The builder's path
For: Android users can't easily back up their phone to a computer on their own Wi-Fi.
“The true creator is necessity, which is the mother of our invention.”
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in every country.
Step 1
Build in the open
Publish the code and invite contributors from the community.
Let the people a free tool helps fund its maintainer directly.
Raise and spend money in the open for a community project.
Grants for open source that makes the internet better.
Network of civic tech groups in many countries; find the one near the problem.
Step 2
Fund the maintainers
Sponsors, collectives and open source grants.
Let the people a free tool helps fund its maintainer directly.
Raise and spend money in the open for a community project.
Grants for open source that makes the internet better.
Network of civic tech groups in many countries; find the one near the problem.
Step 3
Get it adopted
Civic tech groups and public bodies take it up.
Y Combinator's free course and co-founder matching.
Raise and spend money in the open for a community project.
Network of civic tech groups in many countries; find the one near the problem.
Volunteer data scientists working with social-sector organisations.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
how storage backends and WebDAV are implemented
decides what connection options are acceptable
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in Anywhere. Problem: Android users can't easily back up their phone to a computer on their own Wi-Fi. Who it hurts: People who use Seedvault, the open-source Android backup app, or who don't want their backups in a cloud account. The moment it hurts: When setting up backups and the only easy options are a cloud account or a USB stick. What people do today: People set up their own WebDAV server and find Seedvault won't connect without HTTPS, or use workarounds like Termux and rsync. Why it is still unsolved: Allowing unencrypted connections, even at home, is a security trade-off, and setting up HTTPS on a home computer is hard for most people. What solved looks like: A way for a phone to back up to a computer on the same Wi-Fi without a public certificate, for example a small desktop helper that serves WebDAV over HTTPS with a certificate the phone trusts after a one-time pairing. Shown working with a full backup and restore of at least 10 apps. Where: Anywhere First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“A journey of a thousand li starts beneath one's feet.”
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”
δός μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.