Indie Devs Can't Market Their Wellness Apps

“Thanks but not completely. This is definitely helpful but that's more of just a reminder system. I'm looking for something that fully has a todo list that I could see in order and could set reminders and stuff. Also, being in messages makes it easier for me (not sure if others feel the same way). Signal would be a new app I'd have to download and begin using.”

“momentomori.me A self journal tool that allows an individual to track their thoughts and find patterns, themes or threads in their thoughts. The issue that it solves is you write per day, instead of per folder or category. You dont need to manage journals manually. You dont need to do any housekeeping. All you do is write - if you want to tag inline a thought by all means. The engine then will search across all your writings or specific time frame about patterns that keep repeating, open loops,”

“Thanks — that’s exactly the bet: we remember by event, not by date, so the calendar was already the index everyone keeps. And for photos taken outside any calendar event, it creates what I call “Unscheduled Moments” — grouped by time and place on their own, with a toggle to show or hide them.”

“Small team, no GenAI used in dev or promo. Building a mobile RPG where your real workouts (gym, running, whatever) drive your character's stats, gear, and abilities. Pre-launch, trying to figure out what would make this a daily habit instead of another app people delete after a week. If you have tried fitness-gamification games before, what kept you playing, and what made you quit? submitted by /u/nzweiggaming [link] [comments]”

“It's my first app :) The idea came while my sister and I were having a small fight. She accidentally dropped her phone, and afterward, while we were talking about it, I jokingly told her, "Your phone would scream at you if it had a soul." That thought pushed me to think more about these devices with personality, and eventually led to the concept of cute, kawaii virtual pets that can grow based on all kinds of interactions we make with them. They can remember stuff, play games, and”

“I’d ask like, “How do you stay motivated when progress feels painfully slow?””

“Nice, that'll be a good one to add — matching the writing experience to your mood in real time sounds like it'd make the whole thing feel more alive. Good luck with the update!”

“Building xenith.life, an all-in-one productivity command center for project management, focus timers, and life-balance tracking, designed to build long-term discipline without streak-based anxiety.”

“I'm building xenith.life , a web app that combines project management, focus timers, and life-balance tracking into one command center. It's designed to help build long-term discipline without relying on streak-based anxiety or artificial gamification.”

I often forget to take breaks while working, so I built a small macOS app to make it impossible to ignore. The longer I work without taking a break, the bigger the…

“I'm a solo dev. I kept installing app-blockers and kept beating them, because most of them miss the real trap: it isn't "the app," it's the short-video and endless-scroll loophole inside apps you still genuinely need (YouTube, a browser, messages). Blocking the whole app is too blunt; a timer fires too late. So I built ANMYA Focus around the habit loop everyone knows — Cue -> Craving -> Response -> Reward — and tried to intervene at the one point that actually work”

“Love the minimal-friction instinct — that's the right hill to die on for an app like this, don't let anyone analytics-brain you out of it. And you don't need heavy tracking to start. Two events is plenty: one "activated" (did the core thing once) and one "came back on day 2 or 3." That alone tells you whether the idea has legs, without turning you into someone who stares at dashboards. Add more only when you have a specific question the data can answer. Rooting fo”

Value added is zero

“Now, my disability is invisible. I'm Autistic, have ADHD, have depression, and emotional irregulation, with sleep apnea. I'd rather enjoy the work I do... so I use this cool app, called Insights Capture v3. All I gotta do is play video games, and I'll be good. Because they have a shards system. And you can get all sorts of gift cards. submitted by /u/CosyAnjalea [link] [comments]”

“Honest question, because I don't want to build another app people ignore. If something read your medication situation and gave you a plain-language summary to bring to your GP, is that something you'd genuinely use, or does it sound like one more thing you'd download and forget? I'd rather hear "I'd ignore it" than a polite yes. Student research. submitted by /u/MartaJo9123 [link] [comments]”

“My philosophy is more of an anti push than an active pull when it comes to engagement. I'm trying to minimize the friction require to open the app and use it whether that be through ease of use or a guilt free design. Some people will find the lack of gamification or lack of urgency a design flaw that doesnt motivate them to use it and I think that's alright, that crowd is already well served imo”

that’s so cool ! thanks for sharing

“Thanks for the feedback! The morning commute delay alert is actually a brilliant feature idea - adding a layer that cross-checks your live location against the timetable to warn you if you're lagging behind would be incredibly useful. As for iOS, yes, that's definitely on the roadmap! Right now, I'm focusing on ironing out the GPS reliability and expanding the transit data on Android first, but I'll definitely keep you posted when the iOS version is ready for testing. Thanks agai”

“Appreciate it! Will definitely look into all your points. Thanks for taking the time 🙏”

“Appreciate the enthusiasm! That could work down the line, but the real magic is that Latent needs zero setup or planning - you're already at the park, the bar, the birthday. You open the app, scan, and shoot. No one had to organize anything in advance. That spontaneity is kind of the whole point. 😊”

“I'm interested in seeing what you do for engagement without gamification and how you go about working with human habits which are notoriously difficult to change for many people. I'd be interested in giving it a shot out of pure interest and sometimes can resonate with some of those listed.”

“Ask Tony giving binary answers with attitude is such a good call, honestly the % precipitation paralysis is real and most weather apps make you do math in your head at 6am instead of just telling you go/no-go. One thing I'd want as a rider: a "got caught anyway" feedback loop, basically letting users report when Tony was wrong so the model tightens up over time per region. Riders will absolutely tell you when you're wrong, might as well capture that. Also respect for shipping t”

“The framing is interesting, but the most useful test may be what happens after someone ignores the app for 3–5 days. A lot of tools work on day one and fail at recovery. I'd keep capture uncategorized and onboarding under a minute, then measure time to first plan, return rate after a missed day, and how much manual rescheduling is needed. Also ask testers which step felt like "upkeep." If they must organize before they can capture, you may recreate the problem you're trying to”

“Solo dev. Built Tideover, an app that helps you get through the moment a craving hits when you're quitting something, smoking, sugar, alcohol, gambling, whatever your thing is. Most quit apps just count days; this one's built around the actual moment the urge shows up, breathe, ride it out, log it, and it tracks your patterns over time. Launched a few weeks back with zero marketing budget, just posting genuinely useful stuff in relevant communities. It's been slow-then-sudden in the”

I'm good

“The concept is genuinely cool, the github heatmap in 3D is a fun idea and it looks great in the video. one honest thought though, i'm not sure watching the towers actually makes me more consistent? feels like it could turn into another thing i open and stare at instead of doing the habit. not saying that's a dealbreaker, plenty of people are motivated by seeing progress. just the question i'd want answered before paying, does the skyline drive the habit or compete with it”

“And this is prompt customization section of the settings page. https://preview.redd.it/tiqho4w81idh1.jpeg?width=968&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6526ab010fdbb9b9bcdc3357c7351bb98c69aee”

“This is the current layout for the entry page. https://preview.redd.it/kch5snt41idh1.jpeg?width=968&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d091db16e2b988f7b4d0ca0a0ec9880354353d34”

For context: I've always liked journaling — getting thoughts out of my head at the end of the day helps me overthink less and gives me something to look back on later.…

“I am 23 M this is my 3rd attempt to post so I want to create something in a while i think my daily routine has become very scheduled and monotonous and i want to change that , i want to release my extra creativeness into something , so yeah ,i used chatgpt to write but i writing by hand , What are the people already paying for or complaining about ? I lookinh to build something that solves a real problem instead chasing random ideas .if you could replace one tool you are currently paying for , w”

“Soulnests began as a web PWA because we wanted care to feel like a place you could enter, not another list you could fail. Now we’re preparing for the App Store and would love a few honest iPhone testers. One sanctuary holds the Journal, Maya chat, Soul meditation, Brain Forest games, gentle workouts, Garden and Aura—joined by a small bird menu so the experience feels whole rather than scattered across five apps. Could you spend three days with it and tell us what feels comforting, confusing, or”

“been staring at logs all week and honestly I just need some real humans to poke holes in this thing before my brain melts I built a borderline insulting habit tracker web app for chronic procrastinators. It basically roasts you if you skip your daily goals. it's still pretty rough, some of the UI is janky rn, but the core mechanic works Im trying to get realtime feedback this time around. last project i did feedback via email and sorting through messy gmail threads made me want to quit codin”

“Filter april through present Built a calendar app last year, the whole idea was you just tell it what changed in your schedule instead of dragging blocks around yourself. Got it working over the summer, then stopped touching it around august like most of my side projects end up. Checked search console for it a few weeks ago for unrelated reasons and there's a real traffic bump starting around april-may. No idea why. Didn't post, didn't touch the code, nothing changed on my end during”

“Hi, I'm a solo developer building MonOS, an app designed for people who find regular to-do lists overwhelming. Instead of showing everything at once, it shows one task at a time, caps how much you can take on each day based on energy and time, and lets you filter down to easy wins when you're low on focus. Looking for people to join a closed beta on Android, opt in, use it for a couple of weeks, tell me what's broken or confusing. Happy to answer questions in the comments. subm”

“Solo dev here, looking for a few beta testers. I've been building Yappie, a calm focus app with a little pet blob that grows with you. The part I love most is that you pop your blob onto your desktop, and when a friend focuses at the same time (my wife, usually) you both see each other's blobs in the corner of the screen; she can even send a cheer that her stupid little blob hand-delivers across the screen. It makes focusing feel cozy. Two things that make it different: you can self-repo”

Thank you for the words! Best of luck with your side projects as well!

“Hahhaha I love it! Yeah currently George has a pretty large set of observational patterns, but mating dance is a great idea. Just have to make sure it's applied to individuals that are of age so it doesn't get awkward, but I'm sure that's a feasible possibility! I'm actually surprised he said tv remote...he usually calls those things not by their literal descriptors but rather usually something more abstract. Good to note!”

“I looked at 1000 book summaries completed on my book summary app over the last 3 months, and noted the following: - Atomic Habits gets opened constantly. Self-help dominates opens - Completion rates were way higher for audio than text. People finish summaries while exercising, commuting, and similar activities. Text summaries are often abandoned around the halfway mark. - Memoirs and biographies have higher completion rates even though they get fewer opens than business books. People click on ho”

There is an onbording screen where you can try logging in by pressing the options. I guess I should make it more obvious. Thanks!

“Photo proof is memorable, but I’d give people a private fallback for tasks that are awkward or unsafe to photograph. A short note plus a “no photo today” check-in keeps the streak honest without training users to upload sensitive stuff just to protect their XP.”

“I’m the founder. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m still improving the app, but the website is fully functional. Give it a try uou’ll get a good sense of what Ligoscope is all about.”

“I just started making my own app i guess lol pretty neat. Going to just have it on a samsung tablet i had laying around, will wall-mount it in the kitchen with the app once im finished it”

“My recent professional background has been in developing SaMD and after being out of work for several months I decided I needed to do something that's more stimulating than sending out application after application. I also wanted to work on something that (selfishly) would help me find my sleep and energy back by helping me time and dose my caffeine intake better. At the beginning of the year I was sleeping really poorly, feeling very anxious, and frequently crashing in the afternoon. Now I”

“I would test what happens after someone skips the app for two days. If they come back to overdue tasks or streak language, the low-pressure idea disappears fast. Give them one easy way to restart without making up the missed days.”

“Like a Waze but for communities rather than roads? Or an interactive map with built-in calendars to understand what's happening now and over the next week, in your area? I like the idea, just trying to understand it better.”

Vessel — Join the waitlist

“Hey mate - yeah totally. Currently thats what I have going - its the recomendation 'engine' im trying to develop - the easy answer is stick an ai model in the background but at this early stage im going to see what can be done by mapping out scores based on synopsis and genre and see how far I can tweak it :) give it a try and see if the recomendations hit!”

“Not the point of this sub. And also, there are thousands of habit tracker apps. Yours will be absolutely no different. So unless you have the ability to spend tons of money on advertising like the other top habit trackers, don't expect to get very far”

“I’ve been working on a side project that tackles something a little different: helping people quit gambling. Most recovery apps I found felt outdated or were basically just sobriety timers. I wanted to build something that feels like a modern iOS app people actually enjoy opening. Some of the features include: - Daily streaks and milestones - Progress tracking - Calculating money saved A polished, interactive UI with smooth animations I’m still refining it and would really appreciate honest feed”

“Tasks plus journal can work if the journal is a consequence of the task loop, not a second home screen. After someone finishes or skips a task, ask one optional reflection and let that build the daily entry automatically; otherwise users are maintaining two systems. Your first retention test should be whether people create a second-day task, not whether they browse the mood charts.”

“Hi everyone! I'm the solo dev behind Proxima, a free Android productivity app that combines a task manager with a daily journal + mood tracker. It's live on the Play Store and I'm looking for early users who'll tell me what's confusing, what's missing, and what would make them keep it installed. What it does: - Tasks & folders with statuses (To-do / In Progress / Done), due dates, priorities - Journal with mood tracking for daily reflection - Task-linked reminders - L”

“Finally after launching my habit tracking app I have some time to focus on the mobile app for my task manager - Task Pocket. Currently I have implemented entire data layer with support of offline, so when users don't have any network connection they still can use all features of the app. It required some changes on backend to, because we need to collect the operations log and reconcile when we receive such from the mobile app. BTW. Interesting thing, I've noticed that my task management”

“Intercept has a compelling concept! The challenge with digital wellbeing apps is that meaningful feedback usually comes from people using them during their normal phone habits over multiple days, since blocking accuracy, usability, and compatibility across different apps and devices become much clearer with real-world use. i found some engaged testers through intesters.com when doing closed testing. good luck reaching your tester goal and launching Intercept! 📵📱🚀”

“I have ADHD and need everything in place Creating lists for my diet/products i use Workout routine etc Has to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing submitted by /u/AdeptAd9105 [link] [comments]”

“This is exactly the sort of dumb-specific app that has a better chance than another “AI wellness companion.” The restraint is the product: timer, deadpan copy, no fake therapeutic arc. If anything, I’d lean even harder into the ritual: weekly “still mad?” notification, export a ridiculous certificate, maybe a tiny hall of shame. The second-open reason probably has to be comedy plus discomfort, not productivity.”

“A short walk around the block before I sit down, so my brain gets a fake commute and actually registers that the day has started. Doing the same walk at the end helps me shut work off instead of just drifting from the desk to the couch still thinking about it.”

“The uninstall lock worries me more than the feed blocking. I’d make everyone create an emergency unlock code before turning it on. People forget settings they made months ago, and eventually someone will need out fast.”

“People have a bad habit of posting in this sub about things they have already made. Is your app able to stop them from doing that?”

“I’m thinking of building a habit tracker, but I don’t want it to be just another app where you check off habits every day. So far, I’m planning to include: Habit tracking Addiction/bad habit quitting tracker Pomodoro focus timer Weekly progress & insights Monthly progress & insights Gamification with XP, levels, and rewards What features would make you actually want to use a habit tracker consistently? What do existing habit tracker apps get wrong or fail to include? Would love to hear y”