Unifying Daikin’s Onecta App and Cloud Through One Scalable Platform

01 — CHALLENGE

Fragmented Apps and Inconsistent User Journeys

Founded in 1924, Daikin is a global leader in air conditioning and refrigeration. As its portfolio grew, the digital estate fractured into separate apps and backends. Separate supplier-specific apps supported heating, cooling and hot-water products, each with its own backend. Customers had to switch between apps, the design varied and simple tasks were hard to find. An older system could not keep up with demand, so engineers were adding servers and juggling capacity. Running several apps also duplicated development and testing. Some systems were managed by suppliers, which limited Daikin’s control and slowed design refreshes and product improvements. Different apps meant different plans and release cycles, so behaviour varied across product families and features that should work across devices were difficult to deliver.

At the same time, Daikin wanted to connect with other smart-home platforms and build new, energy-focused services, which was hard with everything split up.

There was also a cultural shift to make. As Pieter Vanden Berge, Project Lead at Daikin Europe, says: “At Daikin, we build metal machines that work with water, air and refrigerants, and installers were focusing less on connectivity via a smartphone application when setting up a new Daikin unit at customer's home." Moving to connected products meant making sure that the app onboarding is a smooth experience.

For customers, the pain was clear. “We had different apps for the heating product, a different app for cooling products,” Pieter recalls. “It was a bit messy internally and especially for the end customers. The existing apps were outdated and could not keep up with new needs. People wanted something more cost-efficient and user-friendly,” he adds.

That is why Daikin looked for a partner. “We don’t have in-house the knowledge to completely design apps, at least not the ones used by 2 million of people” Pieter explains, “and having a reliable and scalable backend behind it means  we have a future-proof solution that can be adapted for potential new use cases.”

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02 — SOLUTION

One App, One Cloud, All Daikin

Daikin and ITP solved the fragmentation with two pillars: a single mobile app and a single Cloud platform that worked across the full product range.

Onecta app

One app for all devices: A single control centre for every Daikin device. The home screen shows connected devices, selecting one reveals only the relevant controls.Consistent design: Building on earlier work for the Madoka app, we implemented a design system so core components, animations and flows are defined once and reused throughout.React Native foundation: One codebase for iOS and Android speeds delivery and ensures feature parity.Internationalisation and accessibility: 29 languages, 70+ countries, left-to-right and right-to-left scripts.Tested on real hardware: Real and simulated devices cover commissioning, edge cases and connectivity.User-centred onboarding: “Onboarding was designed to feel as pleasant as possible,” explains Pieter. “Onecta is the residential pillar for Daikin,” he continues, “with the goal of being the one app that all Daikin users actually use to control the units they have in their home, and other units as well.”By bringing everything into one place, Onecta makes the connected home simple today and leaves room for new devices tomorrow.

Onecta Cloud

Behind the app sits a dedicated Cloud platform on AWS. Instead of many vendor systems, every device now speaks to a central layer that handles communication in a consistent way.Unified backend: A cloud-native platform with a modular, microservices-based architecture. Devices communicate through clear, device-specific rules into a central services layer.Clear, stable communication: A translation layer hides device differences and converts each device’s messages into a common format.Resilience and scalability: Microservices and serverless components handle ingestion, processing and storage. Automated end-to-end tests, monitoring and logging ensure reliability and faster diagnosis.API governance and partner readiness: A managed API layer with gateways and a developer portal sets clear rules for access and security so third-party platforms can integrate safely.Together, the Onecta app and Onecta Cloud turn a complex estate into a single, dependable experience for customers and a solid platform for Daikin’s next steps.
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03 — APPROACH

Bridging Hardware Discipline With Software Speed

Delivering Onecta meant rethinking the technical setup and how the teams worked. Daikin and ITP built mixed squads, set a steady release rhythm, and agreed clear touchpoints so everyone knew who did what and when.

Design and development

• Blended teams and steady releases: Multidisciplinary squads brought app developers, cloud engineers, architects and product managers together. “Adapting ITP’s agile habits to a hardware-led organisation was a long process, but regular releases, open communication and clear checkpoints helped both sides meet in the middle,” shares Pieter.
• Bridging hardware and software: Daikin came from a staged hardware process. Together we mapped that mindset onto agile software practice. Over time, the teams set a continuous release cadence and a test framework that runs hundreds of checks on new builds, balancing hardware-level reliability with software speed.
• Shifting effort from app to cloud: Early on, the app team was larger. As the unified controller matured, most new features moved into the cloud.
• Iterative roadmap planning: Each year, Daikin’s business units and ITP prioritise new features based on market demand and long-term goals. Yearly plans set direction; architects and engineers then choose an approach that meets today’s needs without limiting tomorrow’s options.
• Release cycle and testing: Beyond the lab of real and simulated devices, automated suites run on every release. As Pieter puts it, “we run it against five, six hundred test cases and see if everything still works. It’s an ongoing testing process.”
• Clear roles and communication: Regular touchpoints and ownership lines reduced noise. “Team leads support developers so they are not bothered every five minutes,” says Pieter. Today, ITP contributes two app developers and about 12 to 13 Cloud engineers alongside Daikin’s seven-person team.

Technical Foundations

• React Native and a shared design system: A single component library keeps the interface consistent and makes it easy to add new features or devices. One codebase serves iOS and Android.
• Amazon Web Services with small, independent services: Durable storage, strong monitoring and clear logs for quick diagnosis.
• One interface to many suppliers: A translation layer hides device differences and gives the app a single, similar look and feel for any Daikin device regardless of what type of unit it is.
• Managed APIs for partners: Standard gateways and policies handle access and security for internal teams and external partners, laying the ground for future cloud-to-cloud integrations.

We validated the prototype through qualitative and quantitative research, surveying 300 employees and interviewing 10 employers. Based on the feedback, we defined an MVP scope and solution architecture to begin building the platform. This process ensured we met the genuine needs of users, who approved the solution.

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04 — OUTCOME

Built For Today, Ready For What’s Next

The Onecta app and Onecta Cloud have reshaped Daikin’s connected ecosystem. Customers get one simple experience. The business gets a platform that scales and is ready for what comes next.

• Unified customer experience: One app with a consistent interface replaces multiple tools. Control is simpler, and new features reach users faster.
• Strong ratings and adoption: 4.57 in the App Store and 4.39 in Google Play, live in 70+ countries.
• Built for scale: 2M+ devices connected. Most customers own around two devices, and households often have several users. Capacity can grow without slowing the experience.
• Operational efficiency: On-demand cloud services replace manual server work. Monitoring and logging shorten incident response. The translation layer hides device differences, so new device types can be added faster and at lower cost.
• Integration-ready: Standard APIs and clear rules make it safer and quicker to connect third-party platforms, opening the door to future energy services.

Developer interest has shifted from the app to the platform. “More and more people are interested not just in the app, but in the APIs as well,” says Pieter. Expectations have also changed. “Seven to ten years ago, IoT was a niche. Now people expect any device to be connected and work seamlessly and efficiently.”

The scale is already visible. “We have over two million devices connected,” Pieter notes. “Fast onboarding and solid capacity keep the experience consistent whether there are five devices online or two million,” he shares.

Pieter sums up the value of collaborating with In The Pocket: “The In The Pocket team is always trying to be up to date with new trends, testing platforms in beta and making sure libraries are updated before any issues arise. That gives you peace of mind that things will always work.”

Looking ahead

Pieter sees the unified platform as the basis for future innovation: “We are looking forward to making sure that the basis is there and remains there for any user. Any Daikin device can be controlled within one and the same mobile application and work within one app and potentially send information to third-party applications.” The goal is a seamless user experience: “If a user buys any new Daikin device, with a few simple clicks on his phone, they can have access to the device in a secure way.”

He also points to predictive maintenance as a promising area. By analysing device data, Daikin can “check more if a certain part is likely to become broken and then have installers be informed,” improving service and comfort.

The Onecta case is what happens when hardware discipline meets software speed. Mixed teams, steady releases and real hardware in the loop produced one coherent experience at global scale.