Ship an iOS MVP in 1 Hour

📚 Indie App Playbook · Part 3 of 7 Series overview: Indie App Playbook

An MVP isn't a rough version of a big product — it's a small product that validates exactly one core hypothesis.

In one hour you won't ship a full version, but strangers will complete the core action in 30 seconds and you'll see in the data exactly where they drop off.

🎯 What you'll ship

• A TestFlight-ready v1 (minimal but complete)
• The core path: launch → onboarding → core action → paywall
• 6 must-have events instrumented
• A real build you can send to your first 50 users

⏱️ Time blocks

📋 Prerequisites

• Xcode 16+, free Apple Developer account
• Outputs from Part 2: Pick Your App Niche: ≤ 5 core features + positioning line
• Free RevenueCat + PostHog accounts

Step 1: Scaffold (0–10 min)

New project

File → New Project → iOS → App
Interface: SwiftUI
Language: Swift
Storage: None (UserDefaults is enough)

Dependencies

File → Add Package Dependencies:

https://github.com/RevenueCat/purchases-ios
https://github.com/PostHog/posthog-ios

Only these two. Don't add Firebase / Mixpanel / Amplitude — they slow compile.

Structure

YourApp/
  App.swift           // @main + register RC/PH
  ContentView.swift   // Top router
  Onboarding/         // 4-step flow
  Core/               // Core action screens
  Paywall/            // Paywall
  Analytics.swift     // Event wrapper

Step 2: Core action (10–25 min)

Mindset: The user completes one key task within 30 seconds of opening. Cut everything else.

5 screens

Max 5 screens:

1. Launch / Onboarding entry
2. Core action input (the one critical interaction)
3. Result page (the moment the user sees value)
4. Paywall (appears after value is felt)
5. Settings / History (minimal)

SwiftUI skeleton

struct ContentView: View {
    @AppStorage("hasOnboarded") var hasOnboarded = false

    var body: some View {
        if !hasOnboarded {
            OnboardingFlow()
        } else {
            MainTabView()
        }
    }
}

Don't do

• ❌ User accounts (Apple ID / device-local is enough for v1)
• ❌ Backend API (full local in v1, fewer network deps)
• ❌ Multi-language (do your main market first)
• ❌ iPad layout (unless iPad is the core scenario)

Step 3: Onboarding + paywall (25–40 min)

4–5 step onboarding

Not a product manual — a funnel from ad promise → paywall trigger:

1. Welcome: restate the ad's core promise ("Never get sunburned again")
2. Pain echo: 3 lines of "do you also..." so users nod along
3. Value demo: one GIF or 3-step illustration showing how the app solves it
4. Permissions (if needed): notifications / location / camera, each with a "we'll only..." explainer
5. Paywall: right after, while emotion is primed

Paywall template

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ [One-line value prop]       │
│ Unlock streak tracking.     │
│ Miss a day = back to zero.  │
│                             │
│ ✓ Unlimited streaks         │
│ ✓ History export            │
│ ✓ Widget                    │
│                             │
│ [ Yearly  $29.99/yr ]       │
│ [ Monthly $4.99/mo ]        │
│                             │
│ Start 7-day free trial      │
│                             │
│ Restore | Terms | Privacy   │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Must-have:

• Clear price, clear trial length, clear post-trial billing
• No fake countdowns / fake "limited time" pressure
• Restore Purchase is required (review will reject otherwise)
• Close button so users can skip

Step 4: Wire RevenueCat + PostHog (40–50 min)

RevenueCat (5 min)

Create project at app.revenuecat.com, grab API key, in App.swift:

import RevenueCat

@main
struct YourApp: App {
    init() {
        Purchases.configure(withAPIKey: "appl_xxxxxx")
    }
    var body: some Scene { ... }
}

In App Store Connect, create subscription products (yearly + monthly), and create a sandbox tester account.

PostHog (5 min)

import PostHog

let config = PostHogConfig(apiKey: "phc_xxx", host: "https://us.i.posthog.com")
PostHogSDK.shared.setup(config)

6 must-have events

Wrap in Analytics.swift:

enum Event: String {
    case appOpened = "app_opened"
    case onboardingCompleted = "onboarding_completed"
    case coreActionDone = "core_action_done"
    case paywallShown = "paywall_shown"
    case trialStarted = "trial_started"
    case purchaseCompleted = "purchase_completed"
}

func track(_ event: Event, properties: [String: Any]? = nil) {
    PostHogSDK.shared.capture(event.rawValue, properties: properties)
}

Rule: instrument everything you might need later. Missing > wrong.

Step 5: TestFlight (50–60 min)

Checklist

• App name, icon, subtitle filled
• At least 3 screenshots at 6.7"
• Privacy policy URL (Termly / a public Notion page works)
• Support URL (Notion page is fine)
• App Privacy nutrition labels filled (what data, with whom)
• Review notes: test account, subscription test path
• Build version 1.0 (1)

TestFlight, not App Store

Don't submit to App Store directly for v1. Flow:

1. Xcode → Product → Archive
2. Upload to App Store Connect
3. In TestFlight tab, enable Internal Testing
4. Invite yourself + the first 50 users from Part 1

TestFlight needs no review — fast iteration. Only submit to App Store after the first 50 users have given feedback.

📚 Further reading

• Full long-form: Indie App Playbook
• Previous: Pick Your App Niche
• RevenueCat docs: https://www.revenuecat.com/docs/

Series navigation

📚 Indie App Playbook · Part 3 of 7

• Part 1 — Validate Your App Idea
• Part 2 — Pick Your App Niche
• ✅ Part 3 · You are here — Ship an iOS MVP in 1 Hour
• ⏭️ Next:

• 📚 Series overview: Indie App Playbook