by toine
Written on: 3/30/2025
In December 2023, I embarked on my app development journey by creating “Remindful.” The concept seemed straightforward: users could send notifications to others as a way to let them know they were thinking of them. However, I quickly discovered that what appears simple in theory can be quite complex in execution.
For several months, I struggled with notification functionality. Everything worked perfectly in development with Expo Go, but when I built the production version, the notifications mysteriously stopped working. After battling with this issue for months, I decided to pivot to a new project.
By this point, I had gained valuable insight into what constitutes an “easy” app development project.
That’s when I discovered Hacker News and learned that they offer an open-source API. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to create something both useful and achievable: a Hacker News reader app.
The development process wasn’t without its hurdles. I started the project in May 2024, but quickly ran into challenges with React Native’s FlatList component, which wasn’t behaving as expected. Frustrated, I temporarily shelved the project.
In January 2025, with renewed determination, I returned to the project. With a clearer vision and more experience under my belt, I made rapid progress and completed the app within just a few weeks.
The approval process from the App Store was surprisingly smooth. This was largely because my app:
While the app is primarily a Hacker News reader, I added several features to enhance the user experience:
If you’re interested in checking out the app, you can download it from the App Store: appstore
Thanks for reading my first article! I hope this inspires other aspiring app developers to persist through challenges and bring their ideas to life.
Toine