Mabel

The approval process was even longer than the App Store, there were some problems with in-app purchases but finally the app was approved and is now available on Google Play!

Now that the app is available in both stores, the next step is to share it on social networks and make it known on platforms such as Product Hunt, Reddit and some sites specialised in frontend and design related topics. I also have to fix some bugs and implement improvements based on the feedback I've received so far.

But for the moment I am happy with the progress I have made so far 😄

Since the first MVP I kept working on the app to support Android devices and tablets as well (including iPad). Finally I was ready to submit my app for approval on Google Play, I must admit I didn't know what to expect since it was my first time doing it.

The iPad version was approved the next day, the process was very fast this time and without complications.

After the app was approved in the App Store I started sharing it with close friends and people I know who might be interested in using it as some of them are designers and others are frontend developers.

The next day I checked my app dashboard and realised that one of them had paid for the Pro subscription 🤯

What a feeling!

The approval process in the App Store was a bit long and there were some problems due to the in-app purchases but finally that day I received an email telling me that the app had finally been approved and was now available in the store!

It is not the first time I submit an app for approval in the App Store as I have done it more than once in my full time job, but it is the first time that the app in question is 100% mine. I can't describe the emotion I felt when I received that email!

For two months I was working on the app only in my free time and on weekends, basically the tasks I had to accomplish in order to have an MVP were the following:

• Design prototype
• App design
• iOS development
• Backend development
• In-app purchases integration
• Curate content
• Landing page design and development

After some testing, the app was finally working correctly. I still had to develop the Android version but I thought I could release the app for iOS and start collecting feedback from other people. This way version 1.0 was ready.

I love reading articles and news related to frontend and design, for a while I used an app called Vincent that promised to deliver quality articles, I really liked using it but unfortunately over time they stopped sending content until this year its creators decided to shut down the app.

Just at that time I was trying to think of an idea for an app that would allow me to practice even more my skills as a designer and as a programmer, so I decided that I could create an alternative app with my own design and with content curated by me.

Finally in the afternoon of that day I started thinking about everything I needed and decided I was ready to do it.