Experienced Web Developer Needed — Bug Fixes & Launch for vastpacifica.com

Project: Vast Pacifica Stack: React Native / Expo frontend, Python FastAPI backend (Render), MongoDB Atlas M10, Vercel hosting GitHub: vastpacifica/VAST-PACIFICA (main branch) Vast Pacifica is a Polynesian cultural matchmaking and community app built for the Pacific Islander diaspora. The app is fully built and live on the web. I need an experienced React Native / Expo web developer with MongoDB experience to fix all remaining bugs, verify all systems are working, and get the site fully launch-ready. The benchmark is simple. The site should feel as polished and complete as an established platform. Take that standard and apply it to what I have already built. This is bug fixing, verification, and polish only. Do not rebuild anything from scratch. The codebase is shared between web and iOS. All changes must be scoped to the web frontend and backend only. Do not modify any iOS-specific code or native app functionality. AVAILABILITY REQUIREMENT Before starting I want to establish a set time we can connect to go over progress and any questions. I need a developer who is responsive and available for a scheduled check in at least twice a week. Response time on messages should be within a few hours during working hours. MILESTONE 1 - $150 Paid when all of the following are confirmed working by me. 1. Discover not working. Real users who have created accounts cannot see each other in the Discover feed even after signing up and completing their profiles. Debug the filter logic so real accounts appear for each other based on gender preference. All account types must behave consistently. 2. GPS based proximity on Discover. Implement real GPS geolocation on the Discover screen similar to how Grindr and Growlr work. The user's device GPS pulls their real time coordinates. The backend calculates the actual distance in miles between the logged in user and every other user. The Discover feed sorts by distance with the closest profiles appearing first. Each profile card must display the distance from the logged in user for example 0.3 miles away or 2 miles away. Free users see the 100 closest profiles to them. Premium users see everyone beyond that with no distance limit. The location and distance filter must be moved out of settings and surfaced as a prominent filter directly on the Discover screen. Must work on both mobile browsers and desktop using the browser Geolocation API. 3. Messages timezone. Messages are displaying the wrong time. Fix so every message shows the correct local time for both sender and receiver based on their own device timezone. 4. Notification badges. Add red dot or number badge notifications on each tab for new activity. Users need to see at a glance when they have a new message, a new like, or a new match without tapping into each tab. Badges must update in real time or on app focus and clear when the user views the relevant tab. 5. Mobile and desktop responsiveness. The site must be fully functional and correctly displayed across all devices and screen sizes including iPhone, Android, tablets, and desktop PC browsers. Do not change the tab bar height, background color, or branding. MILESTONE 2 - $150 Paid when all of the following are confirmed working by me. 6. PayPal full audit and fix. The PayPal subscription flow needs to be fully tested and confirmed working. Test the entire flow end to end. A live PayPal subscription must automatically activate Premium in MongoDB without any manual intervention. The renewal webhook must correctly extend the subscription by 30 days on every monthly renewal so paying subscribers never lose access between billing cycles. Fix anything that is not working. Document everything with screenshots. 7. Remove the Already Paid recovery field. On the Premium page there is an Already Paid section with a text input asking users to paste their Subscription ID and a button that says Activate Premium with my receipt. This was a temporary workaround. Remove this section completely from the Premium page. 8. Email verification DNS. The Resend domain verification has been pending for over two weeks and is not resolving. This needs to be diagnosed and fixed. The DNS records are set in Namecheap. Resend is the email service and is configured on the backend with the API key already set as an environment variable. Fix whatever is causing the DNS verification to fail. Once verified confirm the full email verification flow works end to end. A new user signs up, receives a verification email from the configured sending address, clicks the confirmation link, and the account activates. A user must not be able to log in until their email is verified. 9. Community tab social experience. The community tab needs to feel like a social media feed similar to Facebook. Users should be able to post text and up to 10 photos per post along with an optional location and comments on each photo.. No video. Posts should feel alive and social. Audit the full community experience and improve the layout, interactions, and feel to match a social media standard. Profanity filter and NSFW photo moderation are already built and must remain active. 10. Community bot prevention and cleanup. Purge all remaining test and dummy posts from MongoDB. Any post with generic or test content must be removed. Audit and confirm the existing Google reCAPTCHA v3 and email verification systems are working correctly on signup to prevent fake accounts and bots. Document that both are confirmed working with screenshots. 11. Lightbox and swipe navigation audit. The tap to zoom lightbox in messages and the photo grid lightbox in community posts must both work correctly. Tapping any photo must open the full size image within reason of what ever device is been used. Swipe left and right navigation between multiple photos must work on mobile touch and desktop. Confirm both are working and fix anything that is not. 12. Family Lineage gating. Currently the entire Family Lineage feature is locked behind Premium for free users. This needs to be fixed. Free users must be able to fully add and edit their own lineage information including surname, village ties, maternal line, paternal line, and island origins. The only feature that should be locked behind Premium is the cross-reference check that compares your lineage against another user to identify shared ancestry. Build this correctly so free users have access to their own lineage data and only the cross-reference check requires a Premium upgrade. 13. Full site QA. Complete walkthrough of the entire site as a real user on both desktop and mobile browser. Onboarding, Discover, Matches, Messages, Community, Lineage, and the full Premium upgrade flow via PayPal. If you find anything broken or inconsistent during QA fix it as part of this contract. Do not deliver until everything works end to end. Key constraints: The codebase is shared between web and iOS. All changes must be scoped to the web frontend and backend only. Do not modify any iOS-specific code or native app functionality. Render and MongoDB are paid always-on plans. Do not suggest cold start as an issue. All changes auto-deploy to Vercel from the main branch on GitHub. Do not change the app design, color scheme, or branding. No video features. Photos only. Requirements: Proven experience with React Native / Expo web builds Experience with MongoDB Atlas Familiarity with PayPal subscriptions and webhooks Experience with GPS geolocation and proximity based sorting Experience with email verification flows and DNS configuration Responsive and available for scheduled check ins twice a week Portfolio or examples of similar work preferred Available to start immediately Can deliver within 1-2 weeks Total budget: $300 fixed across two milestones. No payment released until I personally confirm each milestone is complete.