Hey Indie Hackers 👋
I'm Evgenii, a solo iOS developer and SEO specialist from Frankfurt. After years of freelancing and side projects, I finally shipped my first "real" indie app in late 2025 — WatchWallsAI: Ultra Walls, an AI-powered wallpaper generator for Apple Watch Ultra.
It's been live for a couple of months now, and while I'm still in the early traction phase (a few hundred downloads, positive reviews, but no big MRR yet), I wanted to share the full story: why I built it, the tech stack, challenges, launch tactics, and what I'd do differently next time.
The Problem & Idea (Why Apple Watch Wallpapers?)
I own an Apple Watch Ultra 2, and I love the hardware — but the default wallpapers are... meh. Limited colors, basic patterns, and manual photo imports that look cropped or low-res on the 49mm curved screen. In 2026 watchOS 12+ has amazing always-on, depth effects, and complications, but backgrounds haven't evolved much.
I searched for solutions: Facer, Clockology, Walbum — they are cool for full faces, but I wanted pure wallpapers that feel native, don't drain battery, and don't mess with complications. Nothing quite hit the spot. So I decided: let's build an app focused only on high-res, optimized wallpapers + AI generation for endless variety.
Tech Stack & Building Process
iOS app (iPhone companion): SwiftUI, UIKit for some parts.
watchOS integration: WatchKit + instant sync via WatchConnectivity (one-tap send to watch).
AI generation: Integrated with a lightweight API (Stable Diffusion-based or similar — kept it fast and cheap). Prompt → 4K image resized exactly for Ultra screen in ~3 seconds.
Backend: Minimal — Firebase for auth/analytics, no heavy server.
Design: Focused on dark mode, minimal UI to match watchOS aesthetic.
Biggest challenges:
Optimizing images for always-on display (no flicker, crisp in low brightness).
Battery impact testing on real hardware (emulators lie).
ASO: Keywords like "Apple Watch Ultra wallpapers", "AI watch wallpapers", "custom watchOS backgrounds" — still tweaking.
One-time purchase model: $4.99 unlock instead of sub — trust-building in a sub-heavy world.
Took ~3–4 months part-time (evenings/weekends) to MVP and launch.
Launch & Early Growth Tactics
App Store: Submitted in Dec 2025, live by end of month. Focused on screenshots showing on-wrist + AI prompt → result.
Medium article — wrote a detailed "how I built it" post (got some organic views).
LinkedIn — shared founder story, got connections from other devs.
Reddit (r/AppleWatch, r/indieapps) — soft posts with "what do you think?" — some upvotes, feedback.
Product Hunt — planning soon (tips welcome!).
No paid ads yet — bootstrapping fully.
Early results (as of Jan 2026):
Downloads: ~300–500 (mostly organic + shares).
Reviews: 5.0 average from first users ("perfect fit on Ultra", "AI is addictive").
Revenue: Small from unlocks — reinvesting in more AI credits.
Feedback: Users want more minimalist/dark packs and seasonal themes — adding now.
Lessons Learned So Far
Niche down hard — Ultra-specific (49mm, titanium bands) beats general watch faces.
Static > animated for battery + native feel.
AI as hook — people love typing prompts, even if 80% use curated library.
One-time pricing builds trust — no churn fear.
Community first — Reddit/LinkedIn comments gave better ideas than surveys.
ASO takes time — still experimenting with subtitles/icons.
What's Next?
Weekly AI wallpaper drops.
More categories (cyberpunk, nature 2026 vibes).
PH launch + possible X threads.
Goal: 1K+ downloads/month and first $500–1K MRR by summer.
If you're building for Apple Watch or wearables — what's your biggest pain point? Have you tried custom wallpapers? Any launch tips for 2026? Drop thoughts below — happy to chat, share code snippets, or swap ASO ideas!
Download WatchWallsAI if you have an Ultra: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watchwalls-ai-ultra-walls/id6754987535
Thanks for reading, and keep shipping! 🚀
indiedev #iOS #AppleWatch #watchOS #AI #appLaunch
Top comments (0)