Last week in the morning, when I opened my smartphone, there were zero notifications. No newsletter had arrived, no replies on social media, just the calendar app quietly showing the date. That day happened to be exactly one year since I released the app I created. Nobody knows about it, and nobody is celebrating it. For some reason, that morning, my chest ached a little at this obvious fact. One year that I created myself, released myself, and operated myself. Perhaps some of you reading this have had similar experiences. This article is the story of one developer's small milestone that I couldn't tell anyone about. It's not a success story. It's not a story about user numbers exploding, or revenue coming in and changing my life. Still, after that morning, I feel like the meaning of "continuing" has changed a little. It will be long, but if you don't mind, please stay with me until the end.
I released the app in early September last year. I still remember the day I submitted it to the store with trembling fingers after months of work. The moment the review was approved, I brewed coffee alone and quietly raised my cup.
During the first week, I kept reloading the analytics dashboard. Every time the user count increased by one, thinking that some stranger was using what I created, I felt unbelievable.
Between Expectations and Reality
To be honest, I thought it would spread more. I posted announcements on social media and posted in several communities. I didn't expect it to "go viral," but I imagined a future where it would gradually spread. But reality was different. My announcement tweet got 3 likes, and 2 of them were from friends.
Downloads in the first month were 47. I told myself it wasn't bad, but the next month it dropped to 12. After that, a quiet graph continued.
Around six months after the app was released, an acquaintance who was also doing individual development posted on X. A post saying "Today marks my app's 1st anniversary! Thank you," with a screenshot showing a five-digit download count.
That post had dozens of replies and a huge number of likes. "Congratulations," "Amazing," "I admire you." While watching her respond politely to each one, I opened my own dashboard.
Comparing, Being Honest
The cumulative download count at that time was 312. Monthly active users were 12 people. Her post and my numbers lined up in my head, and I couldn't move for a while.
It was less jealousy and more something quieter. "Is my app worth continuing?" That question slowly surfaced. And for a week after seeing that post, I completely stopped updating my app.
Almost Stopping, But Not Stopping
During the week I stopped updating, something strange happened. A message came from one of the 12 active users. Not "There's a bug," but just one line: "I use this app every morning. Thank you."
That's all. But that alone got my stopped hands moving again. At least one of the 12 people uses this app every morning. In that moment, I felt it was real, and I reversed the decision I had almost made to "stop updating and make something else." With just one line from a stranger, I chose to continue.
From that day, another six months passed. The app lived on. I haven't been able to make many major feature additions, but I've fixed small bugs, tidied up the UI a bit, and accumulated modest updates.
Looking back, I had released a total of 23 updates over the year. For each one, I wrote a few hundred characters of release notes, did testing, and submitted for review. There are many changes that nobody notices. Still, when I saw the accumulated number 23, I felt a little proud for some reason.
The Meaning of "Continuing" Changed
A year ago, I thought "continuing" meant user numbers kept growing. If the numbers didn't increase, there was no point in continuing. But now I feel something a little different.
Continuing might just be existing in that place. When someone searches, it appears. When they want to use it, they can. When they send feedback, they get a response. Continuing to exist as a "trustworthy place" like that. I've come to think that might be a value in itself.
And I return to that morning of the first year.
Notifications remained at zero. No users noticed. Still, I bought a shortcake from a convenience store by myself. Just like on the release day last year, I brewed coffee. This time I wrote "1st Anniversary" in my notebook and added "Congratulations" in small letters.
Not to show anyone. I think I just wanted to acknowledge to myself that I had come this far.
Reflecting on a Year Full of Failures
To be honest, it was a year with more failures than successes. I got the announcement wrong and it didn't spread. I added too many features, and the app that was supposed to be simple became complicated. Once, I released an incorrect version and had to send an apology message to users.
Still, the app exists. Someone is launching it today. Just that alone means that one year of everything doesn't disappear, I feel.
Among those reading this essay, there may be some in similar situations. The numbers aren't growing. Nobody is noticing. Yet somehow, you can't stop.
I don't think that's weakness. Rather, that feeling of "I can't stop" might be proof that your app is truly yours.
I'm not saying you shouldn't aim for big success, or that you shouldn't care about numbers. Numbers matter, and thinking about growth is important. But I think the fact that you're still continuing even after reaching an unnoticed 1st anniversary is saying something in itself.
Toward the Next Year
For the next year, I'm trying to change one thing. I'm giving up on the goal of "going viral" and setting a small, concrete goal: "turning 12 active users into 14."
Rather than big dreams, just one step further that seems within reach. With about that much warmth, I'm thinking of continuing a little longer.
If you too are spending an unnoticed anniversary alone, please gently say "Congratulations" to yourself. I think that's something very small and very certain.
Lily（@bokuwalily）― Individual developer. Working hand-in-hand with AI, creating iOS apps and web services
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Lily（@bokuwalily）― After leading a marketing organization of 50 people as CMO, I now create iOS apps and web services individually. I consult on customer acquisition, user flow design, and AI implementation and business automation
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