I launched my first iPhone app and I’m stuck at 13 downloads. Roast my positioning.
I launched my first iPhone app and I’m stuck at 13 downloads. I’d really appreciate honest feedback from people who have launched products before.
The app is called MealRadar. It helps people figure out what to cook from groceries they already have at home.
The core problem:
You open the fridge, there is food inside, but you still don’t know what to make.
What the app does:
- add pantry/fridge items
- generate recipe ideas
- generate 1, 3, or 5-day meal plans
- help use food before it expires
What I’ve tried so far:
- Instagram Reels
- LinkedIn posts and DMs
- Telegram/Facebook groups
- direct messages
- App Store screenshot improvements
Problem:
I’m getting almost no real users.
I’m not asking for fake reviews or fake downloads. I want blunt feedback:
- Is the idea too weak?
- Is the positioning unclear?
- Is “AI cooking assistant” the wrong framing?
- Where would you find the first 50 real users for this?
- Would you position this around saving money, reducing food waste, or solving the “what should I cook tonight?” problem?
App Store link: [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975]
I’m open to criticism. I just want to understand what I’m missing.
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Your A/B/C question (saver vs. faster-dinner vs. less-waste) is the whole game, and there's a cheap way to make visitors answer it for you instead of guessing. I'm mid-validation on my own product and the single most useful thing on my landing page is a selector widget: the visitor clicks which problem is theirs BEFORE the email field appears, and the choice gets stored with the signup. Every signup is a vote on positioning. You could do the same with your three buyers: one screen, "what brings you here," three cards, then the download link. Two weeks of that beats a month of subreddit archaeology.
One caution on the subreddit list: check each sub's rules before you post anything that smells like promotion. I mapped out my own distribution plan recently and three of the four subreddits I planned to use turned out to ban surveys, market research, and self-promo outright, with permanent-ban astroturfing policies. r/Frugal and r/povertyfinance are especially strict. Mining those threads for language is gold and totally safe; posting into them can cost you the account. Reply where you can genuinely help, and let the app live in your profile.
This is probably one of the clearest pieces of advice I’ve received.
The “what brings you here?” selector before the download link makes a lot of sense. Instead of guessing whether the user cares about saving money, deciding dinner faster, or reducing waste, I should make them choose the pain before they install.
Also, the Reddit warning is helpful. I definitely don’t want to burn accounts by posting anything that smells like self-promo. Mining language and replying where I can genuinely help feels safer.
I’m going to test the three-card framing:
Small favor if you’re open to it: could you download MealRadar once and test the first-use/UI flow? No review needed. You get free AI allowances, and no sign-up is required just to test the UI. I’d love to know which of those three hooks the app currently feels closest to.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975
the idea's fine, the framing is what's costing you. "AI cooking assistant" is a category label, not a reason to download. your best line is the one you buried: you open the fridge, food's right there, and you still don't know what to make. lead with exactly that.
and i'd push the wedge toward waste. "use food before it expires" is really "stop throwing away groceries you already paid for," which is money plus guilt, both stronger than "generate recipe ideas" (every app claims that one). it's also closer to how people actually search: "what can i make with chicken and whatever's left," not "AI cooking assistant."
on distribution: 13 downloads after reels + LinkedIn + IH says the hook is the problem, not the volume. and LinkedIn/IH are founder channels. your real user is someone tired at 6pm staring into a fridge, and they're on TikTok or Pinterest searching "dinner with what i have," not reading build-in-public posts. match the channel to that person.
fastest test: rewrite your App Store subtitle as that fridge sentence and watch if installs move before you change anything else.
This is exactly the point I think I buried.
“AI cooking assistant” sounds like a category. “You open the fridge, food is right there, and you still don’t know what to make” sounds like a real moment.
I’m going to use that as the lead and stop leading with AI.
The waste framing also feels stronger when said as “stop throwing away groceries you already paid for.” That has money plus guilt, instead of sounding like a generic sustainability claim.
And yes, your distribution point hurts but makes sense. LinkedIn and IH are useful for feedback, but probably not where the real user is at 6pm. TikTok, Pinterest, and search-style content around “dinner with what I have” is probably closer.
Small favor if you’re open to it: could you download MealRadar once and test only the first-use/UI flow? No review needed. You get free AI allowances, and no sign-up is required just to test the UI. I’d love to know if the app experience matches the fridge-staring sentence or still feels like a generic recipe app.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975
13 downloads after launch usually means positioning isn’t landing where buyers already complain — not that the app is bad.
Curious: are you looking for those complaints in Reddit / communities, or still iterating the App Store listing only?
I run a small tool that scores fresh pain threads for indie apps. If useful, I can show a quick mapping on a short call — or send a sample if you drop your one-liner + target subs.
That’s fair. I’m trying to do both, but I think the smarter next step is finding the places where people already complain in their own words instead of only polishing the App Store listing.
My current one-liner is:
“MealRadar helps you decide what to cook tonight from groceries you already have, so you don’t end up ordering takeout again.”
I’m thinking the target complaints are probably around phrases like:
If your tool can map fresh pain threads around that kind of language, I’d genuinely be interested in seeing a sample.
Also, if you’re open to it, could you try the app once and tell me if the first-use experience matches that pain or feels too generic? Not asking for a review — just honest feedback.
App Store link: [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975]
Fair trade, I'll try MealRadar and send you one honest first-use note, no review theatre.
On the sample: I'll scan for threads where people use exactly that language — "ordered DoorDash again," "too tired to decide what to eat," "bought groceries and still ordered food," "wasted groceries again." Each thread gets a 1–10 score + one line on why it matched, so you see the reasoning.
Quick thing I need back: your target subs. r/mealprep, r/EatCheapAndHealthy, r/Frugal, r/Cooking come to mind — but tell me which ones your buyer actually sits in. I'll run it and drop the feed link.
When you get it: pick 2–3 threads, tell me "yes I'd reply" or "no, not my buyer." That's the signal I'm after.
Fair trade — really appreciate it.
My best guess on buyer/user is not “foodie who loves cooking.” It’s more like:
So I’d probably start with:
The phrases I care about most are probably:
What I’m trying to learn is whether the buyer is really:
A) the person trying to save money,
B) the person trying to decide dinner faster,
or
C) the person trying to stop wasting groceries.
If you send a few threads, I’ll mark them honestly as “yes I’d reply” or “no, not my buyer.” And thank you for trying the app — one honest first-use note is genuinely more useful to me than a fake review.
Sample ready — used your subs + the extra phrases (DoorDash / wasted groceries / stop eating out):
https://threadscout-theta.vercel.app/feed/8868d216-853f-4541-b81e-1e0fb01d2e87
Each card: score + why matched.
Manual flags (not in UI):
Pick 2–3 and say “yes I’d reply” or “no, not my buyer.” I’ll also try MealRadar and send short first-use notes after.
This is extremely useful — thank you for actually running the sample.
From your manual flags, the ones that sound closest to my buyer are:
The weaker ones are probably pure meal-prep logistics, because those people already have a planning habit. My user seems more like someone who has food at home but loses the decision battle at 6pm.
I’ll go through the feed and mark 2–3 as “yes I’d reply” or “no, not my buyer.”
Small favor if you’re open to it: when you try MealRadar, could you test only the first-use/UI flow and tell me if it matches this pain or still feels too generic? No review needed. You get free AI allowances, and no sign-up is required just to test the UI.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975
I'd separate the product from the buying trigger. "What should I cook tonight?" is a daily frustration, while saving money and reducing food waste are reasons people justify changing their behavior. Understanding which one actually gets someone to install the app is the bigger positioning question.
This is a really useful distinction. I think you’re right — “what should I cook tonight?” is the daily frustration, while saving money and reducing waste are the justifications people use after the frustration is already there.
So the positioning probably needs to lead with the trigger:
“I have groceries, but deciding what to cook feels like work.”
Then the benefits become:
I’m trying to understand whether the install trigger is strong enough from the first screen/onboarding.
If you’re open to it, could you test the app once and tell me honestly whether it matches that trigger or if it still feels like a generic recipe app? No review needed — just blunt feedback would help a lot.
App Store link: [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975]
I appreciate the invitation.
I haven't tried the app yet, so I don't want to pretend otherwise. My comments so far have been based on the positioning and the way you've described the problem.
I do have a few thoughts about the trigger you described, but I'd rather explain them properly than leave scattered comments in the thread.
If you're open to it, what's the best email to reach you on?
I appreciate this — and totally fair that you haven’t tried it yet.
The trigger thoughts are actually what I need most right now, because I’m realizing the app may not be the main issue. The wording around the pain probably is.
Best email to reach me: [email protected]
Small favor if you’re open to it: could you download it once and test only the first-use/UI flow? No review needed. You get free AI allowances, and no sign-up is required just to test the UI.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealradar/id6782612975
Even one blunt note like “this feels generic” or “this matches the trigger” would help a lot.