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Марія БровінськаStartup
20 March 2026, 08:59
2026-03-20
"I write code wherever I want, whenever I have free time. It's kind of my way of escaping from reality." Ukrainian soldier creates meme app to animate chats. How Memessage works
Ukrainian military and former system administrator Oleksiy Halkovich created the Memessage application—a tool that allows you to animate correspondence and turn it into a video with the most realistic chat behavior possible.
The development became a way for him to «escape from reality» during his service — and at the same time grew into a full-fledged product. We tell you how humor helps keep your mind sharp and who Memessage can be useful to.
Ukrainian military and former system administrator Oleksiy Halkovich created the Memessage application—a tool that allows you to animate correspondence and turn it into a video with the most realistic chat behavior possible.
The development became a way for him to «escape from reality» during his service — and at the same time grew into a full-fledged product. We tell you how humor helps keep your mind sharp and who Memessage can be useful to.
«I write code anywhere»
Before mobilization in 2022, Galkovich worked as a Linux system administrator in Mykolaiv. He says the work was routine. After the start of a full-scale war, he joined the army, where he still serves today. «I mobilized in 2022, having passed an interview at the military unit where I still serve today. Although after my conscription I said that I would never go to the army again in my life, life makes its adjustments, and life next to Russia is even more so,» says the AIT member. He adds: «The post-Soviet army really didn’t know what to do with those AIT members, but the situation is changing, and the new Minister of Defense is a good indicator.
In the army, his technical skills gradually began to find application — from automating tasks in Python to working with networks (in particular, MikroTik).
Galkovych says that nothing surprised him in the army, since he had experience of military service. «The army is really changing for the better, but, unfortunately, not as quickly as we would like. I do not serve in the trenches. I „won“ the genetic lottery and have restrictions for the VLK. But not at home, and not in Kyiv with a lateshka,» he says.
«I write code wherever I can, whenever I have free time. It’s kind of my way of escaping reality. Code is my hobby, not my job,» he says.
From memes to product
The idea for the application arose from a personal interest in memes and jokes in the format of correspondence. «Memes keep my cuckoo,» says the soldier. Initially, Galkovich did not even plan to make a separate product — he just wanted to simplify the creation of such «scenes», which previously had to be animated manually, for example in Adobe After Effects.
«It takes too long for a little joke. And Adobe,» he jokes.
The first versions of the application were called MemesSage, but later the project transformed into Memessage — a play on words that refers to both «message» and «me.»
«This is more of a personal tool that I’m happy to share, but not with everyone. May Android smartphone owners forgive me, but their version is still stuck in a very long render. I hope I can break through this wall,» says the developer.
It took about 4 months to create the version that made it to the App Store. «After my shift, I have some free time, and I use it for personal, and not only personal, projects,» says the IT guy.
How Memessage works
Memessage allows you to create animated dialogues between two or more people with control over almost every detail:
typing speed;
pauses between messages;
«printouts» and their corrections;
calls during correspondence;
voice messages, photos, videos;
message banners and even «circles».
«You need to show how you write some stupid thing, don’t send it, erase it and write something normal? Easy. Do you need someone to call during the correspondence? Is it possible. You wrote it, and a banner appeared? Do it. Voice, circles, photos, videos — everything is there. It’s for pranksters in particular, and for those who will find a use for it, in addition to all sorts of crypto scammers and other scammers,» says Galkovich.
The key idea is not to simply copy messengers, but to provide a tool for storytelling. «Memessage doesn’t aim for realism as a copy. It aims to help tell a story in a chat format,» the developer explains.
«We used to tell jokes at the entrance, someone would show nudes on playing cards behind garages, and now life has moved to chat rooms. Because of technology, and war. That’s why realism is something conditional. There are many tools to make it look natural, but I didn’t have the task of making a misleading tool. And for such „realism“ you can take a screenshot from any messenger,» he says.
The application has different chat styles — for example, «Date» with match animation or «Glory» in the colors of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
«I don’t collect any data. Let them do what they want, within the framework of conscience and the law. I personally make memes. I have a „combat“ contact, to whom I can tell anything, and nothing will happen to me. Some TikToks do collect something,» the developer notes.
From a technical perspective, the biggest challenge was the timing system — the so-called timeline. «I’m not an engineer and I’ve never worked as a programmer. Things like the timeline, where you have to calculate all the timings and synchronize the sound, were difficult,» says Galkovich.
The application is written in SwiftUI and works on new versions of iOS — the author fundamentally does not support older versions. «The haters of liquid glass will update anyway, but I think it’s important that everything works,» the developer argues.
Claude was also actively used in the development. «Without him, I would have been writing it by the end of the war,» says the author. According to him, AI allows you to take on projects that previously seemed too complex or resource-intensive.
The app currently has 309 installs, several 5-star ratings, and a predominantly Ukrainian audience.
Monetization model — subscription: $3 per month or $20 per year. Most features are available for free.
Over the entire time, the app brought Alexey about $7.34 (after Apple’s commission). «It paid for itself on the first day. I made it for myself,» says the developer.
Despite the ability to create «realistic» correspondence, the author tries to prevent abuse.
In particular, the application prohibits the use of the words «bank» or «bank», you cannot indicate phone numbers as names, there are watermarks. If necessary, says Halkovich. these restrictions can be expanded.
Currently, Oleksiy is not aware of any cases of fraud, but he definitely doesn’t want Memessage to turn into such a tool. «If anyone knows of such cases, please write to me at [email protected],» the developer says.
The author does not consider Memessage as a business project. «The investor is the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who pay my salary,» he jokes. His main motivation is his interest in programming and creating memes. If the application at least covers the costs of Apple Developer and the server, that is enough.
The developer advises other creative IT professionals not to put off ideas: «With the advent of AI, many projects have come to life. You don’t have to spend a year hiring a team. Just start and do it.»
He adds, «Yes, Claude costs me $120 to subscribe, but considering it’s my hobby, it’s free. For example, I hate frontend, but I love learning Golang, so I write backend, and Claude does a great job with UI on any frontend stack.
And a tip from the author of the meme app: «An Easter egg that no one asked about: Try converting a message containing a link containing a .ru domain into a video.»
