Building An Indie App Business #62

Cross-device synchronization and Emoji support for HabitKit

Welcome back to another issue of my weekly indie log, where I share insights and experiences from my journey as an entrepreneur building a profitable mobile app business. This week was all about making some strategic decisions about my roadmap and developing the next big HabitKit update.

📈 Business Updates

The week following the release of HabitKit 1.11.0 was surprisingly quiet, and I mean that in the best possible way. After pushing out a significant update, it's always a little bit scary to wait to see if any critical issues appear. Thankfully, the release has been smooth so far, with no major bugs reported by users. There are a few minor issues that have been identified, but they're all manageable and will be addressed in the next update. This kind of stability is exactly what you want to see after a major release.

The revenue and download numbers for HabitKit are still going strong. When I look at the numbers compared to last April, it's still showing a multiple in both revenue and downloads. This consistent growth is really encouraging and motivating to double down in my efforts for this app. It's super satisfying to see this performance after all this time building the app.

I've taken some time to rethink the roadmap for HabitKit, and there's an important shift in focus coming up. Before starting the next major feature, I'm planning to implement one more crucial UX improvement that I believe will make the app even more intuitive and user-friendly. After that, the development focus will shift entirely to implementing cross-device sync capabilities. This is a feature that's been highly requested by users, and I'm excited to finally be able to prioritize it. The ability to sync habits and progress across multiple devices will be a game-changer for many users, especially those who use both their iPhone and iPad for habit tracking.

I've been hesitant to implement cross-device sync for quite some time, primarily because it means adding a backend component to my tech stack. This is a significant step for me, because HabitKit has been a purely client-side application since its beginning. The thought of managing servers, databases, authentication systems, and all the complexities that come with backend development is honestly a bit intimidating.

There's also the financial aspect to consider - running a backend service means ongoing server costs that scale with the user base, which introduces a new dimension to my business. Until now, HabitKit has enjoyed excellent profit margins because there are virtually no variable costs per user. Now, I've reached a point where I can no longer ignore the frequent user requests for sync capabilities. Many users have multiple devices and want a seamless experience across all of them. Some have even mentioned they'd be willing to pay more for this feature, which suggests it could increase conversion rates and reduce churn.

🛠️ Development Corner

In terms of development for HabitKit, I've been working hard on the next big update. As already stated above, I will focus on a high-value UX feature that will definitely increase the usefulness of the app by a lot. This improvement is something I'm particularly excited about as it addresses a common user request.

So far I've been relying solely on Fontawesome icons for the app. Although it's one of the most exhaustive icon sets out there, it definitely feels lacking in some areas, especially when it comes to lifestyle icons which I mostly need for my habit tracking app. This limitation has been something users have noticed and commented on.

Many users requested that I should allow using emojis as habit icons, and that's exactly what I will work on for this update. This feature will dramatically expand the visual customization options available to users, letting them better personalize their habits. I've made good progress on the underlying tech side and hope to show good results for next week. The implementation has been going smoothly, and I'm looking forward to seeing how users respond to this much-requested feature.

💡 Indie Insights

This week I've seen an interesting post on social media that perfectly captured something I've been feeling about my build in public journey. The post illustrated how "being cool" often creates a gap between ideas and results, while embracing what might feel "cringe" actually builds the bridge to success.

This resonated deeply with my experience sharing HabitKit's development journey. Every time I've chosen authenticity (real feelings, losses or genuine happiness about wins) over appearing professional the community response has been incredibly positive. It's a reminder that building in public isn't about waiting until everything is perfect. It's more about being willing to share the messy side of building something cool. This vulnerability is super uncomfortable sometimes, but it has been a crucial element in building my products and a following around it.