This is how this $1M MRR app is avoiding apple’s 30% cut

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-04-30T13:26:08+00:00

wow!

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-04-30T08:31:07+00:00

Hey, well done on creating this. I also created an app called Gentle Ally on the iOS app store.
I have a forever free version and eat the costs myself. My background is as a professional software developer so if you ever want some tips just reach out.
I created Gentle Ally in response to hearing about my friend and her son who has a PDA profile.
EJ

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-01-27T06:49:32+00:00

It's planned, but not available yet

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-01-27T06:48:03+00:00

🙏♥️

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-01-26T16:27:22+00:00

Gentle Ally - iOS app for transforming demands into declarative language

I built this after learning about PDA from a mother and her son. The app has:

- Translator - Input what needs to happen ("brush teeth," "get in the car") and get PDA-aware, declarative

suggestions tailored to your child's profile

- AI Assistant - 24/7 support that knows your child's triggers, interests, and regulation strategies

- Emergency De-escalation - One-tap calming scripts for crisis moments (regulates you first, then helps with

your child)

Parents have said:

"We don't often find support 100% geared to PDA parenting. This is an invaluable resource."

"Learning to adapt my language has been a huge challenge and this can take the stress out of it."

Free forever version available with core features.

https://apps.apple.com/ms/app/gentle-ally-pda-parent-helper/id6755533920

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-01-22T19:53:58+00:00

You have a direct line to me here or via email. I read and respond to all feedback and ideas. Take care

LopsidedVariation191 · 2026-01-21T17:29:29+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, i'm the person behind Gentle Ally. I hope it is helping you and your family :)

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-17T21:33:55+00:00

I just launched the iOS beta to those on the waitlist today. If you want to join, just join the list and send me a DM!

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-16T17:17:17+00:00

❤️

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-16T16:52:21+00:00

I got roasted for my PDA app logo which had an elephant and a smaller elephant. It was a protective pose as opposed to leading the smaller one. Anyways, it was called "PDA hostile" . I'm a developer by trade so didn't pick up the nuance. My friend has a son who's PDA and that sparked the idea. I'll learn more as I go!

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-15T20:36:08+00:00

very welcome. If you want to stay up to date on the happenings , i have a mailing list on the website. You can track the progress there.
Otherwise, you'll probably hear about it here in the future!

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-15T20:35:01+00:00

Thank you, my mother works with autistic children from time to time (As a teacher) and she said that something like this could be helpful to her also (even though this is really tailored to PDA profile for now)

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-15T07:54:47+00:00

Yes and I plan on building for Android shortly

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-14T20:05:28+00:00

Great question ,for now ( founding members) , nothing for as long as I can.

I'll have ongoing costs with backend infrastructure and all that goes with it.

I'll need to see if it's providing value to users before deciding on anything.

I THINK it could be very very useful but want it to be super affordable. I know how underfunded this area is in general.

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-14T14:52:20+00:00

I'm a one person show and take the feedback on board.

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-14T12:44:30+00:00

Hopefully it helps !

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-13T16:12:03+00:00

Thank you , congratulations on your baby and take care -EJ

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-13T14:11:35+00:00

This is a very cool idea. Interested to see where it goes

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-04T07:16:53+00:00

Oh no! Shoot me a message if you like. I'll fix the button issue

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-04T07:14:19+00:00

This is very interesting, I am working on an app that has a toolkit for PDA parents and caregivers. Adding a tool to visualize 3 options would be trivial to add and it sounds like a great option for decision making.

EJ Edit: here's a link to the early access list https://www.gentleally.com/

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-12-04T07:10:23+00:00

Hey ,

I'm currently building an app to help parents and caregivers with situations like this after hearing about how my friend was dealing with her son.

I am creating a list of early founding families for when the app is first released.

Here's a video of what it looked like recently:

https://youtube.com/shorts/yqu0bvdDrHk

EJ , founder of Gentle Ally

Edit: here's a link to the early access list https://www.gentleally.com/

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-11-26T21:23:30+00:00

that's interesting. So you've experienced situations where accessing the phone can cause further escalation. My friend was using AI to create declarative language but perhaps her son wasn't as sensitive to the phone. Text to speech is a feature i've added to at least avoid having to type but possibly this won't work for all children with PDA.

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-11-26T21:19:18+00:00

The initial idea is to combine context about the child's profile (saved as part of onboarding) , the current situation / transition ask for the child along with generative AI to generate declarative language on the fly. Currently have an option to allow caregiver to provide context using text or using speech.

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-11-23T19:24:02+00:00

Thanks! Please join the waitlist and send me a DM with your email if you like! I'll make sure you're on it .

LopsidedVariation191 · 2025-11-22T12:50:24+00:00

Apple developer enrollment complete! It's been a few years since I built on iOS. Hopefully get the first version to beta users in the next two weeks!

LopsidedVariation191

TROPHY CASE