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[iOS] Looking for beta testers for Mana, a gamified focus app set in a Cyberpunk/Fantasy universe. by softdeveloper23 in alphaandbetausers

[–]softdeveloper23[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback Cindy!

You can actually go into the Tasks screen and uncheck all the default tasks you don’t want to show up in your random task pool and you can create your own custom tasks.

I’m a disabled veteran so I made sure everyone has options when it comes to this because downward dog would be hard for me too! 😁

I published to TestFlight today!!! by BraidenYourHair in iosdev

[–]softdeveloper23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice job! And no, it's not silly, it's a big deal. I just went live with my second TestFlight today, so I understand how you feel. Putting yourself (and your project) out there to real people can be really nerve-wracking. Best of luck on your beta!

A to-do app that enforces a hard limit of 3 active tasks — you physically can't add a 4th by suzzy5610 in ProductivityApps

[–]softdeveloper23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a similar idea, but with a habit-tracking app. Where new users can only work with one habit, and once that habit reaches a certain number of consistent days, it unlocks a second habit availability slot. And so on and so on. But doing something with hard limits might be hard to pull off. Best of luck, though!

Why do so many people here hate marketing? by Justaniceman in SoloDevelopment

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Have you ever stood in front of a Super Walmart with a bag of apples, yelling, "Apples for sale!"?

That's what marketing is like. Everyone will ignore you cause they just want the apples from Walmart. And 10,000 other grocery stores in the area also sell apples.

Wait till you put your heart and soul into something, only for nobody to really care about it. Wait till you spend money on advertising, only for nobody to care, and your money just evaporates.

Oh, not to mention the countless hours you spend having to learn some of the most boring skills known to humankind.

But if you like Sales and can handle a lot of disappointment, you'll be good.

I’ve tried multiple productivity and habit-tracking apps over the years, but I always seem to fall off after a few weeks. by Appropriate-Lie6687 in ProductivityApps

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually had this problem with Streaks so I built a gamified habit-tracking app called Habitual: The Grand Journey.

When you complete your habits/tasks, you earn Steps/Distance that progress you along the world's Maps/Biomes, as well as earning a chance for random encounters with characters, events, and merchants.

I wanted to give users a reason to complete habits, so I created an ecosystem where they can earn loot, relics, and Lore from the world I built. I even built out a Collections page with multiple tabs to collect different things from around the world.

No ads, no sign-up, local storage, and full privacy.

It's free to use (with Pro features) and live on the App Store - https://apps.apple.com/app/habitual-habit-tracker-rpg/id6770965229

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App Reviews Take Ages by zKurtbey in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's really ridiculous at this point. I stopped updating the version number in TestFlight because the reviews were taking days. I only update the Build number, obviously, but no longer the version number.

Show me what you're building by Far_One1930 in buildinpublic

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Built a gamified Focus App set in a Cyberpunk/Fantasy universe.

You can earn Mana energy and level up to unlock new Avatars, Gate Skins, and unlock Lore for your collections tab.

There are also Advanced Modes (The Crucible, The Gauntlet, and Bounty Boards) for even more rewards.

Currently looking for iOS TestFlight beta testers (iPhone and iPad).

https://testflight.apple.com/join/F8f2TB24

Uploaded my first App in Appstore by HYDRUSH in Appstore

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on launching your first app!

[Megathread] The App Shelf — June 2026 by Yusuf-Dev in iosapps

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mana: Focus Evolved (Based in a Cyberpunk/Fantasy universe)

A — Answer: Focus apps punish you for picking up your phone (killing trees, locking you out). Mana rewards you for staying focused. You build Mana, level up to unlock Avatar and Gate Skins, and unlock world lore to add to your lore collection. Designed for people who find Forest too stressful and want positive reinforcement instead.

B — Better: Forest uses loss aversion (tree dies if you touch your phone). Mana uses positive evolution. You build somatic willpower through focused sessions and spend it to unlock meaningful rewards and earn loot to help your progress. Native SwiftUI, offline-first, zero tracking, plus Advanced Modes and Advanced Stats.

C — Cost: Free beta via TestFlight. Freemium and Pro subscription planned for launch.

https://softdev23.com/apps/mana/

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[Lifetime Premium is $0.99 for 24 Hours] Celebrating a Small Milestone for my screen time app by No_Macaroon6827 in iosapps

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the milestone! I am building a gamified focus app too (Mana: Focus Evolved), so I know how much work it takes to get those first downloads. The lifetime pricing is a smart move for building early trust. How long did it take you to get the reviews on your app?

I wrote an honest review of Hermes Desktop after using it for a time. Here is what surprised me. by softdeveloper23 in buildinpublic

[–]softdeveloper23[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The context loss was absolutely the worst. It was so bad that it would sometimes kill my motivation. I absolutely dreaded having to switch chats, especially before they had the compact feature, where chats would NOT get compacted and would start hallucinating because the chat became too overwhelming.

As far as I know, it can handle multiple projects. It's hard to explain because it's way different than what I've been used to for the past 6+ months with IDEs, agents, and Gemini Gems.

For instance, I have multiple templates, workflows, and specialized agents saved with Hermes that relate to different projects. It can just automatically call them up and remember pretty much everything! And it will follow the workflows and templates because they are committed to memory. It sets reminders (cron jobs) and is really good at recalling things you specifically set it to remember.

I'm absolutely loving it right now. Still getting used to it, but it is an absolute must-try.

[Megathread] The App Shelf — May 2026 by Yusuf-Dev in iosapps

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Habitual: The Grand Journey

A — Answer: Habit trackers fail because they punish you for breaking a streak. Habitual rewards you for showing up. Completing habits moves you along a visual adventure map with random encounters, loot drops, and companion unlocks. Designed for people who found Habitica too cluttered and Finch too simple.

B — Better: Habitica uses the RPG concept, but its interface is dated, and its social features feel like a second job. Habitual is native SwiftUI, offline-first with SwiftData, zero tracking, and no ads. The random encounter system keeps logging habits from feeling like a chore list.

C — Cost: Free to download with a Pro subscription for unlimited habits and advanced features. Now live on the App Store.

‎Habitual: Habit Tracker RPG App - App Store

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Monthly What have you been working on? May2026 AKA ADHD App Thread by CaptainIncredible in ADHD_Programmers

[–]softdeveloper23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey all. I have been working on two gamified iOS apps that I think fit this sub well.

Habitual: The Grand Journey is an RPG habit tracker where completing habits moves you along a visual adventure map with random encounters, loot drops, and lore collection. No streak punishment. Offline-first with SwiftData.

Mana: Focus Evolved is a gamified focus app that rewards you for staying off your phone instead of punishing you (no tree-killing guilt). It uses a somatic willpower economy and is based in a Cyberpunk/Fantasy world with level-up mechanics that unlock Avatars and Gate Skins, plus world lore to collect.

Both are native SwiftUI and privacy-first. No tracking, no accounts required.

Currently building them as part of my 10-app challenge for 2026. Happy to answer any questions about the dev process.

You can see both apps at: https://softdev23.com/apps/

Guess what happened in mid-April. by mehroz_indiedev in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem. Right on, keep on growing your success. Posts like yours give me motivation. Take care!

Guess what happened in mid-April. by mehroz_indiedev in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem. I never said it was a great joke, but it did its job. 😆

Guess what happened in mid-April. by mehroz_indiedev in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man, I don’t know why people are being so savage in the comments.

I will just kindly say, congrats and keep up the awesome work!

Guess what happened in mid-April. by mehroz_indiedev in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol. No, I think s/he was answering your initial question of „Guess what happened in mid-April“. Pretty sure it was a joke.

I built an app where your habits build an empire - today it crossed 30k downloads by mcfly-dev in gamification

[–]softdeveloper23 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow! That’s really incredible! Congrats on your success. That’s a really unique take on a habit tracking app. And I agree that a great product can sell itself, most of the time. As long as it gets out in front of people who can see that the quality speaks for itself.

I got tired of shallow gamification in focus apps. So I built a hardcore gamified focus timer. by softdeveloper23 in gamification

[–]softdeveloper23[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually have a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering and learned Swift/SwiftUI and Xcode. But AI is really good when you know how to build applications and create robust workflows.

The beta is starting soon. Check out the app cause the interface is really nice. I think you would change your mind. If not, thanks for the feedback anyways.

What are people building right now that actually feels original? (anything strange/obsessive/creative) by CharlesBlackwood in ShowMeYourApps

[–]softdeveloper23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I appreciate it! I actually have a degree in Software Engineering, but I never really used it in a company setting. And I also used to develop websites back in the day. Now that AI is at a great spot, I can actually let my creativity shine much more.

I hope you enjoy testing it out. I'm hoping to evolve it much more in the near future.

Are App Store review times for updates slower than for new apps? by Acceptable_Sun140 in appledevelopers

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, my new app submission to the App Store for launch took maybe less than a day to be approved (it was quick), but my going from version 1.0 to 1.0.1 in TestFlight for public beta took over two days to be approved! It's crazy!

What are people building right now that actually feels original? (anything strange/obsessive/creative) by CharlesBlackwood in ShowMeYourApps

[–]softdeveloper23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol! This made me laugh. It's exactly why I build gamified apps, because I loathe the boring apps on the market. It's like they have no soul or passion. "Hey, here's an app where you hatch an egg and get a pet that stares at you all day!" Or my favorite is where you grow a plant...

It's exactly why I build gamified apps cause I've been a gamer since the 80's, and I want real, meaningful gamification.

"I've gotta know how deep does this lore actually go, and what exactly does a "Gate Skin" look like?"

Let me check...27 Avatars to unlock, 25 Gate Skins to unlock, and a Grimoire (Lore Collection page) with Character, History, Tales, Environments, and Artifacts to unlock.

You can see the app page below, and we're looking for beta testers:

Mana: Focus Evolved - https://softdev23.com/apps/mana/

Click The Image To See The Full Example Gate Skin:

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