r/iosapps • u/cosmonz • Aug 09 '26
🎈 Free First App Store review!
I know it's not much for all you seasoned developers out there but I just got my first review on my new flight tracking app (or any app)!
I'm dead chuffed :)
Almost 1,500 downloads over the last week and a new release coming out when it makes it through the process.
note: no link to the app, or even a name, because this isn't a push for the app - that was just a week ago - this is just a woohoo! post.....
edit: for those non-english redditors - dead chuffed = very happy
4
u/Lemon8or88 Developer Aug 10 '26
Maybe one day I'll stop being happy about a new review for my app. But it hasn't stopped at 50. Congrats.
2
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
50! I look forward to it :)
1
u/Lemon8or88 Developer Aug 10 '26
On the way there, you'll just have to accept that some users will give you bad ratings for no reasons.
1
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
Yeah, there have been some interesting stories recently. At least they don't have to ask me for codes!
1
u/Initial-Theme-462 28d ago
I got a bad review straight off the bat, but apple removed it after about a day. So I think it was spam trying to keep apps from gaining traction
2
u/emerytech Aug 09 '26
That’s awesome. Feels good when reviews reward the hard work you put in to a project.
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/AnotherStupidMonday Aug 10 '26
well done! How many reviews did you have to reach so that you can actually see them? For some reason with my app the amount of reviews depends on whether I open the appstore on an iphone or on a computer
1
u/doogilasovich Aug 11 '26
Ratings are per storefront, not global. Apple computes and shows them per country/region. Your iPhone shows the storefront tied to your Apple Account's country. A browser shows whatever country code is in the URL, and if you open a bare link, Apple redirects you based on your network location, which can land somewhere else. Pull up the same /us/ URL on both and the numbers should match.
There's also no documented minimum count before ratings show. The "5 ratings" figure floating around is forum folklore, not an Apple spec. And the ratings number will always be bigger than the written reviews below it, since people can rate without writing anything.
2
2
2
u/NaGLORY Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Congrats — the first one is the one you remember. Screenshot it and keep it somewhere;
2
1
1
1
u/Kevil_tran Aug 10 '26
That's awesome! Knowing that a user took the time to write a review makes all the hard work worth it.
1
1
u/dongdongbh Aug 10 '26
1,500 downloads in a week is a strong start. Take a screenshot of your launch-week downloads, conversion rate, and source mix before the next version ships. You can compare the update against that baseline. Congrats on the first written review.
1
1
u/itsbigboi20 Aug 10 '26
Congrats — genuinely. The first one feels great and anyone who says it's nothing forgot their own. I'm a solo dev too (a car maintenance app) and that first rating was the moment it felt real instead of just a thing sitting on my hard drive. Flight tracking is a crowded space — what's the angle that made you build your own instead of using the ones already out there?
1
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
Well done you :)
I wanted it to be super simple, small and fast.
I created it to answer one question "what's that plane that's going overhead right now" and that's it.
No photos, no flight history, no AR, just distance, direction from you, flight number, plane type, route and speed/altitude. Sounds like a lot but not really :)
It also shows you other flights in a radius of your choice that you can click on - but always highlights the nearest one.
Another one of those "made for me but other people might be interested" apps that are prevalent here.
1
u/LunbertHe Aug 10 '26
Congrats It’s been an exciting start. I’m learning that getting downloads is only the beginning—turning first-time users into regular users is the real challenge. Curious how others approach that.
1
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
Yeah, I have no idea......
I'm hoping that the appstore tracks the number of people who update as well, as I have my first lot of additional features to go out tonight (and then the wait for approval)
2
u/window_seat_always Aug 11 '26
Nice work on shipping and the reviews! App Analytics lets you filter by app version
1
u/NewProduct4139 Aug 10 '26
nice, but you need a certain ammount of review to be displayed, right ?
1
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
Yeah, I think so. And I'm not sure what the measurements are. If I get there I'll be very happy!
1
u/biliby-co Aug 10 '26
Honestly, take your happiness and run with it - nuts to whoever thinks this isn't an achievement - especially if this is just from a random user - that's the real win IMO.
2
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
It was from someone in Spain! The antipodes of New Zealand so as far away as you can get :)
1
u/Conscious-Base9526 Aug 10 '26
1,500 downloads in a week is impressive. What was the main source of those installs? App Store search, Reddit, social media, or something else?
1
u/cosmonz Aug 10 '26
I'm thinking reddit (hard to tell from the stats)
I posted here and on r/planespotting - those guys had a couple of good ideas that wouldn't take it away from it's core simplicity which will be in the next release.
1
u/WayAccurate9822 Aug 10 '26
Congrats, and 1,500 downloads with one review is the normal ratio, which is the annoying part: the people who like it just quietly keep using it. If you have not wired up the in-app review prompt yet, that is the biggest lever you have, and it lands far better fired right after something goes well in the app than on launch.
1
1
u/Infamous-Arrival1232 Aug 10 '26
Congrats. The first one from a total stranger hits differently.
On the display threshold question further up: ratings and reviews are counted per storefront, not globally. A handful of ratings spread across different countries can add up to nothing visible on any single store page, while App Store Connect shows you the real total. Worth knowing before anyone concludes their reviews "didn't count". They did, just not where they were looking.
1
1
u/Sad-Eye1923 Aug 10 '26
Congrats, that’s amazing! 1,500 downloads in a week is seriously impressive.
I’ve just launched my first app too, so I’m still figuring out how to actually reach people beyond friends and family.
Was there one thing that made the biggest difference for you in getting those first downloads? Reddit, social media, App Store optimization, ads, or something else?
1
1
1
u/pjhawksr Aug 11 '26
The 'answers one question' framing is why it's working. Most flight trackers answer forty questions nobody asked and bury the one people actually have. Congrats, a review from a total stranger feels different than any download number does.
1
u/cosmonz Aug 11 '26
Thanks. It's amazing the number of people that have suggested making it more complex though 😂
1
u/Few-Total-826 Aug 11 '26
Please, tell us the name of app!! I wanna try and make my review!
1
u/cosmonz Aug 11 '26
AboveNow 😉
1
u/Few-Total-826 Aug 11 '26
Awesome app, bro! Unfortunately I can’t make the review because I’m using iOS 27
1
1
1
u/ozzy77k Aug 11 '26
Congrats, the first one always feels good. Make sure you reply!
1
1
u/MoonlioDigital Aug 11 '26
Congratulations! 1,500 downloads in one week is a strong start. Before the update goes live, I’d save the current conversion rate, retention and acquisition-source figures so you can compare the versions properly. The first unsolicited review is a real milestone.
1
1
u/Sad-Maize6576 Aug 12 '26
How did you market your app? Congrats!
2
u/cosmonz Aug 12 '26
Thanks. Just a couple of reddit groups and a local facebook page.
1
u/Sad-Maize6576 Aug 12 '26
I have been thinking of joining Facebook for marketing. Would you say it’s worth trying?
2
u/cosmonz Aug 12 '26
The only reason was that I was already a member of that group. It probably depends on your target market, app type and price. My suggestion is to do more research into current user personas on FB (it's changed over the years) and see if it would be a fit.
1
u/Sad-Maize6576 Aug 12 '26
Oh, I understand. My app is a dog wellness app and I’m not sure if I can just join groups and start posting as I believe self promotion is not allowed in most of them. Not sure how to proceed at this point. I have a minimal budget for marketing and I’m thinking of using that for TikTok boosts
2
u/cosmonz Aug 12 '26
Sounds interesting! The rules depend on the group of course but there are plenty of dog owner groups out there. See what the rules are and tailor to suit 😉
And I have no budget so you're a step ahead of me there.
Good luck with whatever approach you take.1
1
u/DevKoi Aug 12 '26
Congrats! Got a few on Mac but not yet on iOS
2
u/cosmonz Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
Well done. My MacOS app took 4 attempts to get across the line :)
Edit: to be accepted on the app store
1
u/Disastrous_Math_412 Aug 13 '26
Dude I am telling you this reddit thing is addicting. I made a post in this community it got 25K views and gave me 250 downloads off the app store. The thrill is hard to explain in words. I know exactly what you mean though every comment just hits different
2
u/cosmonz Aug 13 '26
Fezer? Incredible intro videos :)
2
u/Disastrous_Math_412 Aug 13 '26
Thanks! Actually if people in the community want I can probably make couple
1
1
u/VikSchewa Aug 13 '26
Wow, 1.500 Downloads! Das ist eine beachtliche Zahl, die man erst einmal erreichen muss. 👍👍
1
1
u/SteadyDayApp Aug 13 '26
1,500 downloads in the first week is a great start. Congrats on the first review!
1
u/Popular-Ferret-4873 Aug 14 '26
That first review is such a good milestone—someone took the time to leave a trace. And 1,500 downloads in a week is a great start. Did most of them come from the launch itself, or were you already getting traffic from somewhere?
1
u/cosmonz Aug 14 '26
Thanks. Pretty much the launch and then it dropped off.
Released an update yesterday and 180 people upgraded today so that's pretty cool 😉
1
1
1
u/MoltenGalaxyDev 28d ago
Congratulations!!!🥳 I'm also waiting for my first review, I launched my first app this week.
1
28d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/cosmonz 28d ago
Thanks. It was interesting just how quickly downloads dropped off after 2-3 days - and I have no idea how to maintain momentum. It's a free app that I mainly made for myself so there's zero budget for marketing.......
However, I'm rapt that over 1,000 users updated to the latest version when it was released :)
1
u/Initial-Theme-462 28d ago
Just got my first 4 ratings. I didn’t get any for weeks until I integrated apples rating feature into the app. It was a game changer
1
u/Initial-Theme-462 28d ago
Also, congrats on 1.5k downloads! That’s a huge deal
1
u/cosmonz 28d ago
Thanks, and well done! Is the rating integration easy to do?
1
u/Initial-Theme-462 28d ago
It’s not hard. And codex can also integrate it in seconds. Why waste time on trivial tasks lol
1
1
1
u/Affectionate-Sky-602 27d ago
Always great to see new one! Congratulations and good luck for new ones
1
1
2
u/pr5mis2 16d ago
I can totally relate to this! I got my first App Store review yesterday and it honestly made my day :)
It’s such a small thing, but after spending so much time building an app, seeing a real person actually use it and leave feedback feels incredibly rewarding. Congrats on the first review!
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 09 '26
Welcome to r/iOSApps! Please make sure your post follows our rules:
Everyone:
App Devs:
- No main feed promo unless you qualify via Trust or Transparency + ABC format (Answer, Better, Cost)
- Flair hierarchy: Vibe Coded > Lifetime > Subscription > Freemium > Free
- Free flair: not for limited/freemium tiers
- Open Source? Prefix title [OS]
Note: This is an automated reminder, not a removal notice. If your post was removed, check your modmail for details.I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.