Simone Montalto
@simonemontalto.bsky.social
Indie Developer on iOS and macOS 👨💻 Creator of Book Tracker 📚 Movie Tracker 🍿 Music Tracker 🎶 Habit Tracker 🎮 Game Tracker 🧘 Countdown Widget 📆
In the end I want my apps to feel like tools that support your life, not systems that try to become part of your routine.
Tools do not ask for loyalty.
They earn trust by staying useful, honest and calm.
Tools do not ask for loyalty.
They earn trust by staying useful, honest and calm.
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
In the end I want my apps to feel like tools that support your life, not systems that try to become part of your routine.
Tools do not ask for loyalty.
They earn trust by staying useful, honest and calm.
Tools do not ask for loyalty.
They earn trust by staying useful, honest and calm.
The result is a type of software that stays quiet when not needed and becomes meaningful only when you bring something to it.
It does not try to own your time.
It tries to respect it.
It does not try to own your time.
It tries to respect it.
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
The result is a type of software that stays quiet when not needed and becomes meaningful only when you bring something to it.
It does not try to own your time.
It tries to respect it.
It does not try to own your time.
It tries to respect it.
This perspective makes you remove more than you add.
You eliminate behaviours that try to predict or influence.
You avoid unnecessary noise.
You build interactions that do not compete for attention.
You eliminate behaviours that try to predict or influence.
You avoid unnecessary noise.
You build interactions that do not compete for attention.
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
This perspective makes you remove more than you add.
You eliminate behaviours that try to predict or influence.
You avoid unnecessary noise.
You build interactions that do not compete for attention.
You eliminate behaviours that try to predict or influence.
You avoid unnecessary noise.
You build interactions that do not compete for attention.
Seeing an app as a relationship also changes how you design features.
You start asking questions like:
Does this feature help the user, or does it help the app?
Does it create trust, or dependency?
Is it aligned with the user’s intentions, or is it trying to shape them?
You start asking questions like:
Does this feature help the user, or does it help the app?
Does it create trust, or dependency?
Is it aligned with the user’s intentions, or is it trying to shape them?
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Seeing an app as a relationship also changes how you design features.
You start asking questions like:
Does this feature help the user, or does it help the app?
Does it create trust, or dependency?
Is it aligned with the user’s intentions, or is it trying to shape them?
You start asking questions like:
Does this feature help the user, or does it help the app?
Does it create trust, or dependency?
Is it aligned with the user’s intentions, or is it trying to shape them?
This is why my apps avoid pushing the user.
No suggestions, no engagement loops, no subtle nudges.
If you open the app for ten seconds, do what you need and close it, that is success.
The app served its purpose and respected your attention.
No suggestions, no engagement loops, no subtle nudges.
If you open the app for ten seconds, do what you need and close it, that is success.
The app served its purpose and respected your attention.
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
This is why my apps avoid pushing the user.
No suggestions, no engagement loops, no subtle nudges.
If you open the app for ten seconds, do what you need and close it, that is success.
The app served its purpose and respected your attention.
No suggestions, no engagement loops, no subtle nudges.
If you open the app for ten seconds, do what you need and close it, that is success.
The app served its purpose and respected your attention.
I think of apps as relationships.
A good relationship is not defined by how much time you spend together, but by how it makes you feel when you interact with it.
Calm, clear, predictable.
Not demanding.
A good relationship is not defined by how much time you spend together, but by how it makes you feel when you interact with it.
Calm, clear, predictable.
Not demanding.
November 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
I think of apps as relationships.
A good relationship is not defined by how much time you spend together, but by how it makes you feel when you interact with it.
Calm, clear, predictable.
Not demanding.
A good relationship is not defined by how much time you spend together, but by how it makes you feel when you interact with it.
Calm, clear, predictable.
Not demanding.
But this is also the most rewarding part of building apps alone.
Every version carries a little piece of who you are becoming as a developer.
And with each release, you learn to trust the process a bit more.
Every version carries a little piece of who you are becoming as a developer.
And with each release, you learn to trust the process a bit more.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
But this is also the most rewarding part of building apps alone.
Every version carries a little piece of who you are becoming as a developer.
And with each release, you learn to trust the process a bit more.
Every version carries a little piece of who you are becoming as a developer.
And with each release, you learn to trust the process a bit more.
Shipping updates is not just delivery.
It is vulnerability.
It is exposing your work, your choices and your blind spots to the real world.
It is equal parts excitement and humility.
It is vulnerability.
It is exposing your work, your choices and your blind spots to the real world.
It is equal parts excitement and humility.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Shipping updates is not just delivery.
It is vulnerability.
It is exposing your work, your choices and your blind spots to the real world.
It is equal parts excitement and humility.
It is vulnerability.
It is exposing your work, your choices and your blind spots to the real world.
It is equal parts excitement and humility.
And then, slowly, the anxiety fades.
Users start writing to say that something feels smoother, or clearer, or easier.
A small detail you polished gets noticed.
A regression you were worried about never shows up.
You exhale.
Users start writing to say that something feels smoother, or clearer, or easier.
A small detail you polished gets noticed.
A regression you were worried about never shows up.
You exhale.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
And then, slowly, the anxiety fades.
Users start writing to say that something feels smoother, or clearer, or easier.
A small detail you polished gets noticed.
A regression you were worried about never shows up.
You exhale.
Users start writing to say that something feels smoother, or clearer, or easier.
A small detail you polished gets noticed.
A regression you were worried about never shows up.
You exhale.
There is also a different kind of fear.
Not fear of bugs, but fear of disappointing someone.
When thousands of people trust your app for their books, movies or habits, every update carries the weight of that trust.
It is a responsibility you feel in your chest.
Not fear of bugs, but fear of disappointing someone.
When thousands of people trust your app for their books, movies or habits, every update carries the weight of that trust.
It is a responsibility you feel in your chest.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
There is also a different kind of fear.
Not fear of bugs, but fear of disappointing someone.
When thousands of people trust your app for their books, movies or habits, every update carries the weight of that trust.
It is a responsibility you feel in your chest.
Not fear of bugs, but fear of disappointing someone.
When thousands of people trust your app for their books, movies or habits, every update carries the weight of that trust.
It is a responsibility you feel in your chest.
The strange part is that you cannot control anything anymore.
Once the build is out, it belongs to the world.
If a crash appears, you fix it.
If a user gets confused, you improve the flow.
But in that moment, all you can do is wait and hope you understood the product well enough.
Once the build is out, it belongs to the world.
If a crash appears, you fix it.
If a user gets confused, you improve the flow.
But in that moment, all you can do is wait and hope you understood the product well enough.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The strange part is that you cannot control anything anymore.
Once the build is out, it belongs to the world.
If a crash appears, you fix it.
If a user gets confused, you improve the flow.
But in that moment, all you can do is wait and hope you understood the product well enough.
Once the build is out, it belongs to the world.
If a crash appears, you fix it.
If a user gets confused, you improve the flow.
But in that moment, all you can do is wait and hope you understood the product well enough.
Then you submit.
And the waiting starts.
Not the technical waiting, the emotional one.
The App Store review, the rollout, the first user who downloads it, the first email that arrives after the update.
Your mind tracks every small sign like a seismograph.
And the waiting starts.
Not the technical waiting, the emotional one.
The App Store review, the rollout, the first user who downloads it, the first email that arrives after the update.
Your mind tracks every small sign like a seismograph.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Then you submit.
And the waiting starts.
Not the technical waiting, the emotional one.
The App Store review, the rollout, the first user who downloads it, the first email that arrives after the update.
Your mind tracks every small sign like a seismograph.
And the waiting starts.
Not the technical waiting, the emotional one.
The App Store review, the rollout, the first user who downloads it, the first email that arrives after the update.
Your mind tracks every small sign like a seismograph.
Right before release, the app feels both finished and fragile.
You have tested it a hundred times, but you also know that real users will find edge cases you never imagined.
There is always a quiet moment where you ask yourself if you missed something important.
You have tested it a hundred times, but you also know that real users will find edge cases you never imagined.
There is always a quiet moment where you ask yourself if you missed something important.
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Right before release, the app feels both finished and fragile.
You have tested it a hundred times, but you also know that real users will find edge cases you never imagined.
There is always a quiet moment where you ask yourself if you missed something important.
You have tested it a hundred times, but you also know that real users will find edge cases you never imagined.
There is always a quiet moment where you ask yourself if you missed something important.
In the end, a good indie app is not just a tool.
It is a conversation between the developer and the user.
Quiet, simple and built with the kind of intention that does not scale but does endure.
It is a conversation between the developer and the user.
Quiet, simple and built with the kind of intention that does not scale but does endure.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
In the end, a good indie app is not just a tool.
It is a conversation between the developer and the user.
Quiet, simple and built with the kind of intention that does not scale but does endure.
It is a conversation between the developer and the user.
Quiet, simple and built with the kind of intention that does not scale but does endure.
This is the part of indie development that I love the most.
Not that I get to build whatever I want, but that I get to build things that feel aligned with how I think.
If the apps feel human, it is because they come from a human, not from an optimisation process.
Not that I get to build whatever I want, but that I get to build things that feel aligned with how I think.
If the apps feel human, it is because they come from a human, not from an optimisation process.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
This is the part of indie development that I love the most.
Not that I get to build whatever I want, but that I get to build things that feel aligned with how I think.
If the apps feel human, it is because they come from a human, not from an optimisation process.
Not that I get to build whatever I want, but that I get to build things that feel aligned with how I think.
If the apps feel human, it is because they come from a human, not from an optimisation process.
Some people see indie apps as small versions of bigger ones.
I see them as personal artefacts.
They are not defined by scale, but by intention.
They carry the biases, the limits and the care of the person who built them.
I see them as personal artefacts.
They are not defined by scale, but by intention.
They carry the biases, the limits and the care of the person who built them.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Some people see indie apps as small versions of bigger ones.
I see them as personal artefacts.
They are not defined by scale, but by intention.
They carry the biases, the limits and the care of the person who built them.
I see them as personal artefacts.
They are not defined by scale, but by intention.
They carry the biases, the limits and the care of the person who built them.
As a solo developer, I cannot separate the product from the person.
Every time I say no to a feature, I am protecting something that matters to me.
Every time I refactor code, I am shaping the app in a direction that feels more honest.
Every time I say no to a feature, I am protecting something that matters to me.
Every time I refactor code, I am shaping the app in a direction that feels more honest.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
As a solo developer, I cannot separate the product from the person.
Every time I say no to a feature, I am protecting something that matters to me.
Every time I refactor code, I am shaping the app in a direction that feels more honest.
Every time I say no to a feature, I am protecting something that matters to me.
Every time I refactor code, I am shaping the app in a direction that feels more honest.
You also see this in the things I deliberately do not build.
No recommendations, no automated behaviour, no attempts to influence user decisions.
Not because these things are bad, but because they do not match how I want tools to behave in my own life.
No recommendations, no automated behaviour, no attempts to influence user decisions.
Not because these things are bad, but because they do not match how I want tools to behave in my own life.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
You also see this in the things I deliberately do not build.
No recommendations, no automated behaviour, no attempts to influence user decisions.
Not because these things are bad, but because they do not match how I want tools to behave in my own life.
No recommendations, no automated behaviour, no attempts to influence user decisions.
Not because these things are bad, but because they do not match how I want tools to behave in my own life.
Even the structure of the UI mirrors how I think.
I like clarity, predictable navigation and features that stay quiet until the user needs them.
This is why the apps feel calm.
Not by design trend, but by personality.
I like clarity, predictable navigation and features that stay quiet until the user needs them.
This is why the apps feel calm.
Not by design trend, but by personality.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Even the structure of the UI mirrors how I think.
I like clarity, predictable navigation and features that stay quiet until the user needs them.
This is why the apps feel calm.
Not by design trend, but by personality.
I like clarity, predictable navigation and features that stay quiet until the user needs them.
This is why the apps feel calm.
Not by design trend, but by personality.
My apps do not track anything because I do not like being tracked.
They avoid noise because I avoid noise.
They do not push notifications unless absolutely necessary because I dislike being interrupted.
These are not marketing angles.
They are personal defaults expressed in software.
They avoid noise because I avoid noise.
They do not push notifications unless absolutely necessary because I dislike being interrupted.
These are not marketing angles.
They are personal defaults expressed in software.
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
My apps do not track anything because I do not like being tracked.
They avoid noise because I avoid noise.
They do not push notifications unless absolutely necessary because I dislike being interrupted.
These are not marketing angles.
They are personal defaults expressed in software.
They avoid noise because I avoid noise.
They do not push notifications unless absolutely necessary because I dislike being interrupted.
These are not marketing angles.
They are personal defaults expressed in software.
I no longer feel embarrassed by my old code.
It is not who I am today, but it is part of how I got here.
And in a strange way, it keeps me honest.
It reminds me that in a few years, today’s code will also look unfamiliar.
And that is exactly how it should be.
It is not who I am today, but it is part of how I got here.
And in a strange way, it keeps me honest.
It reminds me that in a few years, today’s code will also look unfamiliar.
And that is exactly how it should be.
November 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I no longer feel embarrassed by my old code.
It is not who I am today, but it is part of how I got here.
And in a strange way, it keeps me honest.
It reminds me that in a few years, today’s code will also look unfamiliar.
And that is exactly how it should be.
It is not who I am today, but it is part of how I got here.
And in a strange way, it keeps me honest.
It reminds me that in a few years, today’s code will also look unfamiliar.
And that is exactly how it should be.
Maintaining apps with different ages teaches you something important.
Growth does not happen in big leaps.
It happens quietly, diffused across thousands of lines of code and hundreds of decisions you barely remember making.
Growth does not happen in big leaps.
It happens quietly, diffused across thousands of lines of code and hundreds of decisions you barely remember making.
November 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Maintaining apps with different ages teaches you something important.
Growth does not happen in big leaps.
It happens quietly, diffused across thousands of lines of code and hundreds of decisions you barely remember making.
Growth does not happen in big leaps.
It happens quietly, diffused across thousands of lines of code and hundreds of decisions you barely remember making.