Apple Threatens to Remove TwitterAccording to Elon Musk, Apple has threatened to remove Twitter from the App Store. Since Elon Musk paid $44 Billion for Twitter, he's probably not thrilled about this idea. In this video I'll give my perspective as an app developer for what Elon can do to combat this.
App Store's Cut of Revenue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqAIZWdSoYo
CEOs testify before House Judiciary Cmte:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s1uWo1_bzg&t=14801s
Elon Musk twitter profile:
https://twitter.com/elonmusk
Elon Musk buys twitter:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/technology/elon-musk-twitter-deal-complete.html
App Store Review Guidelines:
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
Apple Bans Fortnite:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/sep/22/fortnite-app-store-download-banned-apple-legal-battleNovember 30, 2022
3 Years on Upwork as an App DeveloperI spent 3 years on upwork trying to make a full time income as a freelance app developer. This video shows my results over those three years, and 3 lessons I've learned. Web app development and mobile app development is what I do every day for clients.
Schedule an app development consultation with me here:
https://calendly.com/jamesonsaunders/freelance-meeting
Want to learn how to become an app developer? Start here:
https://jamesonsaunders.com/vsl/how-to-become-an-app-developer?s=blogNovember 14, 2022
Artists about to lose their jobs?Dalle 2 is an AI capable of generating realistic art instantly. Artificial intelligence is getting to the point now where I'm concerned for the future of people's jobs. Thankfully there will be new jobs available, but it's still good to plan for the future.
The use cases for this are endless: see how furniture looks in your living room, create a variation of this painting, create a new painting given this description, etc.
Watch my other AI video here:
https://youtu.be/m9z7dsp1lDA
Dalle 2 can be found here:
https://openai.com/dall-e-2/April 29, 2022
Playing Games I Made When I was 14 Years Old Using Game MakerThese are games I created using game maker back in the 2000's. Many of the games are recreations of existing games, others are original works by Jameson.
Creating games is a great way to learn how to code. If you want to see the kinds of games I made during my fist years of coding, you're in for a treat.March 13, 2022
A Day in the Life of a Freelance CoderSee what it's like to live as a freelance software engineer who develops apps and websites.
I'm a contractor who works on Upwork as a full time freelance programmer.
The following is a typical day in the life of a software engineer freelancer.March 6, 2022
DISASTER KIT - 14 Item List from US GovernmentAfter an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.
That's a quote from the below website which outlines the official basic disaster supplies kit.
U.S. Government Ready Kit List:
https://www.ready.gov/kitFebruary 26, 2022
Using an AI to Build Apps & Websites Without Writing CodeCoding apps and websites is time consuming. That's why in this video we're exploring the future of coding apps, websites, etc. I believe this future will be based on artificial intelligence (AI). The AI I'll be demonstrating in this video is called the Codex Javascript Sandbox.
I imagine programmers will use the AI to generate the bulk of the code, and may fiddle with minor implementation details afterwards.
Open AI Codex Javascript Sandbox:
https://beta.openai.com/codex-javascript-sandbox
Codex Red Button Counter
https://jsfiddle.net/JamesonSaunders/ojxutvz3/
Codex Grocery List
https://jsfiddle.net/JamesonSaunders/0j937rft/
Codex Zombie Game
https://jsfiddle.net/JamesonSaunders/b4cdqxkt/
Codex Mine Sweeper
https://jsfiddle.net/JamesonSaunders/hvky4zou/
Open AI:
https://openai.com/December 27, 2021
App Store Review GuidelinesEvery app must follow the App Store Review Guidelines in order to be on the Apple App Store. This video is a full reading of the official guidelines straight from apple's website.
iOS apps have a high standard. Let's read about the strict guidelines all iPhone and iPad app developers must follow when building and submitting apps to the App Store.
Official App Store Review Guidelines:
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/December 18, 2021
App Ads Tutorial - Mobile App MarketingSocialPeta Free Trial: https://www.socialpeta.com
Running app ads can be challenging. That's why I've laid out my formula for mobile app advertising in this video.
App or mobile game advertising gets real simple when you know how to track your success.
It also helps to get inspiration from app ads that have already proven themselves.
App Marketing 101 (marketing strategies):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFIFp-3Dq9Y
YouTube ads:
https://www.youtube.com/ads/
Facebook App Ads:
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1471413626484885?id=1858550721111595
Google App Ads:
https://ads.google.com/home/campaigns/app-ads/
Direct response advertising:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_marketingNovember 30, 2021
Mobile App Development CompanyIntroducing the Jameson Saunders mobile app development company, now accepting new projects (websites, iOS apps, or android apps). The official name of my company is Bot Group LLC, and the core focus of this company is building apps and teaching people how to build apps. If you need a mobile app development company, look no further.
Want a mobile app developed?
https://calendly.com/jamesonsaunders/app-development-consulting-brief
Want a job as an app developer?
https://calendly.com/jamesonsaunders/app-developer-job-interview
Want to learn app development?
https://calendly.com/jamesonsaunders/app-development-program-interview
[Video] Firebase Pricing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ChmlscJEk
[Video] Crit List creation process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRmjngNALA
Crit List Website
https://critlist.jamesonsaunders.com/tabs/crit
Crit List on the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/bb/app/crit-list/id1458891495
Crit List on the Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jamibot.critlist&hl=en_US&gl=USOctober 4, 2021
5 App Design IdeasApp design ideas can be hard to think of when you're building your own mobile app. That's why I made a list of my 5 top app design ideas and have shared them with you in this video. Whether you're a coder, app product manager, or just curious about app development, this list of app design ideas should help you understand some of the most commonly successful ways to design apps.
Playlist: Product Development and Design
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrg1HIcSWTqjBdl5k3VnbqOWPN0Qclw0vSeptember 27, 2021
Google Play Store Service FeesLearn about the fees for selling apps and in-app products on the Google Play Store. There have been recent changes made to make the store friendlier to new app development companies.
Google Play Service fees
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622?hl=en
Changes to Google Play's service fee in 2021
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10632485March 8, 2020
I Just Got Access to OpenAI Beta – Here's what happenedOpenAI GPT 3 beta is a fairly general artificial intelligence that takes text as input and produces text as output.
Recently I was granted access to Elon Musk's Open AI Beta. In this video we will be demoing Open AI GPT3.
Visit Open AI:
https://openai.com/
Apply to join the Open AI beta:
https://beta.openai.com/
Elon Musk:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_MuskJuly 15, 2021
I Tried To Code An App On A $190 Pink LaptopProfessional app developer tries to code apps on this little $190 pink laptop despite its limitations. Will the commonly held myth that fancy equipment is needed to code apps finally be dispelled?May 20, 2021
An App Idea is Not EnoughWhat happens if you have the perfect app idea, and you build it exactly as you imagined? Elon Musk has some thoughts on the usefulness of an idea on its own. Watch the video to learn what happens when you build an app for it's own sake.
Watch my video on app marketing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFIFp-3Dq9YApril 28, 2021
App Developer Turns Mr Beast Website into AppWatch as ShopMrBeast.com is transformed into an app. Yes, a mobile app can be created from a website, even Mr Beast's merch store.
Note that types of apps you can make with this app to website process are somewhat limited in that you can't use native functionality on the phone. That being the case, the best types of websites that work with this process are information-based sites.
In case you want to buy some Mr Beast merch:
https://shopmrbeast.com
My other video on website to app conversion:
https://youtu.be/tGYGSnbld9s
Source Code
https://github.com/jamesonsaunders/Convert-Website-to-App
Mini Course explaining all the details of turning a website into an app
https://jamesonsaunders.com/offer/website-to-app-497
This works with wix and wordpress sites. That means you can make your mobile app wordpress site dream come true, as well as your mobile app wix site.
https://www.wix.com/
https://wordpress.com/April 4, 2021
Building Instagram - CODE vs KEYNOTE vs PAPER prototypeWhich is faster for prototyping apps, paper and pencil, keynote, or code? For this comparison, we'll be building the "home feed" section of Instagram. People tend to be very opinionated about which prototyping method is best. This video hopes to clearly show the pros and cons of each.September 12, 2020
How much is Apple's revenue split with apps on the App Store?Mobile app developers work hard to code and publish their apps. But how much of that revenue will be theirs, and how much will Apple charge as a commission?
It depends on the revenue model of the app. Free apps of course won't be charged a commission, because they're free.
As for paid apps, subscription apps, etc, the App Store has a different policy for each.
Apple's policies on this have lately been forged under heavy scrutiny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s1uWo1_bzg&t=14801
The information shown in this video was cited exactly as shown on the official Apple website:
https://www.apple.com/ios/app-store/principles-practices/#August 10, 2020
3 Mobile App Marketing StrategiesApp marketing is a huge piece of building a successful app business. I'm going to give you 3 mobile app marketing strategies you can start working on today to drive more traffic to your mobile app.
Though each of these marketing strategies is taught in the context of mobile app marketing, they are broadly applicable to most other types of internet businesses.
Broadly, the 3 marketing strategies are ads, keyword optimization, and referrals.
Search engine optimization:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization
Keywords everywhere:
https://keywordseverywhere.com/
YouTube ads:
https://www.youtube.com/ads/
Direct response advertising:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_marketing
Referrals:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referral_marketingJune 27, 2020
Convert Website to AppThis is a tutorial on how to convert your website into an app. This works whether your app was built in wix, wordpress, or coded from scratch. The app can function exactly as your website functions.
The types of apps you can make with this app to website process are somewhat limited in that you can't use native functionality on the phone. That being the case, the best types of websites that work with this process are information-based sites.
Source Code
https://github.com/jamesonsaunders/Convert-Website-to-App
NEED MORE HELP? Purchase my mini course to get FULL step by step instructions:
https://jamesonsaunders.com/offer/website-to-app-497
This works with wix and wordpress sites. That means you can make your mobile app wordpress site dream come true, as well as your mobile app wix site.
https://www.wix.com/
https://wordpress.com/June 25, 2020
[Top 7] Mobile App Design GuidelinesIt can be tricky to design mobile app UI, but I'm going to share my top 7 mobile app design guidelines to help you on your way.
These mobile app UI design guidelines are by no means exhaustive, but it's a good start if you're looking to build or improve your own mobile app.
Knowing how to build an awesome mobile app user interface will be useful regardless of if you're a programmer or not, are beginner or advanced, etc. Design principles are pretty universal.June 23, 2020
App Development Cost (US vs India)What is the app development cost difference between India and the United States? Mobile app development prices vary quite a bit between India and the US, but is it truly an apples to apples comparison? That depends on your situation, watch the video for more details.
To make our comparison, I'll first compare some basic commodities such as milk and eggs. Depending on the industry, there will be a different price disparity between India and the United States.
I'll also mention other important factors to compare when shopping for app developers.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/628636/worldwide-mobile-app-development-costs-by-region-by-platform/
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=India&country2=United+StatesJune 19, 2020
Mobile VS Web AppWhat is the difference between mobile apps vs web apps? The are many similarities between mobile and web applications, but also some key differences. Give me 5 minutes and I'll explain the all the details you need to know.June 15, 2020
Top 6 Mobile App Development LanguagesThere are so many app development languages, it can be difficult to actually choose the right app development language and start getting results.
Note that an app programming language is usually only part of the puzzle. Often you must choose both a language and a framework in order to code mobile apps.
Make BOTH these choices, then you'll be on your way to coding mobile apps.
Frameworks shown in the video footage:
https://ionicframework.com/
https://flutter.dev/
https://unity.com/
https://developer.apple.com/swift/
https://developer.android.com/studio
http://www.rubymotion.com/June 6, 2020
Is App Development HARD?App development may sound hard, but why? Society holds preconceptions coding and mobile app development.
As a software engineer, I'll give you an insider's answer to the question of "is app development hard or not?"
App Store Review Guideines:
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
Play Store Developer Policy:
https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/
Frameworks mentioned:
https://flutter.dev/
https://ionicframework.com/
https://reactnative.dev/
https://developer.apple.com/
https://developer.android.com/June 5, 2020
Exploring the Depths of the App Store (with an app developer) #1What will we find on the app store today?May 30, 2020
What makes Firebase so special?What's all this fuss about Firebase? Why do people so many people choose it as their backend technology?
How does using Firebase compare to using a more traditional tech stack?
This video aims to answer these questions.May 26, 2020
What equipment you need in order to code appsThere are a lot of misconceptions about the tools needed to build mobile apps.
The goal of this video is to demystify the equipment requirements needed to code for iOS and Android phones.May 2, 2020
Build It Yourself VS Use ExistingCoders are constantly faced with the decision of whether or not to build new features from scratch.
Although building new features from scratch gives you full control over the end result, it also takes up a lot more time.
In this video I'll share with you the key questions I like to ask before making that decision.April 11, 2020
I Built a Coronavirus App in One Sitting (US Map for COVID-19)The app uses data from Johns Hopkins University to show a map of the US, indicating key metrics for the Coronavirus:
-Confirmed
-Recovered
-Dead
It took 2 hours to make and I've edited the footage down to 26 minutes for you.
The code is open source and can be found here:
https://github.com/jamesonsaunders/Coronavirus-US/tree/master
The dataset from Johns Hopkins University can be found here:
https://rapidapi.com/KishCom/api/covid-19-coronavirus-statistics/details
The published web app can be found here (publishing it for the app stores takes too long):
https://coronavirus-us.jamesonsaunders.com/March 22, 2020
I Paid Designers On Fiverr To Create An Icon For My AppLast week I ran a fun little experiment: I hired 3 separate designers from fiverr to create an icon for my app.
I paid the first designer $5, the second designer $20, and the third designer $80.
Check out the video to see the results.
Maybe this info can help you in the future if you need to hire a freelancer.March 7, 2020
Comparing pricing models for appsIt's a good idea to think about which pricing model you want to use for your app well in advance.
Which one will you choose? Freemium, pay upfront, subscription, percentage cut? Maybe throw a free trial in there?
This stuff can be overwhelming. In this video I'll give you my thoughts when it makes sense to use each type of pricing model.February 29, 2020
I Use A Keyboard With No Markings (Ergodox EZ)Is there an optimal keyboard for programming?
I argue that there is because programmers type A LOT and a subset of what they type is very predictable.
In this video I'll show you a special keyboard I have which makes me a much faster programmer than I would otherwise be.
Ergodox EZ Keyboard:
https://ergodox-ez.com/
My Ergodox EZ Layout "Dvorak Vim Programmer Minimal Strain":
https://configure.ergodox-ez.com/ergodox-ez/layouts/NrJB/latest/5
Gateron clear switches:
https://www.amazon.com/Gateron-KS-9-Mechanical-Type-Switch/dp/B07X2SKBR3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gateron+clear&qid=1582416218&sr=8-1February 22, 2020
Firebase vs SQLFirebase and SQL store data in very different ways.
I know entire companies that have keeled over and died because they chose the wrong database.
First off, firebase isn't a database, it's a platform which has a database called firestore.
In this video we'll be comparing firestore vs a SQL database.February 8, 2020
Mobile App AnalyticsWithout mobile app analytics, you're essentially flying blind – never a good idea. Add analytics to your mobile app to start tracking your progress towards your goals.
Tracking the most important actions your users take can help you steadily improve your app.
In this video I'll show you how I define and utilize those key actions as metrics.January 25, 2020
How To Solve ProblemsWe've all faced problems that seem too daunting to handle. But what can we do about it?
I've got a simple problem solving framework to help us out.
Upon using the framework successfully on a problem, you're guaranteed to be able to solve that problem.January 18, 2020
Efficiency – Order and EntropyI found an easier way of problem solving that makes it both easier on you, and creates better solutions.
This problem solving framework is applicable to programming and general life problem solving as well.
If you've ever tried following a "best practice" and found it didn't work out, this new framework may really help you.January 4, 2020
Should You Develop Multiple Apps?Which is better, developing just one app or developing multiple apps at once? The answer may surprise you. Once you learn my Effort Yield Equation, you'll never be the same.
Some of us have too many ideas, so the thought of focusing on just one mobile app idea may not be initially appealing.
Here is the effort yield equation: W → w1^e + ... + wn^e, where W is work, wn is work spent on the nth app idea, and e is an exponent greater than 1.December 21, 2019
How To Prototype Mobile AppsMore important than knowing how to build apps– is knowing what to build in the first place.
By designing a prototype of your app, you increase both:
-your understanding of the solution space
-your customers' understanding of what you're building before it's complete
The prototyping process I use involves two steps: #1 paper prototyping, and #2 skeleton prototyping.December 14, 2019
Top 10 Painful UX MistakesHaving a great user experience (UX) within your app is critical to keeping your users happy and reducing user churn.
One bad UX decision can cost you precious users that may never return.
People have a lot of options now, so your app’s UX needs to be dialed in.December 7, 2019
Mobile Device Usage TrendsPeople are downloading a lot more apps this year than last year. They love using their mobile phones. That trend keeps going up and up, it has for the past decade.
If you're building a software product, it's a good idea to think about how it might work on a mobile device.
The market is telling us that they want to use mobile phones. Ask Blockbuster what happens when you fight the market.
Links to stats used in the video:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/201183/forecast-of-smartphone-penetration-in-the-us/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/263794/number-of-downloads-from-the-apple-app-store/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/269025/worldwide-mobile-app-revenue-forecast/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/251096/fastest-growing-shopping-app-categories/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/249264/countries-ranked-by-number-of-holiday-app-downloads/November 23, 2019
What is a Viral Coefficient?Wouldn't it be nice if when you built a product, people came and used it? Understanding the viral coefficient will help you on your journey to get users for your apps.
Virality is built into products. Users are more likely to share apps that are genuinely good. That said, there are some clever tricks you can do to increase your app's viral coefficient once you understand that term and how it works.November 16, 2019
acorns-app-story-and-analysisLet's take a look at the story of Acorns, a successful investment app released for iOS and Android. What's the problem being solved? What is the solution? What's the revenue model?
The app idea is simple – people can stock their spare digital change into an investment account. That account can then automatically invest those savings into index funds, stocks, bonds, etc.
Let's dig into the details of what makes this a good app idea and probable reasons it was successful.November 9, 2019
KaiOS – The Emerging Mobile Operating SystemiOS and Android have dominated the global market for mobile operating systems so far. But... 3 billion people have yet to get access to the internet. Many people of third world countries don't have a lot of money to spend on phones. So, what of operating system will their phones use?
Probably KaiOS. What is KaiOS? It's basically the operating system for mass market flip phones. App development will look a lot different on KaiOS due to the limitations inherent in the operating system and the environment.
Is it important to know how to make apps for KaiOS? Only if 3rd world countries are your app's target market. But it's certainly interesting to learn about either way.
Here's the task list app shown in the video:
https://critlist.jamesonsaunders.comNovember 2, 2019
Native vs Hybrid vs Web appsWhich is better, Native apps, hybrid apps, or web apps? Also, what does that even mean? In this video I'll define each of these and lay out the main things to consider when choosing between them.
Though many people only want to understand the difference between native vs hybrid apps, it pays to know how web apps fit into the picture. Hybrid apps are a mix between native and web apps!
Watch the video to learn more about hybrid app tools like ionic vs native app tools like xcode and android studio.October 26, 2019
How To Find A GOOD App IdeaApp ideas are a dime a dozen. But what makes a GOOD app idea? What makes one startup or app idea more likely to succeed than another? I'll share some things I've learned over the years about what works and what doesn't when it comes to building apps for iOS and Android.
Here's a great post by YCombinator for some categories to apply the method described in this video to: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/October 15, 2019
The Next Big Programming LanguageWhat will the next BIG programming language be? Can it be predicted? Programming languages are constantly evolving, with new ones being released every year. By studying the past, I think we can estimate a probable outcome for the most popular coding languages of the future. We're going to take a look at the evolution of languages from assembly and c, to c# and typescript.September 24, 2019
The Story of UberThe Uber from 2010 is a LOT different from the uber we know today. How Uber got started is an inspiring story of a company which pivoted to fulfill its users needs. This goes to show the power of truly listening to your users. The story involves heavy competition and foreign deals in the transportation industry.
The two original founders were Garett Camp and Travis Kalanick.
The facts mentioned in this video are from my research about Uber on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UberSeptember 21, 2019
The Story of SnapchatHow Snapchat got started is not as ordinary a story as some may think. There was a lot of headache and feud between the first founders, making for quite the interesting story of how this multi-billion dollar app company got started.
The three original founders were Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown.
The facts mentioned in this video are from my research about Snapchat on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SnapchatSeptember 13, 2019
TikTok Worth Over $75 Billion – The Highest Valued StartupTikTok as of 2019 is the highest valued startup in history. In just a few short years TikTok jumped to the top of the most downloaded apps and continues to grow. How did it do this? What is this app all about? This is proof that the best app ideas are NOT already taken. You just have to be clever enough to think of it and disciplined enough to see it through.September 9, 2019
How To Find A Killer App IdeaIf you don't have an idea for an app or you just want to make sure you get a good idea before you start, you can follow my simple 3 step process. "Cute ideas for apps don't really cut it anymore, people have a lot of options now and you've got to have the right formula to stand out.
You can download the PDF from here: https://jamesonsaunders.com/resources/how-to-find-a-killer-app-ideaSeptember 6, 2019
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)What features should you leave in your product? Which ones should you take out? Learn about the concept of minimum viable product (mvp) to find out. It's a great concept for both entrepreneurs and employees because it'll make your life a lot easier either way.September 4, 2019
10 Apps Worth Over $1 BillionApp building can be incredibly lucrative. I've made a list of 10 apps valued at $1 billion each (MINIMUM). Maybe this can help us learn common traits among successful mobile apps. Does building an app like these ones guarantee success? Of course not. But that doesn't mean you can't learn valuable lessons by studying the properties of these billion dollar club mobile phone apps.September 2, 2019
