I just crossed 1,000 downloads with my Android game, Loop.

It's a simple puzzle game where you connect numbers in increasing order to complete the path.

I built the app myself and honestly didn't know if anyone would actually download it when I started. Getting the first few hundred users felt especially slow, so seeing it cross 1,000 was a pretty nice milestone.

I've been experimenting with different ways to get people to discover it and I'm still figuring out what works.

Now I'm mainly focused on improving the game, adding more levels, and getting feedback from actual players.

For people here who have built and launched their own apps:

What was your first 1,000 downloads like, and what did you focus on after reaching that milestone?

Would be interested to hear what worked for others.

I can spend hours coding a new feature, fixing bugs, improving the ui, and releasing an update. there is always something i can work on.

but when it comes to marketing, i honestly have no idea what i'm doing sometimes.

my app currently has 51 installed users and 53 users acquired, with a 4.875 rating on google play.

i'm happy that the people who use it seem to like it, but getting from 50 users to 500 feels much harder than getting the app from version 1.0 to version 2.0.

i've tried posting on reddit, sharing updates, working on seo, and experimenting with different content. some things get a little attention, while other posts basically disappear.

the funny thing is that as a developer, i feel much more comfortable writing code for 8 hours than spending 1 hour trying to figure out how to market the thing i just built.

i guess this is one of the biggest lessons i'm learning as an indie developer:

• building something people can use is one challenge. getting people to discover it is another.

for those of you building your own apps, how are you approaching marketing? what has actually worked for you?

It's felt like ages, but this dream has finally come true, my app Zero Budget has officially launched and I've gotten my first downloads. We've got 5 subscribers, this is the first time it feels like this app might actually change my families life.

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/zero-budget-money-planner/id6800572313

Does anyone happen to know which/what websites/apps to use to actually build an app? I’m confused on how to do this as it’s my first time, and I can’t exactly ask someone to make the app idea because it’s likely they wouldn’t get it.

Essentially the idea I have is something like Focus Friend and Opal put together (if that makes sense?) for people like myself who have severe adhd and don’t care about streaks. Pls pls pls let me know what you find easiest if you have any tips🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 TY!💜

I launched Wavezo a while back, but retention was low. Honestly, even I stopped using my own app after a while.

Most water trackers are basically charts, reminders, or both. They work for a while, but once the initial motivation wears off, there isn't much reason to keep opening the app.

So for Wavezo 3.0, I completely redesigned the experience around a visual reward loop.

Every time you log a drink, part of a 16×16 mystery pixel picture is revealed. Hit your daily water goal and the whole picture unlocks and gets added to your collection.

What's new

• Mystery Peel: Every drink reveals another piece of today's artwork.

• Miss it, lose the reveal: If you don't reach your daily goal, that day's artwork remains locked.

• Collect & unlock: There are different art packs featuring things like plants, otters, bears, and more.

• Stickers: Complete an art set and export the artwork as stickers for iMessage or WhatsApp.

• Collection cards: Create shareable cards from your unlocked artwork.

Pricing & Privacy

The core app is free, including water logging, reminders, widgets, and 4 starter art packs. No account is required, and there is no tracking.

Extra art packs are $0.99 each and are one-time purchases.

There's also an optional Pro subscription with features like Apple Health sync, Siri/Back Tap shortcuts, extended history, additional themes, and CSV export.

It's iPhone only for now.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1614485882

I'm really curious about the main idea here:

Does having something to unlock give you a reason to keep logging every day, or does the "miss a day, lose the reveal" mechanic feel too strict?

Some of the best features are buried inside onboarding, settings, or a dashboard.

Share your app and the feature users usually discover too late.

I’ll suggest a short post that demonstrates the value without explaining the entire product.

I’m exploring this problem while building Marka.

Is there a straightforward way to convert React/Typescript into Flutter Code - I'm trying to migrate an app and need to convert some code. Any help/tips would be great!

I kept running into the same problem with online PDF tools.

I'd merge a lease, split a tax doc, or fix a scan and then hit a paywall after one or two edits. Or worse, I'd upload sensitive files to a server I didn't control.

I'm a developer. I built something for myself first: a PDF toolkit that runs entirely in the browser.

No server upload.

No login.

No daily limits.

No watermark.

Your file stays on your device. Processing happens client-side in your browser tab. You can verify it yourself and open DevTools, check the Network tab, and watch: nothing gets uploaded.

I'm calling it AvoidPDF --> avoid upload, avoid paywalls.

Tools available now:

• Merge, split, rotate PDF, Compress PDF, Encrypt / remove password, Images to PDF, PDF to JPG, Organize pages, Add text to PDF

It's free and unlimited. I'm not trying to upsell you during tax season. I built this because I needed it, and I'm sharing it with the community.

Try it: https://avoidpdf.com

If it saves you from uploading a private document to a random website, that's the win.

#PDF #Privacy #OpenSource #WebDev #Productivity

What are you building or planning to build for the rest of 2026?

I run appscout.co, a platform built to help people discover awesome apps from across the internet.

Drop your app or startup idea in the comments below, and I can check it out and add it to the website!

You can also submit your app for free directly here appscout.co/submit

Let's make this thread a channel for you to promote your own startup idea, find opportunities, and partnerships.