Building an App

Kayalana99

Hiya Guys,

Got an idea for an app ~ simple enough won't need much work (well I don't no how they are made but it will be the simplest of the simplest )

J/w Has anyone done this and got any experience? I would prefer to do it for iPhone & if anyone has, what about adverts etc? Is it hard to get people to advertise?

I was thinking of dishing it out at 69p or something stupid to start with and perhaps upping the price as it gets a bit more content.

droopsnoot

Best to post in the 'techie' board I think, maybe more likely to run across someone who has experience.

I used to write software for mobile phones before it was called an 'app', safe to say that experience will count for nothing on a modern device unfortunately.

Kayalana99

No worries I've got quite a few people looking at this thread but no one replying as I guess it's not a wide spread thing!

I've found that you need to pay $99 upfront with apple...so I don't no whether to proceed or not yet as I was hoping you could just upload an app and see how it goes.

I will also need a mac...as the program I need doesn't work on windows, my Dad has a mac but then I wouldn't want him asking me a million questions about what I am doing.

I may wait till I have some funds spare. Just thought I would add some info of what I found so far incase anyone else was interested.

Idiophreak

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Hiya Guys,

Got an idea for an app ~ simple enough won't need much work (well I don't no how they are made but it will be the simplest of the simplest )

There are a lot of libraries out there now that make writing apps a lot easier, but fundamentally you're still going to need to write some code to get the thing built. Or pay someone to make it for you.

Kayalana99 wrote: »

J/w Has anyone done this and got any experience? I would prefer to do it for iPhone & if anyone has, what about adverts etc? Is it hard to get people to advertise?

I was thinking of dishing it out at 69p or something stupid to start with and perhaps upping the price as it gets a bit more content.

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Firstly, I'd be very careful with your model. People don't like paying for aps and still having adverts. You're much better off either having the app free with adverts, or just paid for.

I've got a few apps up on Android now and am gradually getting the hang of stuff. I'd advise starting on Android as it's freer and you can develop it on any PC. It's a good way of working out if an app has legs before splashing the cash on Apple.

Arranging Advertising is no problem - there are services you subscribe to that provide the adverts. So you just say "put an advert here" and they provide one...then if someone clicks on that advert the service pays you a little money.

Beyond that, consider that if your app really is simplest of simples, there's probably not much to stop other people copying it...and also do research about the best way to launch apps on your OS. For instance, with Android, you get in the "new app" charts for 30 days - so you need the app to be as good as you can make it before you go to market - then if you make it into the chart enjoy a bit of exponential growth which is a great head start.

Kayalana99

Thank you very much appreciated I will look into android :-), no doubt someone will copy my idea but the app itself will be simple ~ people will use it for the content but yes it could easily be copied by someone with money excess cash to make it into something 'more'.

I suppose for my first one free with ads would be a good start if it's simple enough.

I'm sure I will pick it up. Will let you know how I get on

It's all in good fun.

Bonzowaite

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Hiya Guys,

Got an idea for an app ~ simple enough won't need much work (well I don't no how they are made but it will be the simplest of the simplest )

J/w Has anyone done this and got any experience? I would prefer to do it for iPhone & if anyone has, what about adverts etc? Is it hard to get people to advertise?

I was thinking of dishing it out at 69p or something stupid to start with and perhaps upping the price as it gets a bit more content.

Are you thinking of learning to build it yourself or paying someone to do it for you? This site has some stuff about learning iOS programming >> http://howtolearnios.com

I am a very amateur iOS programming and it is a very steep learning curve. Even if your idea is very simple, learning to program simple apps is not, in fact, that simple - if that makes sense? If you have plenty of spare time on your hands, it is a great hobby.

As for pricing, free apps often make far more money that paid ones due to the fact that people have got used to getting great apps for free. You can make money from Ads and it's not difficult to set up. The Flappy Bird app, for example, was free but made shed loads due to ads.

You will also need to join the Apple Developer Programme if you want to get an app on to the App Store - it costs $99 per year.

Kayalana99

Thank you, going to start on Android for now though and see how I go, downloaded Eclipse but now just have to spend time learning how to do it :-)

I am sure I will manage ~ not saying it won't be difficult I have no idea at this point but I have a knack for these kind of things and do have plenty of time on my hands..depending on the day. (Two kids under two )

Gives me some time to work on content on the side lines as well :-)

Bonzowaite

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Thank you, going to start on Android for now though and see how I go, downloaded Eclipse but now just have to spend time learning how to do it :-)

I am sure I will manage ~ not saying it won't be difficult I have no idea at this point but I have a knack for these kind of things and do have plenty of time on my hands..depending on the day. (Two kids under two )

Gives me some time to work on content on the side lines as well :-)

I hear what you say (I have 3 kids under 6 years)- there are some beginners courses on Java and Android programming on the howtolearnios.com website.

jamiednm

A word of caution - apps are notoriously difficult to make money out of unless you have excellent content and/or a trusted name. Just putting a simple app out at 69p along with no experience of how to properly market an app will probably result in zero sales and a lot of time wasted. There are millions of apps out there - so just getting noticed in the first place will be a massive challenge. Also, no one wants to pay for an app - all the best ones are free.

I don't want to be completely negative, but I think there needs to be a reality check. If you think you can get over these obstacles, then the best of luck to you.

Kayalana99

Tbh I wasn't worried in slightest about traffic It will be a small niche and won't be the next big app...but if I make an extra £5-£20 in advertising for an app that doesn't require maintenance whilst learning how to build more I will be happy. :-)

I know it will be found because people will search for it.

As for my progess, I have two more exams to pass on the course I am doing so I am finishing that and taking a break (before going onto the next level) and will be starting this.

Will keep thread updated.

Bonzowaite

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Tbh I wasn't worried in slightest about traffic It will be a small niche and won't be the next big app...but if I make an extra £5-£20 in advertising for an app that doesn't require maintenance whilst learning how to build more I will be happy. :-)

I know it will be found because people will search for it.

As for my progess, I have two more exams to pass on the course I am doing so I am finishing that and taking a break (before going onto the next level) and will be starting this.

Will keep thread updated.

Are you learning Objective-C or Apple's new Swift language.
If I was starting from scratch I would learn Swift since Objective-C can be a bit of a beast for a beginner. I have the mental scars to prove it!