, the national digital identity, had more than 12 million users by July 2026. An app asking for a new password and a photo of an Emirates ID feels a step behind. I design sign-in around UAE PASS, including the jump to its app, the return and every failure.
Problem 02
A checkout that ignores how the UAE pays
People here tap Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, split a bill with Tabby or Tamara, and send money through Aani by mobile number. A card form alone loses them. I design checkout and transfer steps that put the likely method first and show every fee in dirhams.
Problem 03
The Arabic app falls a release behind
New features ship in English, and the Arabic strings follow weeks later or never, and Arabic-speaking users notice first. I design every screen in both languages in one Figma library, with a shared string list, so the two versions leave in the same build.
Problem 04
App review stalls the launch
Apple expects banking, finance and health apps to come from the licensed company itself, so a DIFC fintech cannot ship from a freelancer's account. Add account deletion, permission wording and a reviewer login, and launches slip. I plan all of it into the design before the first submission.
Finance and wellbeing app work picked for the UAE
A mobile wallet for sending, receiving and tracking money, an AI personal finance dashboard, and web and app screens for a mental wellbeing platform, each designed by my team. Finance and health apps both meet extra rules in the UAE, from licensed submission on the App Store to health data that stays in the country.
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View case study →Arabic build a release behind the English? Let's ship them together.
Yalla, let's buildWhat design and development covers for a Dubai app
Every item below is written into the scope, so Arabic, sign-in, payments and store review never turn up later as extras.
Arabic and English screens in one library
Each screen drawn in both directions together and mirrored with care: back arrows and swipe gestures flip, while clocks, media controls and phone numbers keep their order. Arabic type is sized for small phones and tested with long names.
UAE PASS and account flows
Sign-up, log-in and account linking built around UAE PASS, with clear states for the hand-off to its app, the return, a timeout and a cancelled request. My developers follow the UAE PASS mobile integration guide; the design makes each step obvious.
Wallet, card and Aani payment steps
Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay where they fit, cards including the national Jaywan card, instalments through Tabby or Tamara, and Aani transfers by mobile number or QR code, each ending in a clear receipt or a plain failure message.
Permissions and consent for the PDPL
Permission prompts asked in context, consent kept apart from your terms, data request screens and in-app account deletion, built for Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021, with the store privacy labels to match. Your legal adviser approves the final words.
The app itself, built by my team
My developers build the iOS and Android app in React Native or Flutter, chosen for your product, plus the admin panel or web app in React and Next.js. If you would rather keep your own Swift and Kotlin developers on it, they get a tested design system and annotated specs instead.
Store listings and the release
App Store and Google Play listings in Arabic and English, screenshots that show the app in use, a reviewer demo account and release notes, submitted under your company's own developer accounts, with my team on hand for the first fixes.
From first call to both app stores, on Dubai time
Four steps, each booked in Gulf Standard Time and planned back from the release date you set.
- 01
Free 30 minute intro call
On Google Meet, in your working day. Show me the app, the prototype or the idea on your phone, tell me who it serves and when it must launch, and I say plainly whether design alone or design and build fits.
- 02
Written scope and one fixed quote
Platforms, screens, languages, the UAE PASS and payment flows, the build stack and store submission, all in writing, with one fixed quote for the whole project. Nothing is billed by the hour and there is no retainer.
- 03
Design sprints, then build sprints
Bilingual flows and screens in Figma, tested on real iPhones and Android phones with Arabic and English speakers, then built in two week sprints, with a fresh test build on your phone after each one.
- 04
Store submission and launch
Listings, privacy labels and reviewer notes prepared in both languages, the build submitted to Apple and Google from your accounts, and my team watching crash reports and reviews through the first weeks after release.
The practical side, for Dubai teams
- Time difference
- Dubai runs on Gulf Standard Time, two hours behind Dhaka, which leaves 8 hours of your working day shared
- Working week
- UAE government offices work Monday to Friday, with a half day on Friday, and many private firms also open on Saturday; Dhaka rests on Friday and Saturday, so Monday to Thursday is shared in full
- Languages
- English on every call; apps and store listings in Arabic and English, with a native reader on your side approving the Arabic
- Testing
- builds checked on mid-range Android phones and recent iPhones, in both languages, before anything goes to review
- Ways to talk
- Google Meet and Slack, plus TestFlight and Google Play test builds you open on your own phone
Arabic mobile app design for the sectors the UAE is building
Six sectors growing in Dubai and across the Emirates, each shown with a screen from one of my own app projects and a note on what its users expect.
Fintech and wallets
Aani, run by the Central Bank's subsidiary Al Etihad Payments, had 12.5 million users and 74 licensed institutions by August 2026. Wallet and banking apps need transfer, fee and failure screens that read clearly in Arabic and English.
Real estate and proptech
The Land Department's own Dubai REST app lets owners, tenants and brokers handle sales, rentals, permits and documents in Arabic and English. Private property apps are measured against it, so search, viewings and payments must feel just as direct.
Retail and delivery
Euromonitor and EZDubai valued UAE e-commerce at AED 42.2 billion in 2025, about 15.7 percent of retail sales. Shopping and delivery apps need quick reorders, live tracking and a checkout that copes with wallets and instalments.
Health and telehealth
Under Federal Law No. 2 of 2019, health data from services in the UAE stays in the country unless the health authorities allow otherwise. Booking and consultation apps need consent, records and hosting planned around that from the first sprint.
Logistics and fleets
The UAE's non-oil foreign trade reached AED 1.937 trillion in the first half of 2026, up 13.1 percent. Driver and warehouse apps need large controls, status that reads in bright sun, and work that saves when the signal drops indoors.
Food and agritech
Dubai's Food Tech Valley, launched in May 2021, aims to triple the UAE's food production. Farm, supply and grocery apps here need clear harvest and stock data, simple ordering for buyers, and screens readable in a greenhouse or cold store.
How I work with Dubai app teams from Dhaka
Remote from the first call to release, with most of your day shared and a working build in your hand every sprint.
One lead, the makers in the room
I am your single point of contact from the first call to release. In weekly reviews, the designers and developers on your app demo their own work and answer your product team's questions directly, with no account manager in between.
Shared hours, Monday to Thursday
Dhaka is two hours ahead of Dubai, so 8 hours of your day overlaps with mine, and both weeks share Monday to Thursday in full. If you release on a Friday or Saturday, launch cover is named in the scope.
A test build on your phone, every sprint
Figma is open to you from day one, a Slack summary arrives every 48 hours and one review call runs each week. After each sprint you install a TestFlight or Google Play test build, so your team taps the real app, not slides.
I know the UAE's app rules
UAE PASS, Aani and Jaywan, the PDPL and DIFC data law, health data that must stay in the country, and Apple's rule that regulated apps ship from the licensed company. My UAE PASS sign-in guide shows how I design the flow.
Building your Dubai app: my team, an in-house hire or a freelancer
Where each route wins for a UAE app, including the row where hiring does.
| What you get | With me | In-house hire | Freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designers and app developers under one lead | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| Arabic and English shipped in the same release | Yes | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Starts this month, with no visa or hiring round | Yes | No | Yes |
| UAE PASS, wallet and Aani steps planned in the scope | Yes | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Store submission and review fixes included | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| At your desk in Dubai for daily stand-ups | No | Yes | Sometimes |
| Whole project priced before work starts | Yes | No | Sometimes |
Who I help in Dubai, from first apps to resident services
Four kinds of UAE team that get the most from one lead who designs and builds the app with them.
Founders shipping a first app
Pre-seed and seed teams in Dubai's free zones with a prototype, a no-code test or a deck, who need the first iOS and Android release designed and built properly before the runway shrinks.
Regulated fintech and health teams
Firms licensed in DIFC, by the Central Bank or by the Dubai Health Authority, whose app must satisfy compliance and app review at once, with identity checks, consent and data rules designed into every screen.
Brands moving customers onto an app
Shops, restaurants, clinics and property firms that run on WhatsApp, Instagram and a website today, and want an app their regular customers keep, with reorders, bookings and loyalty in Arabic and English.
Government-linked and enterprise teams
Semi-government bodies and large employers launching apps for residents or staff, where UAE PASS sign-in, both languages, accessibility and a careful approval chain matter as much as the screens themselves.
More I do for teams in Dubai
An app rarely ships alone: it needs a website, a dashboard or a product behind it. See my UI/UX design work for Dubai.
What founders say about building with my team
Working with Jubayer and the team has been a blast. Their creativity has honestly taken our platform to new heights. Incredibly professional and so proud to work with, we’re over the moon with their results, and we can’t wait to team up with them again.
I highly recommend Jubayer for any design project. He quickly grasps complex concepts, excels in standard design practices, and responds promptly.
Working with Jubayer on our website was fantastic from start to finish. He took the time to understand our vision and provided valuable insights.
Mobile app design and development in Dubai: your questions answered
Straight answers to what UAE founders ask before an app project starts.
Are you a mobile app development company in Dubai or a freelancer?
Neither exactly. I'm one senior designer who leads a team of designers and developers, working remotely from Dhaka. We are not a company registered in the UAE and have no office in Dubai. You deal with me directly, as you would with a freelancer, while the team designs, builds and releases the app for both stores, so nothing is passed between separate firms.
How much does mobile app development cost in Dubai?
It depends on the scope: the number of screens and user roles, iOS, Android or both, Arabic and English, UAE PASS and payment integrations, an admin panel, and store submission. After a free 30 minute call you get a written scope and one fixed quote for the whole project, with no hourly billing or retainer. For market rates in dirhams, read my app design cost guide for Dubai.
Do you build the app, or only design it?
Both, and most teams want both from one place. My designers draw the flows and screens, and my developers build the iOS and Android app in React Native or Flutter, chosen for your product, along with the admin panel or web app in React and Next.js. If you prefer your own Swift and Kotlin developers to build it, I hand them a tested design system and stay close through their build.
Can our app use UAE PASS for sign-in?
Yes, and many UAE users expect it. UAE PASS is the national digital identity, with more than 12 million registered users by July 2026. I design the hand-off to the UAE PASS app and back, with timeouts and cancellations covered, and my developers follow its mobile integration guide. Apple's guideline 4.8 lists government-backed electronic ID among the cases where it does not ask for an extra login option.
Which payment methods should a UAE app support?
Usually Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, cards including the national Jaywan card, and often instalments through Tabby or Tamara. Aani moves money between people instantly by mobile number, email or QR code. Since July 2026, Tabby and Tamara accounts appear in UAE credit reports, so instalment terms deserve plain wording. Your payment provider holds the licence; my team designs the order, the fees and the receipts, and builds the integration.
What does the PDPL mean for app permissions and account deletion?
It means asking clearly and letting people leave easily. Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021 requires consent for most processing and gives people rights to access, correct, erase and move their data. In an app, that becomes plain permission prompts, consent kept apart from your terms, and a delete account path, which Apple already requires of apps that offer sign-up. DIFC and ADGM firms follow their own laws; your lawyer confirms which applies.
Will our app pass App Store review the first time?
Nobody can promise that, but the common reasons for rejection are avoidable. Apple wants banking, finance and health apps submitted by the licensed company, and an organisation account needs a D-U-N-S Number, so we set that up early. I also plan a reviewer demo account, in-app account deletion and honest permission wording, in Arabic and English, before the first submission.
Can health data from our app be stored outside the UAE?
Usually not without approval. Article 13 of Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 says health information linked to services in the UAE may not be stored, processed or transferred abroad, except in cases the health authorities allow. For a telehealth or booking app, that shapes hosting, analytics and third-party tools, so I raise it in the scope. Your lawyer and the regulator confirm the details.
Can you fix an existing app that works badly in Arabic?
Yes. I start with an audit of the live app on real phones in both languages, plus its Arabic and English store reviews, then fix the screens that cost you most first: sign-in, checkout and anything mixing Arabic and English text. My developers can make the changes in your codebase, or hand your team a prioritised list with updated designs.