I need a native-feeling Android app that lets users jump into one-to-one and group conversations instantly. The core of the project is real-time text chat: messages should appear the moment they’re sent, with typing indicators, read receipts and push notifications working reliably even on spotty connections. Here’s what I’m after: • A clean Kotlin or Java codebase that follows Android best practices and is easy for another developer to pick up. • A lightweight, secure back-end (Firebase Realtime Database, Firestore, or any WebSocket-based alternative you prefer) that keeps latency to a minimum. • Modern UI/UX in Material Design 3, fully localised-ready (English strings by default; I’ll add more later). • Robust authentication—Google Sign-In and email/password at launch—with room to expand to phone-number login. • Media handling kept out of scope for now; the first milestone is text chat only. • A signed APK plus full source in Git when each milestone is approved, along with a short README explaining build steps and key modules. Acceptance is simple: install the APK on any Android 8+ device, create an account, send and receive messages between two test users with <300 ms average round-trip time under normal Wi-Fi. If you’ve shipped a chat feature before and can demonstrate a fast turnaround, let’s talk timelines and any clarifications you need.