One week and $608 later - Skyscraper's launch into the big Bluesky and the Apple App Store
TLDR: On January 19th, I released Skyscraper for Bluesky on the Apple App Store for iOS, iPad, and macOS (via iPad compatibility mode). The first week has exceeded expectations, collecting $608 in subscription revenue. Below are some notes as a history for myself, and to encourage anyone looking to release an iOS app in 2026 and beyond.
I really wasn't expecting to be able to write this post, but Skyscraper had a great first week. I thought I was fairly ready for the release, but like any software launch, some parts were a bit bumpier than I would have liked. But we survived and have some revenue to show for it!
For those who are unfamiliar, Skyscraper is an iOS client for Bluesky. Much like Mastodon today, or Twitter in the past, the Bluesky social network has an API available that allows for client apps to be written for different platforms. I wasn't particularly happy with using the Bluesky app on my iPhone, so I figured why not try to create my own app. And so I kicked off a new repository and got to work.
3 months and 1 day later, we were in the App Store ready to go. I will spare the marketing messaging from this blog post, you're free to read the App Store Description, but I was very proud of the 1.0 release. It has the Bluesky bells and whistles any user would expect, along with some neat additions like post-drafts, trending hashtag lists, Safari extension report to open bsky.social apps in Skyscraper, Shortcuts support, deep linking with Tapestry support coming in 1.1, themes, account backup/export, and more.
So after going live, it was time to wait and see and see what users thought. And the results have pretty great! Here's some early stats on the launch:
- As mentioned, $608 in in-app subscription revenue, so looking at $67 MMR.
- Downloads from 35+ countries
- 12 reviews, and a 4.9 ⭐ rating
- 7 mostly good nights of sleep, with no major showstoppers
- 1 minor bug fix release, and 1 new build in the pipeline being tested by 178 new and old TestFlight users
Interestingly enough, day 1 was not my best day! I attribute the Saturday bump below to two things: a very nice mention in the ClubMacstories Newsletter and a share of the app by Denny Carter who is an advocate of making Bluesky "The official app of Sports™".
I also think the weekend in general is just a better time to be browsing and using social media, so it's not surprising that I had more subscriptions. I had a couple new subscribers who also DMed or emailed me to let me know they found me searching the App Store, which is cool!
I'm sure there will be time to write more once I get a chance to learn more about how the launch plays out, but here are some quick thoughts on having a moderately successful launch in the App Store in 2026.
Pre-Launch Vibes
I worked very hard to build a strong TestFlight user group, which was ~20-30 very passionate users in the weeks leading up to launch. This fluctuated, and I was constantly fishing for testers. But probably 60% of the great ideas that made 1.0 were either recommended or strongly refined by these users who were using the app every day.
It's also essentially impossible to say given the anonymity of Apple's subscriptions, but I strongly believe that a good chunk of this revenue is also these users. So I'm guessing the momentum will fade, but it's great to have support from people who enjoy using an app.
Build an App You Want
I'm struggling to find the exact quote or source, but I remember reading years ago that in writing a book or blog, you should strive to appease your "ideal reader". Think of who you want reading your blog, and write something you think they would find interesting.
In the iOS app game, you should be building for your ideal user. And the only person that can be, is you. Your chances of failure GREATLY outweigh the chances of any financial success. Find an app that you're excited to build because even if all goes south with regards to success, you still have a great app for yourself. And hopefully you learn a few things along the way.
The iOS App Store is Different Now
I guess I've been building apps for a real long time now, so sometimes it's hard to sit back and realize that the world around you is evolving. And in turn, you need to evolve with it or you have no chance for success.
There's a variety of different ways you can create promotional codes to offer discounts in your app, you can provide different store experiences to A/B test, and you can integrate with 3rd party services like RevenueCat in order to optimize your payment flow and improve monetization. If you have been out of the iOS app game for several years, take some time to learn about the current realities of the App Store.
Stay True to You
I read many articles about how the "best medium subscription annual rate" in 2026 is around $39.99/year. I decided to go with $20 because it felt right and fair. Am I losing out on $20/user/year? I very well may be, and we will see how it plays out.
Likewise, it seems like every app I use today immediately floods you with a prompt to subscribe at a rate of $9.99/week or $120/year, or you get access to nothing. I think I decided to be fair and provided a very valuable set of features for free. There's no sales prompt in app, and all of these subscriptions came from users willfully searching out how to give me money.
Closing Thoughts
I think my biggest realization through this whole process is that, it's still very hard to build a successful app in 2026. Despite new tools (love or hate Claude Code), new monetization strategies, new markets, and new opportunities, it's not easy to see success.
To those who are building, I wish you the best of luck and if I can be of any help, let me know!
Cameron