Simran L

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

Day 2 of growing a Sikh app's X account from zero.
~25 tweets. 48 follows. Followers: 1.
Yes, one.
Posting into the void is humbling.
What actually worked for you at 0 followers? 👇
#buildinpublic

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@antonG972 Solo founder here too. I made SimranLock, a tiny free iPhone app that keeps Instagram locked for a few minutes of Sikh simran/Gurbani. No budget, tiny audience, shipping one thing at a time. Would love to connect and swap notes with a Paris builder 🙏

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@Miracle_NNnn Building SimranLock - a free iPhone app that keeps Instagram locked until you do a few minutes of Sikh simran/Gurbani. Solo, no budget, very small audience so far. Loving this space and would love to connect. #buildinpublic

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@buildinpublic Building SimranLock, a tiny free iPhone app that keeps Instagram locked for a few minutes of Sikh simran/Gurbani before the scroll. Shipped with no budget, audience is tiny. This week I'm asking what the first growth move would be if I restarted from zero. Any pointers welcome 🙏

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@markgurman A keynote app that hasn't shipped is a moment no user will actually experience. The real iPhone Duo story is what people do the first time they pick up the phone and default into scroll. I built a tiny app that ships there: a brief pause between unlock and Instagram. Worth doing?

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@MacRumors Portrait video over another app is the iPhone Duo feature that matches how the phone gets held. More screen means frictionless distraction though. I made a tiny iPhone app that pauses between unlock and Instagram so the user chooses practice first. What's missing for daily carry?

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@Pirat_Nation The crunch before the crack is the signal. The next signal is what a working screen does — most people default into scrolling within seconds. I made a tiny iPhone app that slips a brief pause in front of Instagram so the unlocked screen chooses practice before the feed.

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@stevesi @markgurman Broken glass and carrier-blocked returns are a hardware failure. The next one is the habit the phone becomes once it's fixed. I built a tiny iPhone app that pauses Instagram with a brief moment first so an unlocked screen doesn't default to scroll. Worth it?

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@markgurman A cracked screen is hardware; what we do once the screen works is the harder problem. I built a tiny iPhone app that puts a brief moment of practice in front of Instagram so the phone opens on purpose. Is hardware durability or the habit behind the screen the bigger problem?

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@theo 75k folds = 20 yrs is striking, but the deeper wear is what we do once the screen opens. I made a tiny iPhone app that puts a moment of practice in front of Instagram so the screen opens on purpose. Which is the bigger problem: hinge durability or what pulls us to the screen?

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@PlatoCookbook Would love to compare notes. Wishing you a smooth launch - and same energy back to your users. Cooking apps and prayer apps are different surfaces but the day-one growth problem is the same. Rooting for you too

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

Ask me anything about building an app for a faith community with $0 budget. Week 1 lessons: 1) nobody finds you, you go find them 2) replies beat posts 3) tiny niches are loud. What would you add? #buildinpublic

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@Mr_Swiftly @ycombinator Listen to people and ask how they want it built - that is the frame I needed. SimranLock is a deeply niche product and it is easy to design it for an abstract user. I am going to talk to people in the sangat before shipping the next change. Thank you for the YC pointer

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

Indie devs: if you had $0 and 6 weeks to reach your first 100 real users, what's the single first move you'd make? Building a free Sikh prayer/focus iPhone app called SimranLock that locks distracting apps until you do simran. #BuildInPublic #IndieDev

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@Thrennel Appreciate you, and same to you. Indie is a quiet road but the people on it are wonderful. Take care and ship on

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@domrealmapps Will do. I am heading into gurdwara WhatsApp groups and r/Sikh this week first, just to ask what feature would actually make someone stay. Will come back and tell you what they say

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@domrealmapps That is genuinely the most useful piece of advice I have gotten. Gurdwara WhatsApp groups and r/Sikh are exactly where people already are. I am going to ask for feedback there instead of downloads this week and come back with what they say. Thank you for the direction

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@damonchen Replacing Intercom with your own chat widget is the kind of hard-but-worth-it vertical integration that compounds. Running every new tool on your own products first is a real pattern, and the portfolio of indie products you ship is one of the sharpest I have seen. Well done

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@TheSpacerr Koi's local-first positioning is a clean take on on-device AI - the "little ghost" framing sticks. I built SimranLock, a tiny iPhone utility that gates Instagram behind a few minutes of Sikh simran. If you restarted Koi from scratch, what's the first growth move you'd make? 🙏

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@tsuzuki817 Transparency like this is rare and useful. The App Store vs Play gap is a familiar iOS-solo shape - I'm in the same lane with SimranLock, a tiny iOS utility that gates Instagram behind a few minutes of Sikh simran. Congrats on $2,959 and the monthly cadence. Keep posting these 🙏

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

@carlmonkft Dear Apple mood captured. I'm in the same iOS indie lane with SimranLock, gating Instagram behind Sikh simran. Niche apps combining screen time + a practice still feel like the best one-person leverage play. Your UGC case study is one of the clearest I've read. Keep shipping 🙏

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

Guru Ram Das Ji's Prakash Purab is tomorrow. A good day to swap 10 minutes of scrolling for 10 minutes of Gurbani. Which shabad is your go-to? #Sikh #Gurbani

[Simran L @simranlockapp]

Built a pray-before-you-scroll app for Sikhs. Tiny audience so far. Indie hackers: what would you do in the next 30 days with $0 budget? Best answer gets lifetime Premium 🙏 #buildinpublic