1) The context
Wellabe is a health and life insurance company that provides a range of products to independent agents through its subsidiary, Great Western Insurance Company. One of their key tools, iPremium, is an app for calculating premiums designed specifically for the agents selling life insurance policies. This product ensures that premiums are calculated accurately, which both minimizes errors and simplifies the application process.
iPremium allows agents to do those premium calculations
They don’t have to manually calculate those. It makes sure that it isn’t submitted with the incorrect amount. So it’s a very valuable to tool for our agents.
Wellabe approached HQ to update and enhance iPremium, ensuring it remained an essential tool for their agents while aligning with their rebranding efforts. With the app having been in use since before 2015, it was important that the tool could be modernized without disrupting the agents who have relied on it for years.
Given the long history of the app and its importance to agents, any changes needed to improve functionality while still maintaining familiarity. The stakes were higher than a simple refresh though, as any disruption could result in agents reverting to manual calculations, thereby leading to potential errors and inefficiencies. Desired updates included:
- Alignment with Wellabe branding
- Better support for enrollment submissions
- Accommodations for agents with varying levels of technical expertise
2) The solution
HQ worked closely with Wellabe to ensure the updated iPremium app retained its core simplicity while integrating new features and a refreshed user interface. Ongoing feedback from the Wellabe team guided each iteration, helping us shape updates that felt intuitive and seamless for agents. On the list of improvements:
- A refreshed, branded UI to reflect updated colors and icons for Wellabe’s branding
- A new certificate tab, which helps agents fill out applications correctly to reduce errors
- Expanded product offerings, which incorporate additional life insurance products and updated premium calculations
It has become a lifeline for a lot of the agents.
The HQ team offers options if there’s something that we may not have thought of. The developer we work with is very good about asking questions: If something may not be spelled out very well in a requirement, he’s very good about giving feedback.
HQ’s work ensured that Wellabe’s transition through rebranding was smooth, with no interruption to agent workflows. The Wellabe team has seen continued agent adoption of the app, as well as fewer application errors.
3) The takeaway
Wellabe’s experience with HQ reinforced the importance of working with a development partner that prioritizes clarity, efficiency, and reliability. Our developers provided recommendations on best practices, as well as helping their team navigate Apple’s App Store review process.
For companies looking to update or build custom applications without disrupting their existing user base, HQ offers:
- A collaborative approach that ensures projects stay on track and within budget
- A team that understands the ins and outs of app store rules and processes
- A focus on usability and adoption for long-term success
4) Two versions running at once
Rebranding an app that agents open every working day means changing everything they recognize about it. New colors, a new logo, app icons sized for both stores, a new launch screen, and all of it holding up in light mode and dark.
The rollout was the harder part. We built a mirror of the existing app for the agents the change affected, with their own credentials, so both versions could run side by side while the transition happened and nobody was locked out mid-quote.
Still on both stores
iPremium is still published and still maintained. The Play Store listing was updated in June 2026 and the iOS build sits at version 4.1.3, published by Great Western Insurance Company.
Wellabe’s six insurance subsidiaries had their A (Excellent) financial strength rating affirmed by AM Best in May 2026.
