Monetization: freemium models and paywalls

On the podcast: Adrian Eves about his path from Apple’s accessibility team to indie app development, building Pediapal and Auralog from personal health challenges. We cover lessons from launching, redesigning with Liquid Glass, navigating App Store features, and how community—from iOS Dev Happy Hour to Swift Sonic—has fueled his growth.

Top Takeaways:

🤝 Your community is your safety net 

If you get laid off, it's the people you've supported who will support you right back, creating a crucial buffer during uncertain times.

😠 Turn frustration into features 
The most compelling app ideas often come from solving your own, real-life problems, giving you an authentic perspective on what users truly need.

🚀 Ship it, then ship it again 
Your first version won’t be perfect, and that's the point. The real work, and the best learning, starts after you hit publish and begin iterating.

🎤 You don’t need permission to build 
If you have an idea that you're passionate about, just start building. Don't wait for the perfect time or an external green light.

💡 Spite can be a great motivator 
A little bit of friendly competition or a desire to prove something can be the exact push you need to finally ship your app.

About Adrian Eves:

🚀 Indie App Developer and Creator of Pediapal, an app that makes it simple for families to track their child's health, & Auralog, a migraine tracker to help you take control of your migraines and headache history.

👋LinkedIn

🌐Learn more about CommunityKit

🎵Learn more about Swiftsonic 

Follow us on X: 

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM 

Episode Highlights:

[0:00] Introduction to Adrian Eves: From Apple’s accessibility team to indie app developer
[3:30] The power of community: iOS Dev Happy Hour and how relationships opened unexpected doors
[8:45] Landing at Apple: Accessibility work and designing technology that truly helps people
[14:20] The layoff pivot: Turning uncertainty into motivation to finally ship an indie app
[18:10] Building Pediapal: Solving the real-world problem of tracking kids’ health
[24:00] Launch day lessons: Why shipping is emotional—and what happens after the high fades
[28:30] WWDC as an indie: Experiencing Dub Dub differently when you have your own app
[32:40] The Liquid Glass redesign: Rebuilding Pediapal from scratch and chasing an App Store feature
[38:15] Marketing reality check: Why a local TV appearance outperformed App Store hopes
[42:50] Spite-driven development: Building Auralog in under a month to solve chronic migraines
[47:10] Focus and traction: Why Auralog’s narrow, search-driven use case gained momentum
[52:30] Monetization strategy: Freemium models, paywalls, and learning ASO from other indies
[57:45] CommunityKit: Creating a physical hub for developers during WWDC week
[1:02:30] Swift Sonic: Designing a music-inspired conference with built-in mentorship
[1:07:15] Final reflections: Building for real people, leaning on community, and growing through each iteration