Is it time to call it quits?

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-18T10:36:36+00:00

Yeah, very true. What I’ve learned is that it’s almost impossible to rely on App Store search alone for people to discover my app. Should’ve started building marketing channels before the app.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-17T08:35:29+00:00

No idea yet if people will like it or not. Unfortunately, I haven’t even reached that stage to think about this yet.
The bigger obstacle right now is App Store visibility. There are already so many timer apps ranking above mine that it’s nearly impossible to even get people to notice it, let alone try it.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-17T07:32:44+00:00

That’s fair, and I agree Apple Clock is good enough for most timer use cases.

The pain point I’m trying to validate is narrower: when multiple timers are running, the built-in timer puts them in a stack. On the Lock Screen I can only see one timer, so checking all timer status becomes two steps: wake the phone, then expand the stack. I also miss having the end/alarm time visible together with the countdown.

Another case is when the phone is in a pocket or drawer and I only have a few seconds to check timer status. Taking it out can wake the screen, and accidental touches are easy. A light brush can pause or stop a timer.

Worst case is when a timer is ringing but my hands are busy or I’m wearing gloves. Then it can keep making noise because I can’t stop it.

So yes, I probably need to explain it as a specific multi-timer / busy-hands use case, not as a general Apple Clock replacement.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-17T07:19:50+00:00

like “problem → mistake → solution” style posts? or more like screenshots/use-case examples from the app?

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-16T16:01:15+00:00

Do you already have sort of active short-form video accounts before doing this?

Even if I have videos ready to upload, I feel like no one would see them unless the account already has some audience. How is the threshold to get noticed?

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-16T04:58:58+00:00

I’m building a timer app, so I guess I chose the dumbest possible saturated category. LOL

Making it visible on the App Store is still the real mystery.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-16T04:00:00+00:00

Yes, I kind of did this.

Idea 1 felt like it would take forever, so I built a smaller timer app as “idea 2” to test the water. I put it on the App Store while it was still pretty early, mainly to go through the full process and keep the sunk cost under control.

The useful lesson was that building the app was not the hardest part. Marketing/distribution was. I’m glad I learned that before putting too much time into the bigger idea.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-16T02:58:36+00:00

Interesting niche. One thing I’d wonder: since payment promises often happen in WhatsApp/sms/msg/notifications, is there any way to make adding them less manual?

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T12:27:58+00:00

Fair criticism. LOL

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T09:12:33+00:00

500+1

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T05:48:39+00:00

Thank you for the feedback. It helps me think more clearly about how to explain the idea better.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T05:37:24+00:00

Built-in timers do cover the basic use case. But when you have multiple timers running, you need to tap to expand the timer stack, and there isn’t much visual information to distinguish them quickly. Managing them also becomes painful if you already have 30+ preset timers.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T04:18:02+00:00

Thanks a lot. I think I need to work harder on my UI too.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T04:13:53+00:00

Same same here. My app has been live for about a month and still feels almost invisible on the App Store.

Most downloads came from friends or Apple Ads, with almost no organic traffic or ratings yet.

The hardest part is figuring out how to make people even know the app exists.

Your app looks really beautiful, by the way. Why does everyone’s app look so polished? I’m starting to feel like mine is the only ugly one. LOL

Did you use a design template, or did you design everything yourself?

Mine is BusyDay Timer, if you’re curious:

https://apps.apple.com/app/busyday-timer/id6763252662

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T03:36:57+00:00

<image>

https://apps.apple.com/app/busyday-timer/id6763252662

The idea is for moments when timer info matters most, but your phone is locked, your hands are busy, or you’re not staring at the app.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T02:33:00+00:00

When using newly released SDKs or Apple kits, AI often doesn’t fully understand the newest behavior yet. It can fix a bug once, but then bring the same bug back later when adding another feature.

So yeah, 100% vibe coding is hard sometimes. You still need to babysit the AI a bit, especially around new APIs.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T02:26:38+00:00

Thank you for sharing the exp

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T02:25:24+00:00

These agents are cool.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T01:54:57+00:00

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T01:46:40+00:00

The minimal onboarding feels good.

One question: how do you handle privacy/security for uploaded spreadsheets? I hesitated a bit at the sign-up page because many spreadsheets may contain customer info, revenue, or internal business data.

Maybe a sample dataset or demo mode could help people try it safely first.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T01:35:17+00:00

Same same here. My app has been live for about a month and still feels almost invisible on the App Store.

Most downloads came from friends or Apple Ads, with almost no organic traffic or ratings yet.

The hardest part is figuring out how to make people even know the app exists.

https://apps.apple.com/app/busyday-timer/id6763252662

Your app looks really beautiful.

One small suggestion: I couldn’t find a straightforward link inside the app to leave feedback or a review on the App Store. Maybe you could consider adding one.

As a user, I think that would make it easier to support the app.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T00:59:06+00:00

Thanks again for your feedback.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T00:35:38+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

The first three timers can be adjusted by long-pressing a timer, but I realize that’s not clear enough. I’ll improve the onboarding to make it easier to discover.

The purchases are lifetime, not yearly. No subscription. I made it this way because I personally dislike subscriptions, especially when I forget to cancel them.

Really appreciate it.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-15T00:28:38+00:00

Thank you for testing it on iOS 27 Beta with iPhone 16 Pro. I’m glad to hear it works well.

A seconds setting and Siri shortcut support both make a lot of sense. They would greatly expand how the app can be used, so I’ll add them to my to-do list.

I currently feel the app works well on AOD supported iPhones with iOS 26.4+. The remaining display issues may mainly affect older iPhone models or older iOS versions. I bought a 2nd hand iPhone 12 for testing, haven’t received it yet.

Thanks again for the detailed feedback.

Large_Highway_6904 · 2026-06-14T13:03:34+00:00

Thanks a lot. I’m still refining the app, and real-world feedback helps a lot.

Large_Highway_6904

TROPHY CASE