Rob J is an Android developer who has released more than 20 apps to the Google Play Store, some of which gathered several 100k downloads and thousands of active users. He even got featured in publications like Lifehacker, The Guardian, Yahoo, and BBC News. In this episode, he will share strategies and insights on indie app development, like how to come up with profitable app ideas, how to rank higher in the app store, avoid bad user ratings, and much more!
For the episode links, please visit the Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJocc5EuXoM
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction & back story
16:02 - How to come up with good app ideas
17:08 - Was university worth it?
21:10 - Rob's most successful apps
26:48 - Can you still build successful solo apps today?
32:47 - How many lines of code do your apps have?
34:10 - Do you still use Java in your apps?
34:57 - Going wide vs going deep
37:23 - Building apps for learning & portfolio
39:12 - Best app monetization strategies (ads vs in-app purchases/subscriptions)
58:24 - What kind of apps have the highest chance of success today?
1:01:54 - Is web3/blockchain the next golden era?
1:07:58 - How to avoid getting my app idea stolen (Should I have an NDA?)
1:15:07 - How to market your app
1:19:56 - How to retain app users
1:23:40 - Play Store ranking factors
1:28:04 - Keeping apps up to date & min SDK level
1:33:25 - How to avoid bad app ratings
1:37:02 - Device compatibility
1:44:45 - How important are tests?
1:48:19 - Things to keep in mind when you release your app to the app store
1:50:23 - Play Store suspensions, bans, and app removal
1:56:51 - Play Store alternatives (Amazon Appstore)
1:58:15 - Opinions on Flutter, React Native, and Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP)
2:02:17 - Favorite app architecture (MVI, modularization)
2:05:12 - Must-have tools for app developers
2:06:15 - Why do you choose freelancing over a full-time job?
2:08:25 - Why did you start podcasting?
2:10:53 - Where do you learn new things?
2:12:02 - More about Rob
2:12:44 - Stay in touch
Special thanks to Munsur Creative for producing the soundtrack of this podcast!