UncleBBW
Regular Member
- May 5, 2021
- 222
- 71
Can we talk in DM, I need one for my next android app
[Journey] Building an iOS & Android App Empire
- Thread starter nakamura
- Start date
codingMinds
Regular Member
- Apr 14, 2019
- 282
- 55
Sure. Sent me a DM.
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
Sorry for the late reply update guys. I was quite busy with private stuff, and also with apps.
Daily earnings are still around 80-150 USD per day. Zero work, just autopilot. Then, I keep adding new apps. Some earn me more money, some make nothing.
Recently I published one app, which really took off and somehow went viral. Got me 2k organic downloads per day. The hype lasted for 2 days. Right now the app still gets around 300-400 downloads per day. All organic. I didn't spend any money on it. I haven't checked how much money it made me yet, because I try to log into Admob as less as possible for safety reasons.
Right now I am working on another app iOS and Android developed with Flutter. This niche has been quite popular recently, it could be that I am too late to the party. However, I plan to make this niche public, share insights, and also the revenue of these specific apps. The only thing I am struggling with is the few guys reading this thread, who somehow have nothing better to do than to stalk my apps or niches. This is also the main reason why I didn't talk about any specific niche or app on here. Usually, I wouldn't give a fuck. But I need to protect my accounts and apps, I hope that's understandable. Anyway, I try to share as many information with you guys as possible.
Daily earnings are still around 80-150 USD per day. Zero work, just autopilot. Then, I keep adding new apps. Some earn me more money, some make nothing.
Recently I published one app, which really took off and somehow went viral. Got me 2k organic downloads per day. The hype lasted for 2 days. Right now the app still gets around 300-400 downloads per day. All organic. I didn't spend any money on it. I haven't checked how much money it made me yet, because I try to log into Admob as less as possible for safety reasons.
Right now I am working on another app iOS and Android developed with Flutter. This niche has been quite popular recently, it could be that I am too late to the party. However, I plan to make this niche public, share insights, and also the revenue of these specific apps. The only thing I am struggling with is the few guys reading this thread, who somehow have nothing better to do than to stalk my apps or niches. This is also the main reason why I didn't talk about any specific niche or app on here. Usually, I wouldn't give a fuck. But I need to protect my accounts and apps, I hope that's understandable. Anyway, I try to share as many information with you guys as possible.
tousif1988
Elite Member
- Jan 31, 2009
- 2,141
- 1,003
All the best mate. Keep us updated.
liquardo
Regular Member
- Sep 26, 2019
- 256
- 267
Would love to see this, if you find the time. This whole thread is already such a gold mine.
Definitely not worth leaking your other apps though, a shame that there are so many peeps trying to just leech off you instead of using the info to do something themselves.
I'm currently looking into making some simple localized apps, because the app store does the same thing with country-specific search results as Google search, boosting native language apps to the top while the competition is also minimal. There are tons of auto-translated apps that hit those rankings, but they are so clearly AI-translated, that any native speaker will instantly notice this, so there's a good gap to sneak in as a native speaker.
Obviously this won't work for the massive US market (and probably not bigger, highly 'tech-competitive' EU countries like Germany), but will have to see if it's worth the effort.
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
Yeah, something like this happened before. A guy on here literally copied my website, then messaged me on a Cpa network telling me he found me and my sites through BHW and so on. Its just unnecessary trouble and danger.
However, I really want to share this kinda stuff with you guys. Also to give realistic expectations. Not every app is going to make you $50 per day or anything. Some even won't make 50 cents per day.
The problem is, once I tell you my niche, the ranking of the app, etc. it will be so easy to find my Google Play account, my other apps and the app itself. I believe that most of the guys in here actually have good intentions and won't do anything harmful. But there are just 1% of people who are so desperate of finding a niche, that they will just steal it and so on.
Anyway, I will think about how to deal with it.
Yes, its definitely worth a try. It really depends on the niche and the app itself.
- Mar 22, 2013
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Update // Case Study:
So let me talk about the app, which I just uploaded to both App Stores (will probably add it to other Android stores later on as well).
About the app
Program language / interface: Dart/Flutter
App language: English (didn't translate it yet)
Monetization: Google Admob Interstitials + Banner
Competition: Medium (I didn't make an exact competitor research)
Analytics: Firebase
My 2 cents: The app itself contains a lot of content, different screens, etc. It is not a game. Please understand that at this point I won't publish the niche or the app name. Maybe I will do it later on, but right now, people could just check the new releases of apps, etc. easy to get exposed.
One more thing: I use Firebase Remote config to change the app content remotely. This is a huge benefit and well worth it.
About the process
Hours spent developing: around 48 hours
The most time I spent adding content to the app. Screens, etc. I coded a little bit, mostly used from the other apps I already coded, and work well. Then, of course, had to create graphics, sliders, and stuff like this. All of this takes time. Basically, the more skills and experience you have, the less time it takes. I think its worth mentioning to NOT spend too much time overthinking and overworking if you don't know if the app is going to be successful well or not. You can still add more features, etc to the app afterward - this is why there is the update feature.
Hours spent fixing bugs (thanks iOS): 6 hours
One problem I always have with Flutter is that I end up with a lot of errors. Especially when Flutter updates to a new version (3.2) and iOS updates to a new version (iOS 16) and Xcode updates as well. Many packages/SDKs still rely on the old version and are not compatible. Another problem I had was that some errors only appear for Apple M1 chips. For Android, I had no bugs at all. For IOS it took me 6 hours to fix stuff.
Hours spent doing ASO (Listing, Translations, Screenshots, Keyword research, etc.): 3 hours
Just the usual ASO stuff. Keyword research is key. Without keyword research, I won't start writing the app description. This app had around 3 main keywords. I included two main keywords in the app title (30 words limit) and my app name is actually a keyword itself. I didn't make any competitor research.
Translation: Deepl Pro
Keyword research: Keywordtool.io (they offer kw research for Google Play and Apple Store)
Listing: Wrote it by myself (500-600 words)
Screenshots: Canva
Money spent: $0
Status: iOS & Android App In Review
So let me talk about the app, which I just uploaded to both App Stores (will probably add it to other Android stores later on as well).
About the app
Program language / interface: Dart/Flutter
App language: English (didn't translate it yet)
Monetization: Google Admob Interstitials + Banner
Competition: Medium (I didn't make an exact competitor research)
Analytics: Firebase
My 2 cents: The app itself contains a lot of content, different screens, etc. It is not a game. Please understand that at this point I won't publish the niche or the app name. Maybe I will do it later on, but right now, people could just check the new releases of apps, etc. easy to get exposed.
One more thing: I use Firebase Remote config to change the app content remotely. This is a huge benefit and well worth it.
About the process
Hours spent developing: around 48 hours
The most time I spent adding content to the app. Screens, etc. I coded a little bit, mostly used from the other apps I already coded, and work well. Then, of course, had to create graphics, sliders, and stuff like this. All of this takes time. Basically, the more skills and experience you have, the less time it takes. I think its worth mentioning to NOT spend too much time overthinking and overworking if you don't know if the app is going to be successful well or not. You can still add more features, etc to the app afterward - this is why there is the update feature.
Hours spent fixing bugs (thanks iOS): 6 hours
One problem I always have with Flutter is that I end up with a lot of errors. Especially when Flutter updates to a new version (3.2) and iOS updates to a new version (iOS 16) and Xcode updates as well. Many packages/SDKs still rely on the old version and are not compatible. Another problem I had was that some errors only appear for Apple M1 chips. For Android, I had no bugs at all. For IOS it took me 6 hours to fix stuff.
Hours spent doing ASO (Listing, Translations, Screenshots, Keyword research, etc.): 3 hours
Just the usual ASO stuff. Keyword research is key. Without keyword research, I won't start writing the app description. This app had around 3 main keywords. I included two main keywords in the app title (30 words limit) and my app name is actually a keyword itself. I didn't make any competitor research.
Translation: Deepl Pro
Keyword research: Keywordtool.io (they offer kw research for Google Play and Apple Store)
Listing: Wrote it by myself (500-600 words)
Screenshots: Canva
Money spent: $0
Status: iOS & Android App In Review
Last edited:
CyberShrek
Newbie
- Feb 11, 2022
- 35
- 8
Hello, great job @nakamura. Can you please tell more about niche research in keywordtool?
RandomSequelae
Registered Member
- Sep 23, 2022
- 58
- 4
@nakamura
I am an android programmer..i published an app 4 years ago that made me a lot of money for 4 years but isn't making me enough money any more. The money it made was 100% passive with very minimal work. I fell in love with that lifestyle as i'm sure you did too and would like to extend it, nothing compares to freedom and flexibility.
Now I have a choice between doing what you do on Google Play OR getting a 8-hour programming job for 3-4k monthly. Publishing on Google Play is not sustainable, but a programming career is..altought it has huge costs: 8 hours a day, no freedom, no vacation when you want, bosses etc.
How many hours do you work per day to sustain that income? How many hours have you worked to reach that income?
Brilliant thread, thanks for all the info, it's helping me decide what to do.
I am an android programmer..i published an app 4 years ago that made me a lot of money for 4 years but isn't making me enough money any more. The money it made was 100% passive with very minimal work. I fell in love with that lifestyle as i'm sure you did too and would like to extend it, nothing compares to freedom and flexibility.
Now I have a choice between doing what you do on Google Play OR getting a 8-hour programming job for 3-4k monthly. Publishing on Google Play is not sustainable, but a programming career is..altought it has huge costs: 8 hours a day, no freedom, no vacation when you want, bosses etc.
How many hours do you work per day to sustain that income? How many hours have you worked to reach that income?
Brilliant thread, thanks for all the info, it's helping me decide what to do.
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
I am doing keyword research in keywordtool.io, not niche research. I come up with the niche by myself or by checking what's trending. Anyway, I can make a more explanatory post about niche research later on.
Well, that's a very hard question for me to answer. I would choose freedom and be independent. I couldn't imagine myself sitting in a office for 8 hours working for someone else, but that's just my personal opinion and experience. Even with a small amount of money, I would prefer to be on a beach on an island somewhere in Thailand and work my butt off with websites, SEO and mobile apps than to earn 3-4k monthly but sitting in an office.
In the end, it's all about discipline and how you handle certain things. If you have a winning app that makes you a few thousand dollars per month, you should start working on the next app, hire some folks, etc. to take the momentum and make you even richer. If this app doesn't bring you any money now, sell it on Flippa or other platforms. There are guys out there buying your app for a large amount of money and refurbishing it so it makes them even more money. Thats what money people do. Once they lose interest in their app or just wanna start something new, they sell their app for 10k or more on Flippa.
If you really need the job and the money, do it and then also start developing apps in your free time. If you don't need the money, work by yourself, and acquire as many skills and knowledge as possible.
For the existing apps, I don't work at all on them. Maybe updating them once every three months. Then I just keep making new apps.
As I wrote in my last update, I just sent the app (iOS and Android) to review, and right now I am sitting down and planning the next app, doing research, etc. And this is not because I am money-hungry or anything, I am just ambitious and extremely bored.
Thank you for the nice words.
liquardo
Regular Member
- Sep 26, 2019
- 256
- 267
The difference maker here is that if you sit there 8 hours a day coding for someone else on projects that don't interest you, there will be no drive or motivation to get better. (That's what I'm doing atm, I work on a C# desktop software for big corpo, but spend my time before and after work trying to get rid of that job through other projects that actually interest me)
When you work for yourself, the more you work, the more you earn. That means you will want to get better and work harder, as you get more rewards. The results depend on completely on your effort.
At a 9to5, you get paid the same wether you work hard or not, except you can't take a day off if you feel like shit in the morning
This would be great too, for my app ideas I just kind of stumble on them while doing KW research for my website and decide to pop them into the PlayStore search to see how accurate the resulting apps are.
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
$80-150 a day. I am using different ad networks. Applovin, Unity, Google Admob. I don't log in to them every day. Better to say I try to avoid signing in there.
Whitehat, yes. But what is blackhat tho?
What would happen if you logged into your Google Admob account everyday?
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
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The thing is I switch my location quite often. Right now I am in South Korea. Two weeks ago I was in Bangkok. Its just suspicious. I don't wanna trigger anything.
Example: Facebook restricted ads account when I logged while I was in Bangkok. Probably for suspicious behavior. And so far they haven't remove the restrictions. Its still pending review.
RandomSequelae
Registered Member
- Sep 23, 2022
- 58
- 4
Guys, about Admob..my app is 4 years old, published before the requirement that all new ads must be reviewed for the limitation to go away.
"Starting September 2022, we'll start limiting ad serving to apps that haven't been reviewed and approved. To begin the review process, check 'Apps to confirm' for apps that require additional setup."
So my app is listed under "Apps to confirm" that means it must be reviewed or it will be limited in the future. My ads are a little dense...interstitial every 2 clicks...interstitial after pressing a button at app-start...i don't know if those ads conform 100% to policies. (but i didn't have any problem in 4 years).
My question: risk putting app in review now like AdMob says (and maybe risk ads not being 100% correct according to policies and having to re-do the ads and lose a portion of income - because rarer ads) *OR* wait until my app-ads get limited (which may or may not happen in recent future) and then put the app in review when i have nothing to lose anyway?
"Starting September 2022, we'll start limiting ad serving to apps that haven't been reviewed and approved. To begin the review process, check 'Apps to confirm' for apps that require additional setup."
So my app is listed under "Apps to confirm" that means it must be reviewed or it will be limited in the future. My ads are a little dense...interstitial every 2 clicks...interstitial after pressing a button at app-start...i don't know if those ads conform 100% to policies. (but i didn't have any problem in 4 years).
My question: risk putting app in review now like AdMob says (and maybe risk ads not being 100% correct according to policies and having to re-do the ads and lose a portion of income - because rarer ads) *OR* wait until my app-ads get limited (which may or may not happen in recent future) and then put the app in review when i have nothing to lose anyway?
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
You can actually change the frequency of the apps on Admob. You can do "Frequency Capping" and set it up in a way that your interstitial is just showing once per hour per user...and after the review, you just remove the frequency capping.
I always do that with iOS apps before reviewing. You can change the frequency capping of existing ad blocks.
- Mar 22, 2013
- 6,272
- 10,985
Update:
Both apps have been reviewed and are live now.
iOS review time: 36 hours
Google Play review time: 6 days
I checked the rankings of the iOS app and it is already in the top 20 for the main keyword in the US. For Google Play it is not indexed/ranked at all yet.
Right now I sent both apps for review for Google Admob to show ads.
Both apps have been reviewed and are live now.
iOS review time: 36 hours
Google Play review time: 6 days
I checked the rankings of the iOS app and it is already in the top 20 for the main keyword in the US. For Google Play it is not indexed/ranked at all yet.
Right now I sent both apps for review for Google Admob to show ads.
CyberShrek
Newbie
- Feb 11, 2022
- 35
- 8
Hi @nakamura , you recently said that one of your apps has 300-400 downloads per day, I recently created an android app with similar stats, about 350 installs per day, can you share the earnings per day from your app? My income from it is about $2.5/day and it seems to me that this is not enough for such a number of users or not?
My eCPM is about 0.80$, I'm using admob
My eCPM is about 0.80$, I'm using admob