Why I killed FIFTN and Fishify
I shipped two apps I did not love. FIFTN came from a 15 minute productivity rule. Fishify was an ASO bet. Here is why I stopped.
Read article →Writing by Paweł Karniej
Mobile apps, AI products, and shipping lessons
Practical guides and case studies from building React Native apps, AI products, subscription systems, and App Store releases.
How to Fix an AI App Before Launch
Fix an AI-built app before launch by triaging auth, payments, analytics, device builds, and App Store blockers in the right order.
Read article →AI-generated app App Store rejection fix: diagnose, repair, and resubmit
Apple rejected your AI-generated app? Classify the review issue, repair the right layer, and decide whether to fix or rebuild.
Read article →React Native emergency bug fix before launch: triage, repair, or rebuild
A release-focused triage plan for React Native bugs blocking TestFlight, App Review, payments, auth, or production launch.
Read article →Rork app App Store submission: the production-ready path
Before submitting a Rork app, check the native build, auth, payments, privacy, analytics, and App Store assets that preview cannot prove.
Read article →Replit mobile app to App Store: the production launch path
Built a mobile app in Replit? Diagnose the native build, payments, auth, and App Store gaps before choosing direct publish, repair, or rebuild.
Read article →Vibe-coded app code audit service: what founders should expect
Learn what a vibe-coded app audit should inspect, what the report must decide, and when to fix, rebuild, or prepare for mobile launch.
Read article →EAS build failed for your Expo app in production? What to fix before launch
If your Expo app builds locally but EAS production builds fail, diagnose config, dependencies, env vars, credentials, and rebuild risk before launch.
Read article →Supabase auth React Native app stuck? Fix the launch blocker
React Native Supabase auth can look fixed in preview and still trap users in stale sessions. Diagnose storage, redirects, listeners, and RLS before launch.
Read article →RevenueCat entitlement not working in React Native? What to fix before launch
If RevenueCat purchases succeed but paid access stays locked, audit entitlement IDs, app user IDs, cache, sandbox, restore, and access gates.
Read article →React Native App Store submission service: what you actually need before launch
Before you hire help, verify the build, signing, privacy, paywall, analytics, and review assets a React Native submission service should own.
Read article →Expo app TestFlight crash fix: what to check before launch
A practical triage guide for Expo apps that work locally but crash in TestFlight, with fix versus rebuild decision rules.
Read article →Lovable app broken after prototype? What to fix before launch
If your Lovable prototype breaks after the demo, diagnose auth, state, backend, mobile, and launch gaps before you keep prompting.
Read article →Cursor React Native app audit: what to check before launch
A practical audit for Cursor-built React Native apps that need stable auth, payments, analytics, TestFlight, and App Store readiness.
Read article →Why AI-built React Native apps break before launch
AI tools can generate a convincing React Native demo fast. Here is why those apps often break before App Store launch, and what founders should fix first.
Read article →Fix or rebuild your AI-built React Native app?
A practical triage framework for founders stuck with a vibe-coded React Native or Expo app: what to keep, what to fix, and when to rebuild.
Read article →AI-built Expo app? What still needs to happen before App Store submission
A launch-readiness checklist for founders who built an Expo or React Native app with AI tools and now need authentication, payments, analytics, and App Store submission.
Read article →Fix a vibe-coded React Native app: the rescue checklist
A practical checklist for founders who used AI tools to build a React Native app and now need to fix bugs, clean architecture, and prepare for launch.
Read article →React Native AI app code audit checklist
A code audit checklist for React Native and Expo apps built with AI tools: architecture, dependencies, auth, payments, analytics, App Store readiness, and rebuild risk.
Read article →Cursor built your React Native app? How to make it production-ready
Cursor can help you build a React Native prototype fast. Here is what still needs to happen before the app can support users, payments, analytics, and App Store launch.
Read article →Can a Lovable app go to the App Store? The mobile launch path
Lovable can help founders shape a product fast, but App Store launch requires native mobile infrastructure. Here is the path from Lovable prototype to launch-ready app.
Read article →Bolt Expo app with broken auth or payments? What to fix first
If an AI-generated Bolt or Expo app has broken authentication, payment, or subscription flows, use this order of operations before you keep patching screens.
Read article →AI-generated React Native paywalls need RevenueCat logic, not just UI
A paywall generated by AI may look finished, but RevenueCat, entitlement checks, restore purchases, analytics, and error states make it launch-ready.
Read article →Did an AI agent downgrade your Expo SDK? Fix the foundation first
AI coding tools sometimes downgrade Expo or install incompatible packages to clear errors. Here is how to recover the React Native foundation before launch.
Read article →Will Apple reject an AI-generated app? The real launch risks
Apple does not reject apps simply because AI helped build them, but AI-generated apps often miss privacy, payments, account deletion, metadata, and review requirements.
Read article →Why mobile app freelancers underbid by 60 percent: the missing scope items
The systematic reason freelancer quotes come in 30 to 60 percent lower than what the project actually costs to ship. Math, examples, and how to stress-test a quote.
Read article →MVP cost calculator: scope vs price for a 2026 mobile app
A working framework to estimate mobile app MVP cost based on scope. Plug in your features, get a realistic 2026 budget range across all four delivery paths.
Read article →The one magical AI moment: how to pick the right AI feature for your app
Every AI app needs one moment that makes users text a friend. Here's the framework for picking yours and why apps with two or more rarely launch.
Read article →Expo or bare React Native in 2026: when each makes sense
Honest decision guide for Expo managed vs bare React Native in 2026. The lines have moved; the right choice has changed.
Read article →Hire a React Native consultant for an hour: when 1-on-1 sessions actually help
When a 1-hour React Native consulting call beats hiring a full agency. The 7 problems where an hour with an expert saves you weeks.
Read article →Best React Native agencies and studios in 2026 (the ones I'd hire)
Honest list of React Native agencies and productized studios worth hiring in 2026, with the kind of project each is best for.
Read article →ASO keyword research for indie apps: the 90-minute method that beats $500 tools
The ASO keyword research process I run on every launch. 90 minutes, no paid tools required, beats most $500-a-month ASO services.
Read article →RevenueCat vs Stripe for mobile subscriptions: which to ship with in 2026
Honest comparison of RevenueCat and Stripe for mobile app subscription billing in 2026. The cleanest decision rules and the cases where each one wins.
Read article →App Store submission checklist 2026: 47 things that trip founders up
Every Apple App Store rejection trigger that actually happens in 2026, plus the fix for each. Save weeks of rejection cycles by checking these before submission.
Read article →Build an iOS app for under $2,000 in 2026: the actual options
The honest sub-$2,000 paths are DIY or guided DIY. Done-for-you mobile development starts above that line once both platforms and store submission are included.
Read article →OpenAI vs Claude vs Gemini for mobile apps in 2026: which to ship with
Practitioner's comparison of OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini for AI mobile apps. Which model wins on quality, cost, latency, and reliability for each task type.
Read article →AI mobile app ideas for indie founders: 12 patterns that monetize in 2026
Tired of generic 'ChatGPT wrapper' lists? Here are 12 specific AI mobile app patterns that are actually monetizing on the App Store right now.
Read article →Paywall conversion benchmarks for indie mobile apps in 2026
Real paywall conversion numbers across utility, AI, wellness, and entertainment apps in 2026. What good looks like and how to fix yours if it doesn't hit.
Read article →React Native boilerplates compared in 2026: Ship React Native vs Ignite vs others
Honest comparison of the React Native boilerplates that matter in 2026. Strengths, weaknesses, what's actually included, and which one fits your project.
Read article →How to build a ChatGPT wrapper app that actually makes money in 2026
The honest playbook for building a profitable ChatGPT wrapper in 2026. Pricing, cost control, retention, and the exact mistakes that kill 90 percent of these apps.
Read article →Why hiring a 'cheap React Native freelancer' costs more than a productized studio
The math on cheap freelancers always looks great until month four. Real breakdown of why the $4,000 quote becomes a $14,000 project.
Read article →How to launch an AI mobile app in 4 weeks, the playbook I use
The exact 4-week playbook I use to ship AI-powered mobile apps to the App Store. Week by week, with real decisions, real pitfalls, and the stack that makes it repeatable.
Read article →Hidden costs of mobile app development: 12 line items most quotes miss
If your mobile app quote doesn't list these 12 items explicitly, you're going to pay for them as 'change orders' later. Here's the full list.
Read article →React Native agency vs freelancer vs MVP studio: which ships faster in 2026?
An honest, practitioner's comparison of three paths to ship a React Native app in 2026: traditional agency, freelancer, or productized MVP studio. Speed, price, risk, and who owns the code at the end.
Read article →What $3,999 buys you: my Product Build Sprint breakdown
The current my Product Build Sprint scope includes iOS, Android, one focused product loop, both store submissions, code ownership, and a four-week delivery guarantee.
Read article →How much does it cost to build a mobile app in 2026? Real numbers from 25 launches
Honest pricing breakdown for building a mobile app in 2026, from a $0 DIY path to a $50k+ full agency build, with real data from 25 apps I shipped to the App Store.
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Aividly: from AI media product to acquisition
How I shipped an iOS AI media product with subscriptions, analytics, rendering infrastructure, and App Store execution before it was acquired.
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Newsletterytics: Beehiiv analytics on mobile
A production note on shipping Beehiiv newsletter analytics, subscriber insights, and an iOS widget in a focused mobile product.
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Coldsmith: cold exposure and breathwork on iOS
A production note on shipping cold-exposure timers, guided breathwork, streak tracking, HealthKit, and subscriptions in one iOS product.
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