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Comarch: Premiere of the mobile application “Pilgrim” – a thing you cannot do without during the World Youth Days

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To support the pilgrims, who will be coming to Kraków for the World Youth Days (WYD), Comarch jointly with the WYD Organisation Committee Kraków 2016, developed the “Pilgrim” application for mobile devices.

The premiere of the software was held on 19 July and earlier functionality tests had been performed for several months. The free application is available at stores of Google Play, Windows and AppStore.

The application was developed by the WYD Committee with the technical aspects being the responsibility of Comarch. “Pilgrim” is available in the nine official languages of the World Youth Days and is a comprehensive source of information for people who will come to Kraków from all over the world. The application contains both information useful for foreigners (phrase books, details of embassies and consulates) and for pilgrims from Poland (description of historical monuments). “Pilgrim” also contains religious content (prayer book, songs, homilies), program of WYD and functionalities assisting in moving around, including a small guide book to Kraków and Małopolska.

When the application is activated, tiles are displayed on the smartphone with the most important information and shortcuts to core functionalities. The core advantage of “Pilgrim” is the possibility to personalise the application, set languages and develop a flexible plan for the duration of the stay, tailored to the user’s individual needs. With “Pilgrim” the guests visiting Kraków will have access to a map with information on major events during WYD – guidelines related to transport: parking spaces and the places where transport is available. All places and locations can be searched from the user's current location.

In developing the application, much attention was paid to security. The application contains contact numbers to institutions responsible for security as well as to consulates and embassies and information and medical points. Additionally, the application contains advice on first aid in emergencies. For instance: users will find instructions what to do if any of their companions faint or have a bleeding nose.

Most of the functions in the application will be available offline, so when there is no mobile or internet connections the application is still available. Users may download the content available in the application at their lodgings where they have Internet access and can use it throughout the day without any data transmission. In the evening, when they are back at their lodgings, they can download updates and new information that has been added by the organisers at the end of each day.

The application will contain “entertainment”, a game about WYD and quizzes. There are also several multimedia elements such as a postcard from WYD. Additionally, the application will be automatically connected to the official account of the World Youth Days on Twitter and provided with a film channel with recordings from ceremonies and in-built radio stations broadcasting the events.

The application is available for mobile devices based on Android, Windows and iOS.