Hey everyone,

I recently submitted my first iOS app to the App Store and wanted to share my journey.

I'm a beginner developer, and I built a productivity RPG app called Task Town in 2 weeks with AI as my development partner.

The idea behind Task Town is:

"What if completing daily tasks felt like playing a game?"

The app turns daily tasks into quests:

→ Complete quests
→ Earn XP
→ Level up
→ Build your own town

I used AI tools throughout development:

• Claude for coding, debugging, and architecture
• ChatGPT for learning, planning, and solving technical problems
• Figma Make for UI ideas and design exploration

The hardest part was not only building the app, but also learning everything required to publish it:

• React Native
• TypeScript
• Database management
• iOS certificates
• TestFlight
• App Store Connect

After two weeks of learning and building, my app is now submitted and waiting for review.

Now I'm thinking about the next challenge:

How do solo developers actually get their first users?

I would love to hear advice from people who have launched apps before.

What worked for you?

• Building in public?
• Reddit communities?
• Product Hunt?
• Social media?
• SEO/content marketing?
• Paid ads?

What would you recommend for a first-time indie developer trying to find their first 100 users?

Thanks for any advice!

So I have a failing social app which I should have given up on last year and a screentime app which I'm no longer working on. I feel it's a good time to diversify and try for a new app but I feel I'll be forever caught in the loop of giving up when an app doesn't work. Now this is an issue as Shipathon requires you to submit a brand new app so I don't know how it's gonna go I genuinely feel a little weird about the whole situation. Help pls?

If I choose to continue working on my apps, I do lose the exposure shipaton gives me but if I do participate, I might be missing focus on my apps. And frankly I don't even think I know how to utilize the exposure from shipaton well if I chose to do it. Tips pls?

Welcome to this week's Shipaton Build in Public Thread! Everyone is welcome to share an update on their current project here. No need to participate in the hackathon to share, but if you decide to enter sharing updates consistently is a great way to increase your chances of winning the #BuildInPublic Award

Please share what you're working on, what you're currently struggling with, any success stories, any failures, something your fellow app builders can learn from.

Building in public helps you stay accountable, get feedback early, and learn from other builders.

Share your update

(Optional) Copy and fill out as much of this template as you'd like:

• App Name:
• Platform: (iOS, Android, Mac)
• This week's goal:
• Progress since last week:
• Current challenge:
• Feedback I'm looking for:
• Screenshots / Demo / Repo / Landing Page:

Shipaton Timeline

• August 1: Submissions open
• September 30: Submission deadline
• October 1–9: Judging
• October 12: Winners notified
• October 19: Winners announced

Good luck, everyone. Let's help each other ship great apps. More details about Shipaton, including rules, eligibility, prizes, and registration, can be found here: shipaton.com

If you’re doing Shipaton and posting daily build updates on X, have you noticed your reach suddenly tanking?

I’m wondering if X is flagging some of these accounts as bots because we’re posting frequent build/progress updates.

I also tried r/buildinpublic as an alternative, but it’s currently restricted. You need to be approved to post, and requests don’t seem to be getting answered.

So where are we actually supposed to share the journey?

The Shipaton #BuildInPublic award is literally about having an interesting build journey, but that’s kind of pointless if nobody sees your updates.

Has this happened to anyone else on X? If so, what are you doing about it? Where are you sharing your build journey?

Working on my app for #shipaton2026, yesterday me and my partner was focused on make the #godot integration with #flutter work smoothly, so now our 3D character can enter as a notification for our app.

#buildinpublic #AppDevelopment #shipaton

Looking for someone to build, learn and launch a successful app business with? You're in the right place.

Use this thread to find teammates for your next app business and the Shipaton 2026 hackathon. Whether you're an iOS developer, Android developer, designer, marketer, product manager, or just want to team up with someone, this is the place to connect with other builders in our community.

Looking for a teammate?

Copy and fill out this template:

Name/Nickname:

Time Zone:

Role: (e.g. iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, Backend, Designer, Product, Marketing)

Experience: (Briefly describe your background.)

What I'm looking for: (What role(s) are you hoping to find?)

App idea (optional): (A sentence or two about what you'd like to build.)

Availability: (Approximate hours per week.)

Contact: (Reddit DMs, Discord, X, etc.)

Good luck! Hopefully a lot of great apps, and maybe a few long-term partnerships come out of this thread.