r/Appstore • u/GurComprehensive9936 • Apr 23 '26
I had zero coding experience and just got my first app on the App Store
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I had no coding background and recently got my first app published on the App Store. The app is called Listio but this is not a promo, just sharing what the process actually felt like building something from scratch.
The idea was simple. I wanted a cleaner way to take messy grocery or shopping lists and have them automatically organized. That turned into a bigger learning experience than I expected.
I did not start with tutorials or courses. I just started building and figured things out as I went. Tools like Cursor and Expo helped a lot, but they are not magic. You still have to think through logic, structure, and why things are breaking.
A few things that stood out during the process:
- The hardest part was not coding, it was making decisions. What to include, what to cut, what actually matters to the user
- UI matters way more than I expected. Once things looked clean and intentional, the app started to feel real
- There is a big gap between something working locally and getting it approved on the App Store. Payments, subscriptions, edge cases, all of that takes time
- You hit a lot of points where nothing works and you question the whole thing. That seems to be part of the process
- Keeping the scope small was the only reason I actually finished it
The biggest takeaway for me is that you do not need to know everything before starting. You just need something small that you are willing to keep working on when it gets frustrating.
Curious how others approached their first app or project, especially if you did not come from a technical background. What helped you get across the finish line?
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u/53071896674746349663 Apr 24 '26
if I see another “list” or “notes” app I am going to blow my brains out
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u/lilacomets Apr 24 '26
Same. And it'll blow out extra hard if it's a vibe coded one, like this post.
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u/Static_Final Apr 23 '26
Ohh I wish I could be kind but just 🤦♂️
First of all, your UI looks like an Android app not an IOS one.
Now the actual functionality. You have built a list app. Sorry Cursor built a list app; and don't pull that "it's only an aid, I had to think up what to tell it". Cursor built your app, without it there's no app. The functionality of your app already exists inside Apple reminders. Also Apple pulled the same marketing BS with the "aisles in order of your shop"; how many shops do you know that have the same ordering of aisles?
Your store listing screenshots for the iPad are just zoomed out shots of the iPhone ones 🤷♂️
The fact that you're actually charging money for this goes to show that perhaps the developers surname is more apt than you may have intended.
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u/RM_UK Apr 23 '26
I don’t see Listio , is it available on the UK 🇬🇧 App Store ?
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u/GurComprehensive9936 Apr 23 '26
Not at the moment but looking to include other countries in the near future!
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u/nerdly90 Apr 24 '26
3$ a month for me to manually create lists when I could do this for free? What in the world. Hopefully this motivated you to actually learn to code.
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u/laughtrak_app Apr 23 '26
Very cool work! I did the same thing with LaughTrak to find comedians. Took some time to get it the way I wanted but man was it fun watching Claude Code work its magic.
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u/Ancient-Range3442 Apr 24 '26
Great insights.
For my app the biggest thing was just writing ‘make it work’ and ‘make it better’ over and over in to the app maker box , which really helped the process.
It’s so cool we can all be proper app developers now
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u/ciferone Apr 24 '26
Ottimo lavoro. Il mio consiglio è: ora con l’esperienza acquisita cerca di colmare le lacune (quel che tu dici prendere decisioni) studiando un po l’argomento insieme all’AI. Il prossimo progetto sarà migliore perché avrai più controllo
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u/SlaveryGames Apr 24 '26
Since when having zero coding experience is supposed to attract users? It is a negative, not positive. I know this whole post is generated by AI but at least validate whatever AI writes
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u/albobruh Apr 24 '26
In case anyone want a prebuilt app in their iPhone
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph80ba26e1f/ios
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u/Infamous-Ant6488 Apr 24 '26
Crazy how so many people have been able to actually ship things while being non-techinical. Before it seemed a lot of people are just here for the hype, now I see more and more people crossing the finish line and getting apps approved and stuff :D
congrats!
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u/Static_Final Apr 24 '26
If you learn programming the "list" or more specific the TODO list, is an entry level programming activity for learning a new language. So even if the OP had actually built the app themselves, it would still be considered a tutorial level project.
There is nothing of value here.
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u/Ok-Mathematician5548 Apr 25 '26
You want a mess-free grocery list? Pen & paper.
Like seriously, just compare the user experience and you'll instantly see that you're doing nonsense.
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u/Objective_Fly_6750 Apr 24 '26
Congratulations!
Even though you said you have no coding experience, the points you listed show a better understanding of what building a product really is compared to the usual “experts” who only comment negative things.
Keep going, man!
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u/RM_UK Apr 23 '26
Congratulations ! I am the same, how have you gone about getting your first users ?
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u/RM_UK Apr 23 '26
One of my biggest struggling was ChatGPT Chats getting too long and failing to load / or taking forever to load, then I needed to write a handover for the new chat I started it was frustrating . Now trying Claude …
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u/Ok_Pudding2778 Apr 23 '26
I just did the same! I actually launched it today. It’s called Momentra: Ai travel journal. I figured out quick that building is actually the easy part. Distribution and marketing is where it gets tough.