How I built an app that stands out on the App Store
September 2026
A few things I've learned so far, notes from a new indie dev. I'll admit up front that the name, and the fact that it's about cats, probably had a lot to do with Cats Lock standing out. But here's what I actually focused on.
1. Get the core right
Make sure it does the one thing it's supposed to do, and does it well. Hone in on the core functionality, think through every edge case, and keep finding ways to make it better. It has to be the best version of itself. With Cats Lock, that meant obsessing over being the "best damn lock" on the Mac.
2. Design is everything
Right now, the one thing AI-generated code can't do well is make something beautiful. That still takes a human touch. So learn the tools: Adobe Illustrator, Icon Composer, Rive. Honestly, even flawed design beats AI design if you keep improving it over time. People want something with personality.
3. Iterate, and keep iterating
If you actually care about your project, you'll want to make it the best it can be. Ideas for Cats Lock came to me in the middle of the night and kept me up, because I was too excited to build them to sleep. I couldn't stop until it felt like something I'd be proud to ship, and then I kept going: performance, new features, all of it.
4. Your users are your moat
User feedback is everything. The built-in keyboard lock is probably my proudest feature, and I'd never have built it if a user hadn't asked. It's unique and genuinely useful, and not just for cats: a Canadian production house reached out because they use it to lock an external keyboard while an actor types naturally on the built-in one, and I worked with them to ship a special "Film Actor's Edition." People send me photos of their cats sprawled across their keyboards, which has been the most fun part of the whole ride. And users have helped translate the app into their languages: AI gets you about 95% of the way, but it's that last 5% that earns real trust.
But what the hell do I know?