App Store: Apple’s support program is five years old
If Frederik Riedel has a problem, he likes to solve it with an app. However, what distinguishes the 28-year-old from many of his peers is that he simply programs the app himself if there isn’t one for the problem yet. This is how “One Sec” came into being, an app that helps you to fight against the so-called weaker self. The idea came to him on the sofa in 2020, when the Corona lockdown hit Europe and the only easy way to see the world was to scroll the Instagram timeline, he recalls.
But Riedel noticed what almost every user of social networks has already experienced painfully: The apps with their endless chronicles are time wasters. So he came up with “One Sec”. The app, which was released in 2022 and was downloaded over a million times in that year alone, uses a shortcut to switch to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Co. and serves to reflect for a brief moment on whether the use of social networks is real is necessary. Many then rethink and save screen time, according to a study by the Berlin developer, who currently lives in Barcelona, from the Max Planck Institute.
Sponsored by Apple
Just as the app developer conjures up more usable time for people, Apple gave Frederik Riedel more encouragement. The 28-year-old is one of 260 German developers who have been allowed to take part in the App Store Foundations Program. Its participants are selected by Apple. In workshops and discussions, they receive feedback and advice on how to monetize their apps, fully utilize Apple’s programming toolbox – the APIs – and then also better market their apps.
This is not altruistic, because Apple earns money from sales, in-app purchases and subscriptions in the App Store. Quite a few smaller developers who have created hobby projects do not see at first that their app could also be sold. For some, the hobby became a job. And for the app store operator, this pays off twice, because it can counteract the impression that only big players now have a chance of success.
The best place in the shop window
Apple itself also plays an important role in this. Standing out amidst the world’s 1.8 million apps, as well as on social media and other channels, is what was once the best window spot in brick-and-mortar retail. “One Sec” can currently be seen again together with four other apps in a feature about programs that make everyday life easier.
“One Sec” is now available in 19 languages - by the way, localization is also a tip that Apple is happy to give young developers – and is actively used in 91 countries. Riedel was no stranger to the iPhone manufacturer beforehand. He won the WWDC Scholarship prize for young talent five times. Ten years ago, in 2013, the German was invited to the WWDC developer conference in the USA for the first time. He was also an Apple Safari Intern in 2017 and took part in the Apple Entrepreneur Camp – in short: he experienced several of the aids that Apple is currently providing to smaller and underrepresented communities of developers.
Five year support program
The Foundations Program turns five this year. Interestingly enough, developers from Europe are particularly well represented. Apple counted 1100 on the continent so far. Daniel Matray, Director at the App Store, explains it this way: “Europe is home to some of the most exciting developers in the world, creating innovative apps that are loved by millions of people around the world.”
Frederik Riedel, now officially listed as an alumni of the training, is already working on the next version of his app. An emergency brake is planned, which will be activated if you scroll for too long while using a social media app. On the other hand, his own drive to continue working full-time as an app developer eight years after founding his first company seems to be undiminished.
(mki)
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