Jeff | Indie App Developer

I turn small everyday problems into useful iPhone apps.
Building, experimenting, and improving in public.
Feedback is always welcome.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

I’m Jeff, an indie developer building iPhone apps around small everyday problems.

I share what I’m building, what I learn, what goes wrong, and the ideas I’m exploring.

If you like discovering useful apps before they’re finished, follow along.

Feedback is always welcome.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

Products aren’t built alone.

Thank you to everyone already following this journey. Building a product is like traveling: you choose the destination, but the people you meet change the view—and sometimes the route.

I’m glad you’re here. Come along.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@china_saparbek Getting the app back is the headline. A single down day barely matters, but it’s a good reminder to keep the appeal and review process documented for the next time App Store limbo shows up.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@NathanGeckler @SuperAppIOS That’s the kind of constraint people will actually remember—annoying in the exact moment they need it. The next test is whether users keep it installed after the first laugh, which is where the friction needs to feel helpful rather than punitive.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@solotechdev I’d treat them as two jobs: UGC finds the angle and earns the scroll-stop, while ads are what let you repeat the winning angle. Start with a few creator-style tests, then put spend behind the one that holds attention.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

Features can wait. Trust can't.

A feature can be built next week.
A rough edge can be fixed in the next update.

But when someone takes the time to say, “this doesn't feel right,” they're giving a builder something more valuable than a request: a chance to understand.

I take feedback seriously—not because every request should become a feature, but because every message represents someone trusting me with their time, attention, and part of their day.

My job isn't to say yes to everything.
It's to listen closely enough to understand what people are really trying to do.

That trust is part of the product, too.

What makes you trust a small app enough to keep using it?

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@appstoretracker The range here is interesting—TV tracking, photo cleanup, social. It’s a good reminder that the category matters less than having a one-line hook that makes people instantly get the payoff.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@Shubham_iosdev The first $100 matters, but the bigger signal is that people are coming back quickly enough to tell you what to improve. That makes the next iteration much less of a guess.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@ISHOLLAA Snooze is a very persuasive negotiator—especially when it only asks for nine more minutes. The problem is it somehow keeps renegotiating.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

That makes sense — I like that approach.

I’ve already locked in the first version of the product and I’m building it now. Once it launches, I’d love to get feedback from everyone and keep improving it through real use.

As the community grows, I’ll definitely consider using a more structured approach like the one you suggested.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

Come be my co-creator! 🤝

I’m building my second app — about 70% done.

Once it launches, I don’t want to build it alone. Your feedback, ideas, and criticism will help shape every update and make it better.

Leave me anything you’d like to say to me — or to an indie developer building in public.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@RadadiyaSunny That completion rate will be really interesting. I’d also watch whether people start longer sessions over time — that might show the lock is changing behavior, not just preventing one distraction.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

Yesterday I saw a post joking about Tibo:

Profile pic: young handsome guy 😎
Interview: grandpa energy 👴

They looked like two completely different people.

And today I noticed he actually changed his profile pic to the interview version 😂

The timing is too perfect.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@romcomdayaris M83 — Midnight City has the right pace for that first stretch when you’re not fully awake yet. It starts airy, then gives you a push once you’re moving.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@SebastianRoehl The unglamorous part is where you actually learn what the product is. A small fix that keeps an existing user around is usually worth more than the excitement of another launch day.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@currentbitsNET That’s a useful reminder that a real phone capture does more than satisfy review—it lets people understand the app in seconds. Congrats on getting it through.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

More features don't automatically make a product more useful.

Every new feature asks something from the user:
another button to notice,
another setting to understand,
another choice to make.

That cost is easy to miss when you're building. But for someone who just wants to finish a task, a “small” extra step can become the reason they stop.

Before adding something clever, I keep coming back to one question:
Will this make the user's next five minutes easier?

If the answer isn't clearly yes, the feature has to earn its place.

I'd rather make a product feel lighter than make it look more impressive.

What makes a new feature worth the extra step for you?

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@RadadiyaSunny The voice challenge gives the wake-up moment a direction beyond simply proving you’re awake. It’ll be interesting to see whether people respond better to a phrase they choose themselves than to a generic affirmation.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@realhisaacbrown A small iPhone app around the first five minutes after waking up. The interesting part has been how much that moment is about mood, not just timing.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

@durban_zhang Same 😭 My brain is awake before the rest of me agrees to participate.

[Jeff | Indie App Developer @MadeByJeff_]

What’s harder for you?

A. Falling asleep
B. Waking up on time
C. Actually getting out of bed
D. Feeling awake after getting up

For me, waking up and actually wanting to get out of bed are two very different things. 😭

What about you?