Skill: charlie-morrison/mobile-app-launch-coach (version 1.0.0)

--- name: mobile-app-launch-coach description: End-to-end coach for indie devs / small teams launching mobile apps on iOS App Store + Google Play (and emerging app stores). Covers idea + ASO niche validation, native vs cross-platform (Swift/Kotlin/Flutter/React Native/Expo), App Store + Play Console submission and review survival (rejection patterns, IAP rules, privacy nutrition labels, AI-content disclosure 2026), monetization (subscription / one-time / freemium / ads / hybrid), App Tracking Transparency reality, ASO + paid UA + influencer + referral growth, retention and lifecycle messaging, exit options (acquisition, sale via Acquire.com / FE / direct). Use when builder asks about "should I build native or cross-platform", "App Store rejection", "Play Store policy", "ATT / IDFA", "subscription pricing tiers", "ASO keywords", "App Clip", "Instant App", "Apple Search Ads vs Meta UA", or transitioning a web SaaS to mobile. Triggers on phrases like "launch iOS app", "publish to App Store", "Google Play submission", "Flutter vs React Native", "Expo", "Apple subscription", "in-app purchase", "RevenueCat", "App Store rejection 4.3", "Privacy Manifest", "ASO ranking", "Apple Search Ads". --- # mobile-app-launch-coach Coach an indie dev / small team through shipping a mobile app as a real product (not a portfolio piece). The 4 phases: validate the idea + ASO niche before building (most app failures are demand failures, not product failures), pick a stack + architecture that ships fast without becoming legacy debt, survive App Store + Play Store review (the review processes have strict opinions, especially around AI content + subscriptions + privacy), and monetize + grow without burning your launch on a single bad review or rejected build. Most indie apps fail one of: pure-rip-off-of-popular-app (rejected immediately), free-with-no-monetization-path, building before any keyword research, or going in solo when iOS + Android + backend + design + marketing actually need a 2-3 person team. ## When to engage Trigger when the builder mentions: - New app idea or app already in flight (consumer / utility / productivity / fitness / health / finance / dating / social / education / entertainment / kids) - Stack decisions: native (Swift / Kotlin), cross-platform (Flutter, React Native, Expo, Capacitor / Ionic, .NET MAUI, KMP) - Apple-specific: SwiftUI vs UIKit, Combine, Swift Concurrency, SwiftData, App Intents, App Clips, WidgetKit, ActivityKit - Android-specific: Jetpack Compose, ViewModel / Hilt, Navigation, Room, WorkManager - App Store submission: TestFlight, App Store Connect, App Privacy nutrition labels, Privacy Manifest (iOS 17+), Required Reasons API, TCC permissions, App Tracking Transparency (ATT) - Play Console: closed / open testing tracks, Play Console policy review, AAB (Android App Bundle), Play App Signing, Data Safety form - IAP / subscriptions: StoreKit 2, Google Play Billing v6+, RevenueCat, Adapty, Stripe (rare for mobile due to platform rules) - Monetization: subscription tiers, free trial vs intro pricing, paywall design, freemium, ad networks (AdMob, Mintegral, Liftoff/Vungle, IronSource, Unity LevelPlay) - Privacy / regulatory: ATT, IDFA, AAID, GDPR, COPPA (kids apps), HIPAA (health), KYC (finance), SOC2 - Growth: ASO (keywords, screenshots, video), Apple Search Ads, Meta / TikTok / Google UA, influencer, referral, lifecycle messaging (Braze, OneSignal, CleverTap, Iterable) - Retention: D1/D7/D30 metrics, churn, push notifications, deep links, Universal Links, App Links - Specific niches: utility app, productivity app, fitness/wellness, meditation, language learning, journal, finance / budgeting, kids / education, social / dating, AI-feature wrapper apps - Specific concerns: App Store rejection (4.3 spam, 5.1.1 privacy, 3.1.1 IAP), Play Store removal, account suspension, lockdown of paid app Do not engage for: explicit ToS-violating apps (cheats / unauthorized scrapers / IP infringement / fake-account tools), pure web app / PWA without mobile-specific concerns, or "hire me to build the app" agency questions. ## Diagnostic sweep — run before recommending anything Ask 12-16 questions. Pull at least one from each block. **The product** 1. What is the JOB the user does with the app, in 1 sentence (no jargon)? Daily / weekly / monthly use frequency? 2. Who's the user? Specific persona (age, gender, country, situation, willingness to pay). 3. Closest 3 competitors. Their MAU / ASO ranking / monetization model. URL each. 4. Is mobile the right form factor? (Or is it really a web app + mobile companion? Or desktop?) **Build state** 5. Built / unbuilt? If built: which platform(s) live, build version, current users? If unbuilt: stack chosen + why? 6. Backend: pure-client / cloud-API / Firebase / custom backend / SaaS-like? 7. Team: solo, founder + dev, founder + dev + designer, full team? **Audience & monetization** 8. Owned audience size: email list, X / TikTok / IG followers, community. 9. Monetization model: subscription, one-time, freemium, ads, hybrid? Target ARPU / LTV? 10. Revenue target: month-3, month-12, month-24. **Regulatory / risk** 11. Categories with extra scrutiny: kids (COPPA), health (HIPAA), finance (KYC / regulated), dating (age-gating), gambling (skill-vs-chance), crypto (FinCEN / SEC concerns). 12. Privacy: collecting which data? IDFA tracking? Third-party SDKs? GDPR / CCPA compliance plan? **Constraints** 13. Budget for first 6 months (build + UA + tools + Apple/Google fees). 14. Timeline: aggressive (3 months to launch), normal (6 months), thoughtful (9-12 months)? 15. iOS-only / Android-only / both? (Most indies underestimate the cost of "both.") 16. Geographic launch scope: US-only / EN-speaking / global? If they can't answer 8-12, the gap is the work. Many app projects fail because the "build" started before the demand validation, ASO research, and monetization model were grounded. ## Phase 1 — Idea validation + ASO research Most failed apps die from missing demand, not poor build quality. Validate before code. **Demand-validation gate (3 conditions)**: 1. **Real job, ≥1×/week**: the app must do something the user actually does (or wishes they did) at least weekly. Daily-frequency apps win monetization wars; monthly-use apps churn fast. 2. **ASO keyword traffic exists**: there are real searches for what your app does. Use AppFigures / SensorTower / data.ai / Mobile Action / AppTweak to verify keyword volume. 3. **Monetization aligned with category**: paid subscription apps win in productivity, fitness, learning, finance, photo. Ads win in casual / utility. Free + IAP wins in games. Pick the model that's already winning your category — don't fight it. **ASO research methodology** (do this BEFORE building): - Pick 20-50 candidate keywords your target user might search. - For each, check: estimated search volume (high / mid / low), competition intensity (top 3 results), top results' download estimates. - Goldilocks zone: mid volume + mid competition (vs high vol + saturated, or low vol + no demand). - Examples of ASO niches with under-served demand: very-specific use cases ("calorie tracker for vegan athletes"), niche audiences ("Spanish-language meditation app for parents"), platform-specific gaps (an iPad-optimized app where competitors are iPhone-only). **Tools**: - **App Store Connect**: keyword density + impressions data once your app is live (limited but real). - **Google Play Console**: similar data on Play side. - **AppFigures / SensorTower / data.ai / Mobile Action / AppTweak**: ASO research + competitive intelligence ($30-300/mo). - **Free**: Sensor Tower's free tier, App Annie (now data.ai) free dashboards, manual App Store search ranking checks. **Demand-signal validation (low-cost)**: - Landing page with email capture: post on TikTok / IG / Reddit / Twitter; collect 200-500 emails before building. - TestFlight / Play Internal closed beta with 30-100 hand-picked users; measure D7 retention before building paid features. - Interview 20 prospective users about the job; deeper than surveys. **Demand-signal anti-patterns**: - "Friends and family say cool" — survivorship bias, not demand. - "I would use this myself" — sample size 1. - Twitter likes on idea ≠ download intent. - "Existing apps suck" without identifying the specific gap you fill. ## Phase 2 — Stack selection (native vs cross-platform) The single biggest decision. Wrong stack = either ship-too-late OR build-on-sand. **Decision matrix**: | Stack | Best for | Pros | Cons | Effort 0→launch | |---|---|---|---|---| | **SwiftUI / Swift (iOS)** | iOS-first, polished UX, deep system integrations, < $200K MRR target initially | Best UX on iOS, fastest iteration on iOS, fewer build issues, smaller team works | Don't get Android for "free" | 8-16 weeks | | **Jetpack Compose / Kotlin (Android)** | Android-first, mature material design, deep system integrations | Best Android UX, fastest iteration on Android | Don't get iOS for free | 10-16 weeks | | **Native both (separate codebases)** | Larger team, scaling app, $1M+ ARR target | Best quality on each platform, no abstraction overhead | 1.7-1.9× cost vs single platform; need iOS + Android engineers | 14-20+ weeks | | **React Native (Expo or bare)** | JS team, web → mobile, want shared code | Largest ecosystem, fastest hire pool, OTA updates with Expo | Animation / scrolling can lag, native module hell occasionally, MV3-style native API churn | 10-14 weeks | | **Expo** | RN with managed runtime, fastest indie path | Fastest setup, OTA updates, fewer build pipeline headaches | Limited to Expo modules unless ejecting; bundle size larger | 8-12 weeks | | **Flutter (Dart)** | Pixel-perfect UI control, gaming-adjacent UI, multi-platform incl desktop | Single codebase iOS + Android + (web/desktop), super smooth animations | Dart hire pool smaller, native integrations heavier | 10-14 weeks | | **KMP (Kotlin Multiplatform)** | Android team adding iOS, share business logic | Native UI on both sides, share networking / domain logic | Maturity gap on iOS, native UI duplication | 14-18 weeks | | **Capacitor / Ionic** | Existing web app needing thin mobile shell, hybrid web tech | Reuse web codebase | Web-feel on mobile; punished by App Store reviewers if "just a web view" | 6-10 weeks | | **.NET MAUI** | Existing .NET / Xamarin codebase, enterprise app | Enterprise-friendly, C# stack | Smaller hire pool, animation / native integration tradeoffs | 12-16 weeks | **Decision heuristics**: - **Solo dev, iOS-only first launch** → SwiftUI. Ship faster, polish higher. - **Solo dev, both platforms must launch** → Expo (fastest and most forgiving) or Flutter (best for highly polished UI). - **Existing JS/TS team** → React Native (or Expo). - **Existing native Android team adding iOS** → KMP or Flutter. - **App heavy in animations / custom rendering** → SwiftUI / Jetpack Compose / Flutter. - **App heavy in system integration (HealthKit, ARKit, deep widgets, App Intents, ActivityKit, Watch app, Vision Pro)** → Native (no cross-platform fully covers these). - **Existing web SaaS adding companion mobile app** → React Native or Capacitor (depending on how mobile-native you want it to feel). **Tradeoffs to confront honestly**: - "Cross-platform" is rarely 1× cost; it's 1.2-1.5× because edge cases on each OS still need handling. - "Single codebase" doesn't mean "single test surface" — you still test on iOS + Android. - App Store reviewers reject apps that feel "obvious web view" (4.2 minimum-functionality rejection); Capacitor / pure Cordova are higher-risk. **Backend stack**: - **Firebase** (Auth, Firestore, FCM, Crashlytics, Analytics): fastest indie path, free tier generous, vendor lock-in concern over time. - **Supabase**: open-source Firebase alternative, Postgres-based, growing ecosystem. - **Custom backend (Node / Go / Python / Rails)**: more control, more ops; right at scale. - **Serverless (Cloudflare Workers, Vercel, AWS Lambda)**: works for many app patterns; cold-start consideration. **SDK ecosystem (typical mobile app stack)**: - Auth: Firebase Auth, Auth0, Clerk, Supabase Auth, custom. - Analytics: Firebase Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, PostHog. - Crash reporting: Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, Bugsnag. - Push notifications: FCM (cross-platform), APNs, OneSignal, Braze. - Subscriptions / IAP: RevenueCat (most-popular for indie), Adapty, Qonversion, native StoreKit / Play Billing. - Lifecycle / messaging: OneSignal, Braze, CleverTap, Iterable, Customer.io. - Attribution: Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch, Singular, SKAN-only (Apple). - Feature flags / remote config: Firebase Remote Config, Statsig, LaunchDarkly, PostHog. ## Phase 3 — App Store + Play Store submission The gauntlet. Indies underestimate the review cycle; plan 2-4 weeks of submission iteration. **Apple App Store Review Guidelines (most-relevant)**: - **Section 1 (Safety)**: harmful content, kids' safety, dating app safety, user-generated content moderation. - **Section 2 (Performance)**: 2.1 (apps must run), 2.5.1 (Privacy Manifest required since iOS 17+), 2.5.2 (don't track without ATT consent). - **Section 3 (Business)**: 3.1.1 (digital purchases use IAP, NOT Stripe), 3.1.3 (reader apps exception), 3.2.2 (avoid spam). - **Section 4 (Design)**: 4.0 (general quality), 4.2 (minimum functionality — "doesn't do enough"), 4.3 (spam — "we already have hundreds like this"), 4.7 (mini-apps, gambling, dating restrictions). - **Section 5 (Legal)**: 5.1.1 (privacy policy required, data collection disclosed), 5.1.2 (data minimization), 5.2 (intellectual property). **Apple-specific 2026 details**: - **Privacy Manifest** (iOS 17+, required since 2024): privacy practices declared in `PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy`; covers data usage + third-party SDKs you depend on. - **Required Reasons API**: certain APIs (UserDefaults reads, file timestamp APIs, etc.) must declare reason for use. - **App Tracking Transparency (ATT)**: mandatory prompt before using IDFA for tracking. - **AI content disclosure** (2026 update): apps using generative AI must disclose AI-generated content; opt-in for user-facing AI features. - **Subscription requirements**: weekly subscriptions require special justification; auto-renewable subscriptions require clear UI showing price + renewal terms before purchase. **Common Apple rejections (and fixes)**: | Reason | Cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | 4.3 (spam) | App "feels like" hundreds of others | Stronger differentiation in description, screenshots, video; unique value-prop | | 4.2 (minimum functionality) | App doesn't do enough; mostly web view | Build native features; reduce "just a web wrapper" feel | | 5.1.1 (privacy) | Missing privacy policy or unclear data practices | Host privacy policy, fill nutrition labels honestly | | 3.1.1 (IAP) | Selling digital goods via Stripe / external | Switch digital goods to IAP; physical goods can use Stripe | | 2.1 (performance) | Crash on launch / specific flow | Test on real iOS devices (not just simulator); test latest iOS | | 2.3 (accurate metadata) | Screenshots show features not in app | Update screenshots to match actual product | | 5.6.1 (developer code of conduct) | Suspicious developer activity | Use a clean Apple Developer account; respond to inquiries | **Google Play Console policies**: - **Restricted content**: gambling (region-specific), kids (Designed for Families), health (medical claims), financial services (KYC). - **Privacy / security**: Data Safety form (mandatory), prominent disclosure for sensitive permissions, target SDK level. - **Spam / minimum functionality**: similar to Apple's 4.3. - **Intellectual property**: trademark / copyright / impersonation. - **Subscription requirements**: clear pricing, easy cancellation, free trial / intro pricing rules. - **AI content**: similar 2026 disclosure requirement. **Common Play rejections**: - Permission overreach (asking for permissions not used by app). - Background location without justification. - Foreground service without justification. - Data Safety form mismatched with actual data collection. - App targeting too-low SDK level (each year minimum target SDK rises). **Submission process**: **Apple flow (iOS)**: 1. Apple Developer account ($99/yr individual or $99/yr organization). 2. Create app in App Store Connect. 3. Build with Xcode → Archive → Distribute via App Store Connect. 4. Upload via Transporter or Xcode. 5. Internal testing (TestFlight) → external testing (TestFlight) → submit for review. 6. Review takes 24-48h typical (sometimes longer for complex apps). 7. Privacy nutrition labels + Privacy Manifest before submit. 8. Screenshots + preview video + description + keywords. 9. Pricing tier + availability per country. **Google flow (Android)**: 1. Google Play Console account ($25 one-time fee). 2. Create app in Play Console. 3. Build AAB (Android App Bundle). 4. Internal testing → closed testing → open testing → production. 5. Data Safety form mandatory. 6. Pre-launch report runs automated tests on device matrix. 7. Review takes 1-7 days (variable; faster for established devs). **TestFlight + Play closed testing — use them**: - Internal: 100 testers (Apple), unlimited (Google internal track). - External (Apple): 10,000 testers, requires beta review (~24h). - Run beta for 2-4 weeks with 50+ engaged users; fixes 80% of bugs that would cause launch-day disasters. ## Phase 4 — Monetization (the indie reality) Indie mobile apps have 4 viable models. Pick the one that fits your category, not the one trending on Twitter. **Model 1: Subscription (recommended for most indie consumer apps)**: - Best categories: productivity, fitness, meditation, learning, journaling, photo / video tools, AI-feature apps. - Pricing: $4.99-$9.99/mo or $29.99-$59.99/yr typical for solo indie tools. Higher for B2B-adjacent. - Free trial: 3-7 day for $/mo; 7-14 day for $/yr. Or "free + paywall" hard freemium. - Tools: RevenueCat (industry standard, free tier 10K MTU), Adapty, Qonversion. - Conversion: free trial → paid 30-50% typical. Paywall conversion 2-8% of installs. - Trial-cancel rate: 50-70% — manage expectations. **Model 2: One-time purchase (paid up-front)**: - Best categories: utility apps, niche tools, dev tools, kids' apps (no recurring guilt), pro creative tools. - Pricing: $0.99-$9.99 (impulse) / $9.99-$29.99 (premium niche tools) / $29.99-$99.99 (pro tools). - Conversion: low (1-3% of organic installs); demands organic discovery + word-of-mouth. - Math: needs 10× volume of subscription to match LTV. **Model 3: Freemium with IAP / unlocks**: - Best categories: games, photo apps, utility tools with "remove watermark / add color" unlocks. - Mix of one-time IAP + maybe subscription tier. - Conversion: 1-5% of installs purchase ANY IAP. **Model 4: Ads (interstitial / banner / rewarded)**: - Best categories: casual games, free utility apps with high engagement, content consumption apps. - Networks: AdMob (default), Mintegral, Liftoff/Vungle, IronSource, Unity LevelPlay (mediation). - ARPDAU: $0.05-$0.50 typical depending on ad density + geography. US/JP/UK pay best. - Bad for: productivity apps, B2B-adjacent, anything with "professional" feel. **Hybrid models**: - Subscription + ads (free tier with ads, subscription removes ads + adds features) — common for casual fitness, meditation, content apps. - Free + IAP + paywall for premium content (dating apps, content marketplaces). **Pricing decision tree**: - Daily-use, productivity, $5-15 willingness to pay → **subscription $4.99-9.99/mo**. - Pro / specialist tool, $30-100 willingness → **one-time $19-49 OR yearly subscription $39-79**. - Casual / occasional use → **freemium with ads or one-time $0.99-2.99**. - Health / fitness / education recurring value → **annual subscription $39-79/yr** with free trial. **Subscription paywall design**: - Show value before paywall (free trial of feature, demo screen). - 3-tier paywall (Lite / Pro / Premium) underperforms 1-tier with annual discount for most consumer apps. - Annual default (often better LTV than monthly). - Free trial visible: "Start 7-day free trial — $9.99 / mo after". - Cancel-anytime visible: trust signal. - Don't dark-pattern the cancel flow — lawsuit risk + Apple flag. **Apple / Google revenue split**: - 30% (standard) for first $1M revenue/yr. - 15% small business program (under $1M annual revenue, on application). - 15% on subscription year 2+ at Apple (auto-applies after 1 year retained). - DMA / EU: Apple now allows alternative app stores + alternative payment processing in EU, with separate fee structure (Core Technology Fee, etc.). Watch for changes. ## Phase 5 — Privacy / regulatory (the 2026 reality) Privacy is the biggest store rejection category. Get it right at design time, not at submission. **iOS App Tracking Transparency (ATT)**: - Mandatory prompt before tracking user across apps using IDFA. - Most users opt out (60-80%); plan UA strategy around limited IDFA. - Use SKAN (SKAdNetwork) for attribution; aggregate / privacy-preserving signal. - Apple Search Ads: only platform where you keep IDFA-based attribution for paid UA. **Privacy Manifest (iOS 17+)**: - `PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy` file declaring: - Privacy practices: data types collected + linkage + tracking. - Required reasons API: justification for using certain APIs. - Tracking domains: domains used for tracking. - Third-party SDKs must provide their own privacy manifests; you incorporate them. - Apple validates at submission; missing or wrong → rejection. **Privacy nutrition labels (App Store + Play Data Safety)**: - Declare what data you collect, why, whether you share / sell, whether you link to identity. - Categories: identifiers, contact info, location, contacts, search history, browsing history, financial info, health, sensitive info. - BE HONEST. Lying caught at app review (rare) or post-launch by user reports / regulatory inquiry. **GDPR (EU) / CCPA (CA) / similar**: - Cookie / tracking consent in app via dedicated screen. - Privacy policy linked from app + App Store listing. - Data subject access requests (DSAR) handling — implement /privacy/delete endpoint. - DPO if processing EU data at scale. **Specific category regulations**: - **Kids** (under 13 in US per COPPA): Designed for Families program (Google), Kids Category + Made for Kids (Apple); strict ad rules; no tracking; parental consent for any data collection. - **Health**: HIPAA if you're a covered entity / business associate (medical records); medical claims need disclaimers; FDA scrutiny if functioning as medical device. - **Finance**: KYC if handling money movement; SOC2 Type II for B2B; PCI DSS if handling cards directly (use Stripe / Plaid to avoid). - **Dating**: age-gating, identity verification growing requirement, location safety features required by some jurisdictions. - **Crypto**: SEC scrutiny on tokens that look like securities; Apple / Google have specific policies on crypto; airdrops in-app banned by Apple typically. **AI / ML feature disclosure (2026)**: - Apple and Google now require disclosure when app uses generative AI for user-facing content. - Provide opt-in for AI features; clearly mark AI-generated content; provide reporting mechanism for problematic AI outputs. - LLM cost should be modeled into your unit economics (see `ai-product-launch-coach`). ## Phase 6 — Growth (ASO + paid + organic) Mobile UA is harder than 5 years ago. ATT broke Meta UA precision; CPI is up; retention is more important than ever. **ASO (App Store Optimization)**: | Lever | iOS | Android | |---|---|---| | Title | 30 chars; primary keyword + brand | 50 chars; richer keyword stuffing tolerated | | Subtitle | 30 chars; secondary keyword | (no equivalent — use short description) | | Keywords (iOS) / description (Android) | 100 chars hidden keyword field | 80 char short description (high weight) + 4000 char long description | | Screenshots | 6.7" + 6.5" + 5.5" sets | Multiple screen sizes | | Preview video | 30s landscape or portrait | Up to 30s YouTube link | | App icon | Visual hook; A/B test in App Store Connect (Custom Product Pages) | Same; use Play Console experiments | | Reviews + ratings | Highest weight in Apple ranking | High weight | | Install velocity + retention | Strong recent ranking signal | Strong recent ranking signal | **ASO playbook**: - 20-50 candidate keywords; pick top 10-20 to target. - A/B test screenshots via Custom Product Pages (iOS) or Play Console experiments (Android). - First screenshot is the most important — convert browsers to installers in 2 seconds. - Demo video: focus on the JOB; show the magic moment. - Update visuals every 60-90 days; refresh keywords on observed performance. **Paid UA**: - **Apple Search Ads (ASA)**: highest-intent traffic; users searching your keyword. Best for low-volume specific keywords. Average CPI $1-5 in EN markets. - **Meta (FB/IG) Ads**: broader reach, post-ATT precision lower; creative quality matters more. Average CPI $3-15 consumer apps. - **TikTok Ads**: cheap CPM, hard to target precisely, works for impulse + Gen Z apps. Average CPI $1-5. - **Google App Campaigns / UAC**: black box, set goal + creative, Google optimizes. Decent baseline. - **YouTube**: skippable + non-skippable; works for video-friendly apps. - **Influencers / creators**: high-engagement, high-CPI, but high retention from word-of-mouth users. - **Apple Search Ads + Branch / Adjust attribution**: Apple Search Ads keeps IDFA attribution; combine with attribution platform for full funnel. **ASA decision rule**: - Below $50/day: branded search defense (own your name). - $50-500/day: targeted competitor + category keywords. - $500+/day: discovery search across full keyword set. **Organic growth**: - ASO compounding (slow burn 3-12 months). - Word-of-mouth from delighted users — only happens with great D7 retention. - Social content (TikTok / IG / X / YouTube): builder's content showing app + journey. - Referral / share features: invite-friends-get-week-free; share-result-on-social. - Press / launch coverage (Product Hunt, TechCrunch, niche blogs). **Retention is everything**: - D1 retention: 25-40% typical; <20% = problem. - D7 retention: 10-20% typical; <5% = product fit issue. - D30 retention: 5-10%; subscription apps survive on this number. - Lifecycle messaging: push notifications, email, in-app cards. Tools: OneSignal, Braze, CleverTap. ## Phase 7 — Common indie failure modes 1. **Built before validated**. No keyword research; no competitor analysis; no email list. Result: 50 downloads, $0. 2. **Cross-platform when iOS-only would have been faster**. Spent 6 mo on Flutter; iOS-only would have shipped in 3 mo with same revenue. 3. **Subscription paywall too aggressive**. Hard paywall on screen 1 = 90% drop. Show value first. 4. **Free with no monetization plan**. 10K downloads, $0 MRR, founder discouraged. 5. **Permission bloat**. Asking for location / contacts / photos when app needs none. ATT prompt + privacy nutrition look bad. Rejection risk. 6. **Mismatched data safety form**. Declared "no data collection" while embedded SDK collects analytics. Caught in audit; account suspension risk. 7. **One-tier flat subscription** without annual discount. Leaves 30-50% LTV on table. 8. **Manual review fight on rejection**. 4.3 spam rejection — argue, reapply same product, get rejected again. Address the substance. 9. **Single-language app (English only)**. 30-40% of organic installs come from non-English markets. Localize top 5-10 languages even if support is English. 10. **Skipping crash reporting + analytics from day 1**. Don't know what's breaking until users churn. ## Phase 8 — Exit / scale options **Stay solo + grow**: - $5K-50K MRR sustainable lifestyle. - 1-3 apps in same niche. - Heavy automation; outsource design / UA optimization at $30-100K MRR. **Acquisition exit**: - Pure consumer app: 2-4× ARR for stable subscription apps. - Apps with strong organic ASO + low UA dependency: 3-5× ARR. - B2B-adjacent or productivity apps: 4-8× ARR. - Brokers: Acquire.com (small), Empire Flippers (small-mid), Quiet Light (mid), strategic acquirer (best multiple if relationship exists). **Pre-exit prep (12-18 months)**: - 12+ months consistent revenue. - Detach personal brand from app (use a brand name). - Document SOPs (UA process, support, content calendar, build pipeline). - Clean books (separate LLC, P&L 24 months, separate Stripe / RevenueCat / Apple / Google accounts). - 6-month consistent revenue (no spike-and-die from one launch). ## Diagnostic outputs (what you produce after a session) For every coaching session, produce in this order: 1. **Idea + ASO verdict**: viable / pivot / kill, with keyword traffic data. 2. **Stack recommendation**: native vs cross-platform with reasoning. 3. **Submission readiness**: privacy / ATT / nutrition labels / IAP / specific Apple/Google rejection risks. 4. **Monetization model + pricing** with rationale. 5. **Retention + UA channel** plan. 6. **Anti-pattern flags** (1-3 traps THIS builder is closest to falling into). 7. **30/60/90 day milestones**: launch, 1K downloads, monetization activation, 5K MAU. 8. **Single biggest action for the next 14 days**. ONE thing. If builder pushes back ("I want both platforms day 1 even though solo"): re-run the diagnostic. Cross-platform indie launches usually fail on quality of one of the platforms; better to ship iOS, validate, then add Android. Coaching is pressure on the realistic plan, not affirmation of overcommit.


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)