TechTunes

Beta open →

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

I built 6 handcrafted iPhone apps for everyday life — and the beta is open.

Learn. Drive. Listen, Shop.

Here's what else is inside 👇

Sign up at https://t.co/HN2fAaT13i to join the beta tester list.

#iPhone #iOS #IndieDev #AppBeta #MadeForiPhone

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@elonmusk @vcdxnz001 Great news!👏

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@lazyjakee Same here, privacy first, local device only apps. just getting started with https://t.co/HN2fAaTySQ

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Which answer do you like?

GrokBot (outright denial) vs Claude Desktop (diplomatic, comprehensive and inquisitive). nterestingly both were using Claude Opus 5.5 Medium.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@ImDannydo Explain in your own words how Cuewake helped you. Some may relate to it and engage.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Building apps solo doesn’t have to mean building alone.

I’m an indie developer making novelty and utility apps with Cursor and LM Studio.

I’d love to connect with other builders. What are you working on, and what’s one thing you’re stuck on?

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@stackway24 Keeping the models updated on my M1 Mac is slow. I’m thinking of buying a used M4 Mini with 64GB

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Fellow indie devs: does posting as TechTunes instead of my real name make me look like three marketing interns in a trench coat?

It’s just me, building apps.

Would a real name make you more likely to chat, or do the posts matter more?

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@TheXSami I’ve now appealed 24 hrs ago…..crickets still

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@manuNewLight @steipete it starts at 2am for me 😁

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Peter Steinberger (@steipete), creator of OpenClaw, on what to call building with AI agents:

"I actually think vibe coding is a slur."

His distinction, in plain words: vibe coding is prompting on vibes and accepting whatever comes out. Agentic engineering is directing agents inside a system you understand — architecture, review, intent.

His confession: "I do agentic engineering. And then maybe after 3:00 AM I switch to vibe coding — and then I have regrets the next day."

Lex: "Walk of shame." Peter: "You just have to clean up and fix your shit."

The label matters less than the honesty: which mode built the thing you're shipping?

From the Lex Fridman Podcast — full episode linked in the reply.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Full episode: Lex Fridman Podcast #491, "OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet" — Peter Steinberger with Lex Fridman (@lexfridman): https://t.co/Bo6iZaNZMO — this moment is around 1:04:45 in the episode.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Full episode: Under the Radar 309, "What's In Our Toolbox: Code Assistance" — David Smith and Marco Arment (@marcoarment) on Relay FM (@_relayfm): https://t.co/jvNhDvIEDX

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

David Smith (@_DavidSmith), creator of Widgetsmith, on AI doing your thinking:

AI tools are genuinely useful when you're learning something new — they can suggest the next line when you don't know it yet.

But be wary if most of your job becomes orchestrating a tool to think for you. Then you're not in a particularly secure place professionally — and you're not doing work that's nuanced or creative.

Use AI as an accelerant to your own thinking, not a replacement for it. Save typing, not thinking.

From Under the Radar 309, "What's In Our Toolbox: Code Assistance" — full episode linked in the reply.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@uriel_builds @X I'd love to

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

RadioRetro just hit 35+ downloads and 153+ sessions over the last two weeks with a grand total of ZERO crashes! 🎉

But also... zero feedback. 🤔

Does this mean the app is absolutely flawless, or are you all just too busy jammin' to type? 📻✨

Give us the good, the bad, or the ugly—we can take it! Drop a review or reply below! 👇

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

@empowwerr Haha, with the crazy Apple review delays everyone is dealing with lately, I’ll definitely need more than luck to get this out there! Thanks so much for the wishes.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Nobody goes indie for the money at first. You go because there's an app that should exist, and apparently you're the one who has to make it.

Years later you're still here — through the rejections, the 1-star reviews, the updates nobody noticed, the one feature a stranger emailed you about that kept you going for a month.

If you're an indie developer, I see you. Let's connect. 🙏

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

X is ending a freebie for developers — in plain words.

When an app fetches posts through X's API, it can ask for extras bundled into the same response: the author's profile, the photos, the quoted post. Those extras are called "expansions," and they've always been free.

From November 22, they aren't. Each extra gets billed like a regular lookup — roughly half a cent per post or photo, a cent per user profile.

What it means in practice:

Small tools that read one timeline: almost nothing changes — pennies a month. The same profile also isn't charged twice in one day.

Apps that pull big search results: the extras pile up fast. Same usage could cost about 3× more.

Posting from the app or website (what most of us do): not affected at all. This is API-only.

If you build on the X API, three things to do before November 22: check your usage in the Developer Console, drop expansions your app doesn't actually need, and set a spending limit so there's no surprise bill.

The lesson, as usual: "free" in an API is a policy, not a promise. Build so a pricing change is an annoyance, not an emergency.

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

I'm building CircuitQuest in public: learn circuits from elementary through high school with virtual wiring, exercises, analogies, and circuit-based questions.

Students, parents, teachers: would you find this useful? What would you want to learn or teach first?

[TechTunes @techtunesapp]

Apple now lets you show text, images, or an offer when someone cancels an app subscription.

In Ship Notes #2, I look at what that means for a solo indie developer, plus Siri, age ratings, and a cloud-cost lesson.

https://t.co/aZpBn6oGFF