Daylight Goals / iOS App Portfolio (includes AirLauncher and iBuzz)

"A portfolio of iOS apps averaging $500/month in revenue, spanning a daylight tracking app using Apple Watch/HealthKit, a visionOS app launcher, and a 15-year-old buzzer soundboard app that still earns ~$100/month."
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daylightgoals.com
Maker: jclardy
$500/mo average (explicitly stated, portfolio total); iBuzz alone earns ~$100/mo from ads and ad removal purchases

Marketing Channels

Primary

Apple App Store

All apps are distributed through Apple's ecosystem (iOS, watchOS, visionOS), relying on App Store discovery

Secondary

Hacker News

Shared in the HN yearly projects thread

Secondary

Platform timing / early mover advantage

AirLauncher capitalized on being early to visionOS before Apple added native app organization features

Growth Levers

  • Double down on Daylight Goals as the health/wellness trend continues — target Apple Watch users interested in sunlight exposure and circadian health
  • Create new apps for emerging Apple platforms early (following the AirLauncher visionOS strategy)
  • Optimize App Store listings (ASO) across the entire portfolio to improve organic discovery
  • Add subscription pricing to newer apps like Daylight Goals for more predictable recurring revenue
  • Cross-promote apps within the portfolio to increase install rates across all products

First Customer Strategy

Portfolio approach spanning 15+ years of iOS development. Early apps like iBuzz were built quickly (one day) and leveraged App Store discovery during less competitive times. Newer apps like AirLauncher gained traction by being first-to-market on new Apple platforms (visionOS). Daylight Goals targets health-conscious Apple Watch users through HealthKit integration.

Pricing Insight

Mixed monetization: iBuzz uses ads with an ad-removal IAP generating ~$100/mo after 15 years. AirLauncher was more significant 'last year' before Apple added competing native functionality, demonstrating platform risk. Portfolio diversification across multiple apps smooths revenue.

New Market Opportunities

  • Apple Vision Pro / visionOS apps Interest in the AVP developer experience suggests an active market of developers and users looking for visionOS apps, despite early-stage tooling
  • Health and wellness tracking Daylight Goals taps into growing interest in sunlight exposure, circadian rhythms, and quantified self — areas with increasing consumer awareness

Key Takeaways

  • • A portfolio of small apps can collectively generate meaningful passive income ($500/mo) through diversification
  • • Simple apps built quickly can produce revenue for decades — iBuzz was built in a day 15 years ago and still earns $100/mo
  • • First-mover advantage on new platforms (visionOS) provides temporary revenue boosts but carries platform risk when the vendor adds native features
  • • Platform dependency is a real risk — AirLauncher revenue dropped significantly after Apple added competing native functionality
  • • Long-term iOS development creates a compounding portfolio where even rarely-updated apps continue to generate income

Sentiment Analysis

1 Neu

Notable Quotes

"How's the developer experience on AVP? Any surprises, positive or negative? Did you find the tooling and documentation from Apple sufficient? — asimovDev"

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