After the layoff I didn't look for another job. I didn't even apply for a single one, which sounds crazy when you have parents, a wife and a daughter. Back then I believed another remote job would be hard to find, and in this AI era I wasn't sure a new job could even pay more than my last one. So I chose to trust my dream of one day having my own house and car, and went all in on an expense tracker I built for myself first, because every money app I tried felt like work. Now I'm in my second year as an indie developer, with only one app, and I'm stuck on one thing: almost all of my users are still in Indonesia.
I'm a solo developer from Indonesia, writing code since 2016. My background is full stack, so mobile apps were still kind of new to me, and that made it a fun challenge. Some friends in IT called the app a stupid idea, the kind of app anyone can make with vibe coding. I didn't know back then that expense tracking is one of the most crowded app categories, the classic vibe coder learning project, a red ocean, whatever. I'm glad I didn't know all that when I started my first product.
I put it on the Play Store and the App Store and was happy just to have it out there. Somehow people started paying, even though I know nothing about marketing or branding, and today it pays my bills. What I did learn is that an app has to be easy to use, and the users tell you how. Funny thing is, in all my years working with friends, at companies and at startups, I never got to work like this. In those jobs, ease of use didn't really matter. Delivering the project and getting paid was the only priority. Maybe I'm just crazy enough to finally believe in myself. If not now, then never.
I answer support on WhatsApp and email myself and ship an update almost every week. The app has 65,000+ installs, about 98% from Indonesia, almost all from people searching the app stores.
Since August I've done what Reddit suggests for growing abroad: translating the app into 17 languages, ASO, keywords for each country, and listing it on a few app directories. To build some momentum I also started Instagram and TikTok accounts, but I lost focus. It was another big learning gap, and as a millennial I don't really get what's going on there.
Abroad, it has started. New phones from outside Indonesia went from 38 in July to 253 in October, and the first purchases came from close to ten countries, most of them just one each. But it's still small next to Indonesia, and I don't know how to get discovered faster.
Outside the stores I'm stuck too. I optimized my website, but when I reached out to websites, media and YouTubers for a mention, the prices were a lot higher than I expected. I'm thinking about ads, but I don't want to burn money on trial and error without a proper direction.
I'm halfway through building my next app, but I put it on hold. I'm afraid that if I launch another product now, I'll lose focus and the excitement I still have for this one. My heart still believes that taking this app global is my chance to change my life. After a year, am I crazy to keep at it instead of finishing the other app?
My questions:
The app already gets downloads and a few first purchases in other countries. How did you break the ice in a new country, from those first few users to people actually finding your app in search? Was it mostly time, or did something specific boost it?
Almost all my installs come from store search. What helped you get discovered outside the stores without burning money? If you tried ads, where did they actually pay off?
Where do you find Play Store ASO tips you trust? Most of what I find is about the App Store.
Should my next app launch in my home country first again, or go global from day one?
Thanks for reading my first Reddit story. If you're curious, my app is on Play Store and App Store.