Issue #12: Batteries for Mac by Rony Fadel

Hey Reader,

Today, we're taking a look at Batteries for Mac by Rony Fadel.

Batteries for Mac tracks all of your devices' batteries from the Menu Bar, Touch Bar, and the Batteries Widget. Your devices will alert you if their batteries are low so you can remember to recharge them.

Track all your devices' batteries from your Mac.

See your device battery levels in the menu bar

See your battery levels in your Touch Bar

“I miss some of the little things that make iOS special. This is one of those things.”
- Cult of Mac

macOS 10.15 Catalina or later

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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?‌

Rony Fadel (@ronyfadel)

Sure thing! First things first, I'm Rony Fadel. I've been developing for the Apple platform for about 10 years now, and I worked for Apple on both iOS and macOS for 6 years.

At some point, I became tired of the corporate environment and wanted to see if I could make it on my own as an indie hacker. Currently, I consult a few days per week and spend the other days pushing out new products that make my life (and by extension, the lives of others) easier.

‌How did you come up with the idea?

The Batteries widget on iOS had been immensely useful to me, but I spend most of my day working on my Mac. So, I was getting tired of checking my connected devices' battery percentage either on my phone or through the Bluetooth menu all the time.

It became such a nagging issue for me, that one day I sought out a way of hacking something together to see if I could integrate a Batteries widget into the Mac. I also wanted it to feel like a native macOS feature: my favorite hack was when I added your other devices' battery levels into the macOS battery menu.

‎Fadel.io OU Apps on the App Store

‎Download apps by Fadel.io OU, including PodBuddy - Podcast Videos, No Crop - Square Photo & Video, Video Captions Automatic Maker, and many more.

App Store

Click here to check out some of Rony's other projects

💡 Want to see your app featured?‌‌‌
‌‌‌Submit your app or message me on Twitter 🐦‌

‌How did you market the app as an indie developer?‌

I posted Batteries on ProductHunt and reached out to a few Mac blogs:

The feedback was very positive and that helped get a lot of initial traction. I did dabble with Reddit ads, but I didn't see a big ROI from it.

‌What’s your app design and development workflow like?‌

I usually decide to take on a problem if I confront it repeatedly over a long period of time. When I reach a breaking point and decide to tackle that problem, I'll start with a small proof of concept. I'll sketch out the whole product flow on pen and paper and get coding.

I aim to have something I can ship within a month at which point I submit it to Reddit's TestFlight subreddit and get feedback. Later on, I'll post about it on my Twitter.

‌Any advice on monetizing your app and improving conversions?

For indies: don't go into a crowded space. Think outside the box and come up with innovative products. People will get excited about your product more if there aren't 10 other products like it.

If it solves a problem and it's unique, it shouldn't be hard to monetize.

Also, be smart about your monetizing strategy: I don't think a subscription model would be fitting for Batteries for example, but a one-time purchase is.

‌‌Closing Thoughts

As someone who has a habit of not keeping their devices charged, getting notifications when any of my devices are running low is incredibly helpful for me. I can't tell you how many times I've packed up my devices and headed to a coffee shop only to realize they're almost out of juice.

Since each license of Batteries for Mac allows it to be used on 3 computers, I've found that I'm able to easily monitor all of my devices' battery levels, regardless of whether I'm on my work laptop, or my personal device, or a test device. The minimalist design complements your workflow without getting in the way.

I highly recommend taking advantage of the 14-day free trial. If you like, Batteries for Mac please show your support on ProductHunt:

Mission Control Plus for Mac - Quickly manage open windows in Mission Control on the Mac | Product Hunt

The fastest way to manage your Mac’s windows in Mission Control, with keyboard navigation, shortcuts and more. It’s especially useful for Macs with small displays, an excellent alternative to nervously ⌘+Tab’ing your way to declutter your windows.

Product Hunt

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Missed last week's issue? You can read it here:‌

Issue #11: Focused Work by Michael Tigas

Today, we’re taking a look at Focused Work by Michael Tigas. Focused Work is a powerful timer that helps you have highly productive days. Inspired by the Pomodoro Technique, it’s purpose-built for people who want to focus for long periods of time. Focused Work helps you become more accountable

Indie Watch•Aryaman Sharda

If you're looking for something else to read, feel free to check out my iOS & Swift Programming blog or my book Ace the iOS Interview:

Ace The iOS Interview

The best investment for landing your dream iOS jobHey there! My name is Aryaman Sharda and I started making iOS apps way back in 2015. Since then, I’ve worked for a variety of companies like Porsche, Turo, and Scoop Technologies just to name a few. Over the years, I’ve mentored junior engineers, bui…

Gumroad

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