Hey Reader,

I rebuilt the onboarding flow for Super Easy Timer, and my downloads started climbing.

Three small changes around onboarding, localization, and reviews. Here’s exactly what I did so you can copy it.

Onboarding

My old onboarding showed five videos and didn't give users a chance to try the app. The new flow does one job: show someone how the timer works. One short video, then an interactive timer that they tap through themselves. No feature tour, no walls of text.

The interactive step is what changed things. People learn the timer by using a real one, not by watching how it works. By the time onboarding ends, they’ve already run a timer and seen the result.

Localization

Downloads are trending up, and the international downloads are a big reason. I localized my App Store page into 46 languages, which opened up search traffic I had never shown up for before.

I used the AscBuddy Chrome extension to do it. From start to finish, it took 4 minutes and 33 seconds to generate all localizations and push them to App Store Connect. The Chrome Extension also adds tools, tips, and a submission guide right inside App Store Connect, and you can flip it to Dark mode. I’m an affiliate, so that’s my link above.

Super Easy Timer is free if you want to see the flow yourself: download it here.

Ratings

Two things worth copying:

First, place the ratings prompt after onboarding (Apple has started rejecting updates that include rating prompts during onboarding). I show the rating request after the user’s 2nd timer interaction post-onboarding. They have used the app 3-5 times before I even request a review.

I’m seeing 2-5 new ratings and reviews a week, and positive reviews are one of the biggest drivers of App Store ranking.

If you're not asking, make sure you start asking. I also have a dropdown item to leave a review from the Menu Bar.

Second, make the ask personal. My rating request isn’t a generic system prompt. I wrote a personal message, added my signature, and included a photo of myself. Use personality to win over customers.

If you’ve got a ratings prompt in your app, when does it fire: first launch, or after the user gets a win? Hit reply and tell me.

Talk soon,
Paul Solt
Paul@SuperEasyApps.com

P.S. Quick news note: OpenAI previewed GPT-5.6 Sol, a step up from GPT-5.5. The most interesting part is that it’s set to run on Cerebras in July at 750 tokens/second, pending government approval.

GPT-5.3 Spark was our first Cerebras hardware-powered model: extremely fast, but not smart enough for iOS/macOS app development (too many compiler errors and didn't follow directions well).

The new Sol model sounds very promising and will likely change the way we work, combined with all the new enhancements in the Codex app.

P.P.S. Need help with your iOS or macOS app? Book a call​