I Built and Launched Readometry in 5 Days — Here's the Full Story

A few weeks ago, I noticed my reading habit was slipping.

Last year I read more than 20 books. This year, I wanted to double that. But life gets busy. I stopped tracking my progress. I didn't feel the same pull to pick up a book. And most of the reading apps out there? Bloated. Social. Filled with features I didn't ask for.

So I built my own.

Readometry is a focused, privacy-first reading tracker that helps you build a reading habit — without distractions, accounts, or algorithms. In this post, I'm breaking down how I went from idea to App Store in 5 days. No fluff. Just the reality of iOS development.

Why I Built It

I didn't build Readometry because I wanted another app on my phone. I built it because I needed something to keep me accountable — something dead simple.

I wanted to:

Track how long I read
Track how many pages I read
See my progress and streaks
Build a consistent habit

No book reviews, no imitation of other reading apps, no feed of what others are reading. Just me and my books.

The Stack

This was my second iOS app. I wanted to keep things simple, but still clean and powerful:

SwiftUI for UI — fast, beautiful, and smooth
Core Data + CloudKit for privacy-first local + sync storage
No backend, no account system — your data stays with you
Design: my personal design system

I'm not just trying to code. I'm learning to craft. Every screen, every feature, every interaction — I want it to feel intentional.

What I Built (v1)

Readometry's first version shipped with:

Start and stop reading sessions
Log manually by time and pages
Track daily/weekly goals
See your current streak
View book progress (pages, total time)
All data stored locally — no sign-up, no ads, no BS

It's not a "book catalog" app. It's a habit builder for readers who just want to show up and read.

How I Launched

I built the app in 5 focused days — not full days, just deep work sessions stacked with intention. I shipped the MVP. Designed the App Store assets. Launched the website (readometry.com). Then hit "Submit."

Once it went live, I posted it on X, told some friends, and started sharing the idea behind it: "This isn't a productivity app. This is a companion for people who want to read more, without being watched."

After Launch — Things Got Interesting

After launching, I realized Readometry could be much more than just a tracker.

I started working on:

Session notes — reflect on what you read, right after a session
Highlights via photo → text — take a photo, extract your favorite quote (no backend, fully offline)
Smart AI insights — using on-device ML to give you personal feedback like:
- "You read more on weekdays."
- "You read longer sessions after 9 PM."

Suddenly, this wasn't just a reading tracker. It was becoming a reading companion — with real intelligence, and zero data tracking.

Design and Positioning

This part matters. An app isn't just code — it's communication.

I stripped away everything that wasn't necessary. Used my personal design system. Kept the copy short and sharp.

I positioned it as:

"The Reading Tracker That Helps You Build a Habit."

That line says it all. No features. No distractions. Just focus.

What I Learned

Every app teaches you something. Readometry taught me to:

Ship faster. The app got better after launch.
Solve your own problem. You'll never run out of clarity if you're building for yourself.
Design with care. Simplicity is harder than it looks.
Don't wait. I could've waited another month for v1. But done is better than perfect.

What's Next

I'm not done. Not even close.

Here's what's coming:

Notes + highlights
Natural language reading insights
Offline AI features using Core ML
Polish, refine, and grow Readometry as the go-to app for focused readers

Also — this is just app #2. I'm building 12 apps this year. Readometry is part of a bigger journey toward full independence.

Final Words

If you want to build apps — build. If you want to read more — track it. If you want to do meaningful work — focus, ship, repeat.

You can download Readometry here. You can follow my journey on X. And if you're building too — let's connect. We're in this together.