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I have a 4 iOS apps on the App Store, however only one of them makes significant income, approx. $500 a month. It's a road traffic app for the UK which I origin

I have a 4 iOS apps on the App Store, however only one of them makes significant income, approx. $500 a month. It's a road traffic app for the UK which I originally built to satisfy my own need - I searched the App Store and all the apps I could find were either very clunky to use and not very reliable. So if you can find a niche, and improve the UI/UX on existing apps, then there is definitely scope to make some "passive" income on the App Store. I put passive in quotes as anything you do will require upfront time and effort and also some ongoing support/updates. In my case I spent a few months (evenings/weekends) building the app and now spend a few hours each month either responding to support emails or fixing bugs/releasing small updates. Don't underestimate time for sales and marketing; whatever you decide to do will require some form of promotion/marketing and getting the message out there that you have built something. I regularly update a Twitter account for the app as well as maintain a website showcasing the product. Good luck in whatever you do. [edit to mention sales/marketing].

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
Sales/marketing are the killer, and they're an entire subject in themselves - like learning a whole new coding language. There's nothing passive about them, and you have to do them. (If someone builds a passive income project and no one hears about it, does it even exist?)
wingerlang 10y ago
> ..originally built to satisfy my own need Key point right here. I have a couple of "apps" that I built purely for my own need and want, they are also being sold but I don't have any issues with keeping them updated because I use them myself probably more than anyone else. Because of this, I feel they are passive, even though I've spent many many hours on them.
calsy 10y ago
People always target the wrong aspects when it comes to promotion of apps. Websites and twitter accounts won't do much of anything to grow your app. +60% of all app downloads are through app store search. You need to be extremely diligent in optimising your keywords for both App Store and Google Play. Products like sensor tower give you great tools to research high traffic/low difficulty keywords. Then it's a matter of trial and error. Better search results equals more downloads, more downloads equals high ranking, high ranking equals more visibility. People are not going out of their way to view app 'landing pages' I can tell you that.

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago

Sales/marketing are the killer, and they're an entire subject in themselves - like learning a whole new coding language. There's nothing passive about them, and you have to do them. (If someone builds a passive income project and no one hears about it, does it even exist?)

wingerlang 10y ago

> ..originally built to satisfy my own need Key point right here. I have a couple of "apps" that I built purely for my own need and want, they are also being sold but I don't have any issues with keeping them updated because I use them myself probably more than anyone else. Because of this, I feel they are passive, even though I've spent many many hours on them.

calsy 10y ago

People always target the wrong aspects when it comes to promotion of apps. Websites and twitter accounts won't do much of anything to grow your app. +60% of all app downloads are through app store search. You need to be extremely diligent in optimising your keywords for both App Store and Google Play. Products like sensor tower give you great tools to research high traffic/low difficulty keywords. Then it's a matter of trial and error. Better search results equals more downloads, more downloads equals high ranking, high ranking equals more visibility. People are not going out of their way to view app 'landing pages' I can tell you that.