Technically Working
1 day ago

#164 – Building the podcast app I actually want

Michael's been frustrated with his current podcast app for months, so he did what any reasonable person would do: opened Claude, wrote a PRD, and started building. Thirty-six versions later, there's a working iOS podcast app with a cross-platform plan, real testers giving feedback, and a list of features pulled straight from what blind podcast listeners actually want.

We get into the build process, including why Michael went with a phased approach, the testers who caught things he never would have (player controls missing above the tab bar, search being completely broken, follow buttons not changing to unfollow), and the features people keep asking for like folders and OPML import/export for subsets of subscriptions. Damashe also makes the case for GitHub labels and milestones so feature creep doesn't eat the project alive.

From there, things go sideways into Apple's developer experience, which is rough. App Store Connect in Safari with VoiceOver is a mess. Damashe has had to switch to Chrome just to accept terms and conditions. Michael couldn't add testers to a TestFlight group from Safari at all. We hope WWDC has something to say to the wave of vibe coders showing up to Apple's ecosystem this year.

We pivot to AI usage in general and make a case for the people who aren't building apps or websites: use these tools to understand things you're not an expert in. Commercial leases, tax code, anything dense and unfamiliar. Feed it the document, ask questions, then verify the answers in a different tool to check for consistency. The AI didn't change Damashe's behavior, by the way. Search has been bad for years. AI just gave him a way around it.

Plus: Lyft vs Uber pricing (Lyft was significantly cheaper for both of us this trip), scheduling airport pickups with flight tracking, why Michael won't schedule rides if he can help it, a shoutout to Vijesh at the Hyatt in San Francisco, Damashe needs a new rolling suitcase, and a reminder to Tip Jar subscribers to check your email this week.

Topics

  • The vibe-coded podcast app: thirty-six builds, real testers, what's working
  • Why Michael built it: frustration with his current app, wanting cross-platform
  • PRDs as a starting point for AI-assisted projects
  • Tester feedback that mattered: player controls, search, follow buttons, folders, OPML subsets
  • GitHub labels and milestones for managing feature creep
  • App Store Connect accessibility, or the lack of it
  • Practical AI usage for non-developers: leases, tax code, things you don't know
  • Verifying AI answers across different tools
  • Lyft vs Uber: pricing, scheduled pickups, flight tracking
  • Airport tips: leave early, turn off your VPN before you try to use the rideshare app
  • Hotel shoutout: Vijesh at the Hyatt in downtown San Francisco
  • Auphonic as a way listeners can support podcasts
  • Tip Jar subscribers: check your email

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