From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar was all about independent app development. It was rarely longer than 30 minutes. Hosted by Marco Arment and David Smith.
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In their final episode, Marco Arment and David Smith announce the end of "Under the Radar" after a decade. They discuss the reasons behind this decision, including the challenge of finding fresh iOS app development topics, the changing landscape of the indie developer community, and the desire to create new creative space. They reflect on the show's consistent audience, the unique dynamic of their friendship, and express profound gratitude to listeners and supporters for their 10 years of engagement.
Marco Arment discusses his journey with user feedback, from challenging email support to managing social media. He explains how launching an official Overcast Reddit community, rather than engaging with existing fan-made ones, significantly improved user interactions and diffused negativity. This new approach offers a valuable channel for beta feedback and collaborative brainstorming, while highlighting the importance of balancing diverse user input with the app's core vision.
David and Marco discuss the unique struggles indie developers face in taking necessary breaks, from the post-September work crunch to the 'infinite to-do list.' They reframe rest as vital for maintaining productivity and creativity, comparing it to work-rest ratios in fitness. The episode offers insights into balancing long-term sabbaticals with daily routines and shares a practical tip for disconnecting using iOS hidden apps.
David Smith marks five years of Widgetsmith, discussing how he navigated its explosive popularity without sacrificing his independent iOS developer ethos. He explains the deliberate choices he made to design the app for scalability, primarily by strategically saying no to features and opportunities that would necessitate a large team or introduce unmanageable complexities like user-generated content or personal data storage. The episode delves into the philosophy of defining "enough" in business, contrasting it with the "always more" mindset often pushed by external pressures, ultimately allowing him to sustain his desired lifestyle and support his family.
This episode explores the challenges and triumphs of updating iOS apps for the new iOS 26 "Liquid Glass" design. Marco and David share their experiences, from initial design despair to the relief of positive customer feedback, highlighting the contrast between developer and public perception. They also discuss how the mandatory redesign surprisingly helped pay down tech debt and unblocked future feature development, emphasizing the continuous evolution of app maintenance.
Marco and David discuss the importance of integrating "tree-planting features" like analytics and remote messaging early in app development, even when their full utility isn't immediately apparent. They share how data-informed design, rather than purely data-driven, helps prioritize efforts and understand user behavior, leading to more impactful updates. The discussion also covers building simple, privacy-preserving systems and reflects on the challenges of iOS 26 development.
A pragmatic and productive path through the final weeks of the iOS 26 beta season. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Incogni : Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RADAR with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Links and Show Notes: Apple Workshops Support Under the Radar with a Relay Membership...
This episode delves into the challenges of adopting Apple's new iOS design system, "Liquid Glass," as independent app developer Marco struggles with its stability and controversial aesthetic. While fellow developer David shares his positive experience and strategies, they discuss the dilemma of keeping an app modern versus alienating users, exploring options like delaying updates or focusing on other exciting iOS features that align with developer motivation.
Marco Arment and David Smith delve into the challenges and opportunities for independent iOS app developers presented by Apple's new "Liquid Glass" design. They discuss the critical need to adopt Apple's opinionated system look, arguing that fighting against the "tidal wave" of platform changes is unsustainable. The hosts also share personal experiences with redesigns, highlighting how this major system update provides a unique "free pass" for developers to not only implement the new aesthetics but also address long-standing architectural and user experience issues within their apps.
Marco and David dive into the annual debate for iOS developers: should they require the latest iOS version immediately? They discuss the technical hurdles, the impact on existing users who might not update, and crucially, the business implications for acquiring new users. David shares data from Widgetsmith and explains his unconventional but effective strategy of duplicating UI views to support older iOS versions without compromising new features.
Marco Arment and David Smith dive into the implications of WWDC 2025, particularly the significant new design language for iOS. They explore the challenges indie developers face in adopting the changes quickly, the potential advantages they hold over larger companies, and the feeling of their current apps instantly looking old. They also discuss strategies for balancing ongoing development with the extensive work required to prepare for the fall OS release and the imperative to adapt to stay relevant on the platform.
The hosts discuss preparing for WWDC, anticipating significant OS redesigns that will impact all developers, and strategies for adopting these changes. They cover the challenges of beta testing, the importance of testing devices (especially for Apple Intelligence), and tips for navigating the WWDC week, engaging with labs, and filing bugs effectively. The episode touches on community connection and maintaining well-being during the busy period.
Marco discusses the challenges of shipping a major Overcast update, particularly rebuilding the Apple Watch app and overcoming development friction. He compares the feedback he receives from software development versus his new restaurant business, which made returning to coding difficult. Ultimately, he found motivation by focusing on building the app for himself and discusses the importance of intrinsic motivation, building on past work, and maintaining momentum through continuous learning and tackling interesting problems.
Marco and David discuss the recent injunction against Apple regarding external payment methods, and its potential impact on iOS app developers. They explore the complex relationship between developers and Apple, and whether Apple views developers as valued customers or simply a resource to be extracted. The conversation covers the long-term implications of Apple's decisions and the need for a more mutually beneficial relationship.
Marco and David discuss optimizing app battery life. They explore the challenges of power consumption, covering CPU usage, radio activity, and unexpected drains like speaker usage. They emphasize real-world testing, the limitations of current tooling, and the nuances of adapting to low power mode, advocating for careful balancing of user experience and power efficiency.
Marco and David discuss the impact of AI coding tools on programmers, especially indie developers. They explore how AI can increase productivity but also potentially displace some jobs. The conversation covers the evolving role of programmers, the importance of product sense, and how AI tools can help developers develop their intuition and taste.
Marco and David discuss the importance of designing self-sufficient iOS apps that don't rely heavily on constant developer input. They share experiences from past projects like Tumblr, Instapaper, Feed Wrangler, Widgetsmith and Overcast, highlighting the challenges of managing essential roles and the benefits of strategic outsourcing. They emphasize planning for developer unavailability and discuss how spending money can free up time and improve sustainability.
Marco and David discuss the importance of cultivating optimism as Apple developers in the face of change and uncertainty, particularly regarding rumors of a major iOS redesign. They differentiate between pessimism/fear and a lack of passion, explore the burden of system-wide redesigns, and emphasize the need to focus on both potential positive and negative outcomes while avoiding unnecessary negativity. The conversation highlights the challenges and excitements of being an Apple developer and strategies for maintaining mental health and motivation.
Marco and David discuss their core values in software development, emphasizing user satisfaction and thoughtful design over pure metric optimization. They explore the trade-offs between business goals and creating enjoyable user experiences, advocating for a user-centric approach even if it means sacrificing potential revenue. They reflect on the personal satisfaction derived from solving challenging design problems and building software they are proud of.
How our values have diverged and our perceived relationship has changed with Apple, forcing our motivations for iOS development to evolve. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Sentry : Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Get 6 months of the Team plan free with code radar. Links and Show Notes: Expansion and Consolidation Post from 2014 Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership...
Marco and David discuss the attributes needed for a long-term career in iOS development, particularly in the indie space. They delve into the importance of creativity, curiosity, resilience, reflectiveness, and restlessness. They share personal experiences and insights on staying motivated and adaptable in a constantly evolving field.
In the fourth of a multi-part series sharing the apps that we use to develop software, we discuss task management, collaboration, and a final assortment of miscellaneous apps. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Notion : Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today. Links and Show Notes: Tasks Management Reminders Github Issues Utility Microsoft Excel Slack Help Scout Transmit Cyberduck Apple Developer App Store Connect ImageOptim Tot FFmpeg SOX Support Under the Radar with a Relay...
In the third of a multi-part series sharing the apps that we use to develop software, we discuss documentation, code from the web, and LLM-powered code generation. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Sentry : Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Get 6 months of the Team plan free with code radar. Links and Show Notes: Xcode Documentation Stack Overflow Dash Xcode AI ChatGPT Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership...
In the second of a multi-part series sharing the apps that we use to develop software, we discuss the tools we use to enhance the iOS Simulator, make the most of on-device testing, and manage our code in source control. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Listen Later : A read-it-later service for your ears. Get $2 in free credit and up to 25% extra credits. Links and Show Notes: Testing Sim Genie RocketSim Bezel iPhone Mirroring Source Tower Juxtacode Kaleidoscope Xcode Cloud Suppo...
In the first of a multi-part series sharing the apps that we use to develop software, we discuss the tools we use to write code and design visuals. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Sentry : Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Get 6 months of the Team plan free with code radar. Links and Show Notes: Coding: Xcode TextMate Base Soulver Design Sketch CustomSymbols Pastel PaintCode SF Symbols Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership...
Adding listening stats and a history feature to Overcast Premium. Links and Show Notes: Overcast in the App Store Announcement Post Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership
Different types of acquisitions, reasons why someone might want to buy our businesses, and reasons why we might want to sell — or not. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Sentry : Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Get 6 months of the Team plan free with code radar. Links and Show Notes: Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership...
Improving the first-run experiences in our apps. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Celtreos : The shoot-em-up game with tiny ships, big weapons, waves of foes, power-ups and obstacles. Links and Show Notes: Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership
Looking around the App Store, it's clear that we're not charging enough. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: Listen Later : A read-it-later service for your ears. Links and Show Notes: Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership
Holding the line for our own standards, while being open to the possibility that we've chosen the wrong lines. This episode of Under the Radar is sponsored by: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the Relay community are coming together once again to support the life saving work of St Jude. Go to stjude.org/relay to donate or create your campaign today. Links and Show Notes: Support Under the Radar with a Relay FM Membership...
