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Joined January 2025
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We filter the App Store noise,
and compile the worth-watching launches in a weekly newsletter.
This is the easiest way to track moves and trends.
Have you heard of App Store Times?
Join other fellow app scouts: appstoretimes.beehiiv.com/
This app won Apple's 2026 Design Award and looks like nothing else on the App Store.
Every screen is hand-drawn. Live.
What makes it distinct
- The CTA button draws itself on screen, line by line
- Haptics fire with every word that appears
- The iOS status bar is replaced with a hand-drawn one
- A daily drawing canvas with caveman copy
- The review prompt hides inside the fiction: "Grug tracks the stars in the darkness"
No paywall. No ads. Not even a donate button. Just an opinionated, delightful app.
Proof that quirky software can win at the highest level.
This sleep app was App of the Day in 138+ countries.
And its paywall flow is one of the most creative we've broken down:
Onboarding
- Distinct black-and-white illustration style
- Hammers the problem first: tired, stressed, sleepless
- Personalizes with a short questionnaire
- Drops social proof mid-flow ("71% of users say it helps them sleep better")
Paywall
- Annual + quarterly plans up front, monthly hidden behind "all plans"
- The only screens with color in the entire app
- A "shake the tree" discount: shake your phone and a 50% offer literally falls off a tree
That discount reveal turns a promo into a fun moment instead of a desperate banner.
Steal this level of creativity for your app's paywall.
During the World Cup, the #1 app in the world barely worked.
This shows how strong branding can hide weak product design:
Where it breaks
- Webviews from the very first screen
- Broken onboarding: pixelated images, location asked with no reason, sign-up loops
- The email field throws errors while you're still typing
- Email verification... for a football app
- The tickets flow kicks you out to a separate app
Worst app reviewed in 79 episodes. And it still sat at #1.
Distribution might beat product quality, but that's no excuse to ship broken apps.
