This week mark’s Hello There’s first anniversary in the App Store! 🥳
I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the app’s download data and review some of the major milestones achieved over the past year.
When Hello There was first released on Sept 12th, 2022, it was a modest app that met a very specific need in my life: to assist me with saving and organizing my greeting cards. I’ve always hated throwing away cards. It felt like such a disrespect to the sender and the thoughtfulness they put into mailing me a card. Conversely, I also hated keeping greeting cards because over time, they take up space and I’m not a fan of storing things just for the sake of storing things. The clutter struggle is real!
The app has helped me enjoy my cards without having to keep a box in my attic or garage. I can use the power of iOS to see them on my home screen using widgets. I can pull them up and read the hand-written notes at any time. I can listen to the fun music that played when I opened the audio card.
Milestones
Here are some of the milestones achieved along the way:
Sept 12, 2022: Hello There goes live globally on the App Store
January 2023: Hello There Post is launched, allowing users to send hand-written letters in the mail anywhere in the world
Febraruary 2023: Hello There gets Shorcuts integration
March 2023: Hello There 2.0 is released and gets auto-card detection, hashtags, icons made by Basic Apple Guy, and is featured on 9To5Mac
July 2023: Sound Clips are introduced, allowing users to capture cards with musical greetings or other sound effects
I’m incredibly proud of how far the app has come in just 1 year and I’m even more excited about what is still to come (I’m looking at you, Fall update!)
Data
From Sept 12, 2022 to Sept 10, 2023 (the latest data available in App Store Connect) Hello There has had 2 million impressions on the App Store and a total of 3.8K downloads.
| 1st Year Impressions | 1st Year Downloads |
|---|---|
 |
 |
These numbers are going to be perceived very differently by my fellow indies. To some, they will appear crazy successful and comparatively unattainabale. To others, they will seem laughable at best. In any case, every developer that took on learning a programming language, pressing on to create something they’re proud of and get it published for the world to download and enjoy, should be absolutely proud of the work they’ve done. So however you perceive this data is fine. I’m thrilled either way.
In terms of its global usage, the US and India take the top two spots for downloads, however in actual purchases of Hello There+, the US and UK are the best performing countries.
The Future
A goal of mine for Hello There’s Year 2 is to double down on its reach and brand awareness. I’m investing more into marketing and getting the word out there into other conrners of the internet, beyond the cirlces of the indie dev community. I am being very picky about this, because in general, I don’t love social media. So keep your eyes out… you may see Hello There popping up in other areas 👀
Celebrating
To celebrate Hello There’s first birthday, I’m offerig the Lifetime plans at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time:
Lifetime Single User is currently $9.99 (down from $29.99)
Lifetime Family Plan is currently $19.99 (down from $44.99)
This deal expires Thursday, Sept 14th, 2023!