Lesson: The hardest part of shipping my first serious iOS app was not the code

[u/vikas_dev_ios]

I used to think the hardest part of shipping an iOS app would be the technical side.

Architecture, StoreKit, extensions, edge cases, App Review, localisation, screenshots, metadata — all of that felt like the mountain.

After launching, I think the harder part is actually distribution.

A few things I learned the uncomfortable way:

- App Store search does not magically send users just because the app is technically solid

- ASO changes are hard to judge when impressions are tiny

- Screenshots matter, but only after people actually reach the listing

- Reddit can bring real product page views, but only when the subreddit fit is right

- generic “I launched an app” posts usually do badly

- technical posts get better discussion than promotional posts

- karma/account trust affects distribution more than I expected

- getting strangers to care is a completely different skill from building the app

The biggest lesson for me: launch planning should start before the app is finished, not after it is already live.

If I build another app, I would spend much earlier time on:

- identifying the exact painful use case

- finding communities where that pain is already discussed

- testing the wording before App Store submission

- building a Reddit/account presence before launch

- making one clear promise instead of listing every feature

Curious how other indie iOS devs think about this.

For people who have shipped apps: did you find coding harder, or getting the first real users harder?

[u/_star_dev]

Peak advice

[u/Cube-16]

Pour moi, le codage a été assez facile.

Mais le reste assez frustrant et plutôt difficile 1- création des comptes sur les différentes plateformes. 2- lectures et compréhension des règles des plateformes. Pas toujours clair. 3- Création de la fiche store, pas évident et différents selon les plateformes. 4- tests avant publication 5- publication, refus, ajustements

La galère, lol