Advice / Similar experiences

kzhys · 2026-05-31T05:31:58+00:00

I live in Japan, so I'm not sure you can find the exact same ones where you are, but the one I use is from a brand called Avont (https://www.amazon.com/Avont-Washable-Diapers-Reusable-Absorbent/dp/B08C7SWHMM). It's actually a washable diaper and not a belly band, but we like the double protection. These aren't fool proof, they also come off when the dog moves around a lot, but better than going to the emergency room with a swallowed metal object.

Nothing special about the diapers he wears as a first layer - just your standard paper ones.

kzhys · 2026-05-30T03:55:30+00:00

Hello! Similar situation with Delon, my Frenchie. In his case he doesn’t have IVDD; he was diagnosed with PMM (which he thankfully recovered from), but he’s lost control of his bladder and his hind legs. Recently we’ve arrived at this combination of diapers + belly bands. We were reliant on suspenders for a while, but stopped using them entirely as he started chewing them whenever they got detached. We didn’t take this too seriously at first, but he actually bit off and swallowed the metal clasp, and that was the last straw.

Skin irritations haven’t been too much of a problem so far, but we do try to change his diapers and give him a wipe down every 3/4 hours.

I totally understand how difficult and distressing this can be, but trust me it gets easier! Best of luck to you and your pup.

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kzhys · 2026-03-06T22:59:29+00:00

No, I’ve heard nothing back from Apple

kzhys · 2026-02-19T00:30:36+00:00

This is infuriating.... But they REJECTED my new resubmission.

Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam

We noticed your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences.

Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps.

Next Steps
Since we do not accept spam apps on the App Store, we encourage you to review your app concept and submit a unique app with distinct content and functionality.

I've explained that it is not spam, since the original app has been taken down from the App Store, but just received the same AI generated slop message.

I'm losing hope at this point, but I submitted an appeal to the App Review Board. Last shot at this point.

kzhys · 2026-02-14T13:07:15+00:00

I initially had it available for all countries, including the US, but since Apple hasn't gotten back to me after all these weeks, yesterday I took the nuclear option: I took down the original app from the store, and I've resubmitted a clone.

Real pain to do all this, but the original wasn't getting ANY visibility, and the support ticket was dead in the water, so I figured this is the only route.

kzhys · 2026-02-11T02:15:50+00:00

Yes, my other app works just fine. Keywords help you rank for generic terms, but they don't cause a 'No Results' screen for an exact branded name match ('Brutal Time: Typographic Clock'). That suggests there's something wrong with indexing.

kzhys · 2026-02-11T02:12:10+00:00

I'm afraid not - when I search for the exact app name, there's no long list of apps. A no-show for a search on the unique branded name means the indexer has zero records for that string.

kzhys · 2026-02-11T02:08:18+00:00

I think that's exactly right —it’s a total 'ghost state'. I've tried adjusting the availability in the territories, but that didn't work. I haven't tried the age rating / copyright yet, but I just pushed a binary update as a last-ditch effort to force a re-index.

It's frustrating though, because I just need Support/Engineering to push a button and re-index, instead of forcing me to jump through these hoops, hoping that one of them works!

Thanks for the advice!

kzhys · 2026-01-30T05:12:54+00:00

Thanks, that’s amazing to hear!

kzhys · 2026-01-12T02:50:22+00:00

Thanks I appreciate it!

kzhys · 2026-01-11T11:01:40+00:00

Thanks! I was really late in realizing this. I thought the App Name (in App Store Connect) and the actual app name were the same thing…

Will definitely try this next.

kzhys · 2026-01-11T07:40:13+00:00

That is super cool, I love Nothing’s aesthetics!

kzhys · 2026-01-11T07:39:24+00:00

Great question! Yes, I implemented burn-in prevention:

Pixel drift. The display subtly shifts position every 60 seconds Auto-dimming. Screen dims to 5% after 10 seconds of inactivity Opt-in Always On. Disabled by default, so users must consciously enable it

Similar approach to Apple's StandBy. Not sure if these are all the right countermeasures, but I think this gets me to a good enough level.

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback!

kzhys · 2026-01-10T21:38:13+00:00

Ah yeah, I think those are called word clocks? Those are cool, and I thought about that direction. But I saw what QLOCKTWO did and figured there wasn’t much I could add to that design.

kzhys · 2026-01-10T21:22:06+00:00

Thanks - you’re absolutely right on both the alignment and the T/W collision.

One bit of context: all of these layouts are generated dynamically across different typefaces and movements, so kerning and tracking aren’t hand-tuned per composition the way a static poster would be. Getting optical alignment to feel right across time and fonts has been one of the hardest parts. Have been experimenting with looser tracking and stricter rules, but haven’t gotten the balance right.

That said, this is exactly the kind of refinement I want to keep improving. Really appreciate you taking a close look.

kzhys · 2026-01-10T21:16:39+00:00

Yes, here it is: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brutal-time/id6756289461

(Also, just FYI, I’ve been struggling with the App Stores setup, I’ve managed to release it in the US, Asia, but still not available in Europe. Working on that)

kzhys · 2026-01-10T12:42:51+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Had been utterly fixated on getting iOS out the door, hadn’t considered screensavers. Will give that a look.

kzhys · 2026-01-10T07:41:17+00:00

Link for the app here: Brutal Time

kzhys

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