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Наталя ХандусенкоStartup
30 October 2026, 10:35
2026-10-30
A Ukrainian developer has released a free application "Zyrk" for quick selection of movies: no endless scrolling - just shake the phone
iOS developer Oleksii Huralnyk has created a free iPhone app called Zyrk that will help solve the problem of long-winded movie selection for the evening. The concept of the project is simple: the user shakes the phone and receives one random movie from a thousand of the best-rated ones, as well as information about which legal platforms it can be watched on in Ukraine.
The application works without advertising, subscriptions, or registration, supports Ukrainian and English, and is available in 171 countries.
iOS developer Oleksii Huralnyk has created a free iPhone app called Zyrk that will help solve the problem of long-winded movie selection for the evening. The concept of the project is simple: the user shakes the phone and receives one random movie from a thousand of the best-rated ones, as well as information about which legal platforms it can be watched on in Ukraine.
The application works without advertising, subscriptions, or registration, supports Ukrainian and English, and is available in 171 countries.
History of creation
The author has been developing the idea for the project for over 10 years. The inspiration came from nostalgia for the times of television, when viewing did not require a long choice, and the psychological concept that an excess of options only complicates decision-making. The impetus for the development was the appearance of children — when free evenings became fewer, spending them on flipping through catalogs turned out to be ineffective.
The visual image of "Zyrka" was the black billiard ball "eight" from the movie "Route 60", and the name comes from a Ukrainian word that describes a quick glance.
How does "Zirk" work?
The user shakes the smartphone or touches the ball on the screen, after which they receive a random recommendation with the title, release year, genre, and rating.
The films are taken from the top 1000 ratings of the TMDB (The Movie Database) platform. Repeated appearances of already shown films are excluded.
Movies can be rated ("Good", "Ok", "Not mine"), thanks to which the algorithm gradually adapts to the user’s preferences.
"Zirk" does not broadcast pirated content. Data on the availability of films on legal platforms is integrated through the JustWatch service.
Technical stack and the role of AI
Development took place in September 2026: all the project code was written by the Claude neural network, while the developer was responsible for the idea, review, backlog formation, and ASO optimization for the App Store.
The application is written on the native Swift and SwiftUI stack with support for iOS 17 and later versions. It is able to work without an Internet connection, as the movie catalog is built directly into the code in the form of a file that is pre-generated using a separate Python script from the TMDB database (the Internet is only needed to download current information in the "Where to Watch" block).
In addition, the developer implemented a number of its own technical solutions: the shake analyzer is built on top of the CoreMotion framework, and realistic sound effects of the liquid inside the virtual ball are synthesized in real time via AVAudioEngine without using ready-made audio samples.
Results and development plans
"Zyrk" appeared on the App Store on September 28, 2026. In the first two and a half weeks, the application received over 60 downloads without attracting paid traffic and took first place in the Ukrainian App Store for the queries "what to watch" and "random movie".
Plans
Version 1.1 will be released on November 10, 2026, and will include full support for large fonts and VoiceOver technology for blind and visually impaired users.
The developer’s future plans include adding convenient filters by genre, the ability to select movies for a specific mood, as well as direct integration with popular Ukrainian streaming services such as Megogo, Sweet.tv, and Kyivstar TV.
The developer emphasizes that the basic functionality of the application will always remain completely free. In the future, Zyrka may only add the option of voluntary developer support, part of the funds from which will be used to cover API costs, and the rest to donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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