Oof, I know. The title sounds rough. But it’s true.

I’ve spent the last 2 weeks working on an app, creating videos, soundscapes and backend logic to create an app for users to track their Mac screen time in a fun way. Everything is local and stays on your device other than the in app currency I made, which is hooked up to CloudFlare for security.

The app ended up costing me $124 just to give it away for free. Which was the plan all along, I just didn’t think it would cost so much to create. It’s taken literal blood sweat and a few tears to make this and I just want people to enjoy it.

I’m a solo developer who spend 90% of his time dreaming up ideas and staring at a screen to bring them to life. I guess this is just one long way of asking… should I continue?

My plan is to round out my app collection QuietWare at 10 apps and then circle back to refine each app from feedback received from the users so far. I’m passionate about it and want people to get real use from my apps. I focus on UI/UX, I test edge cases, and I don’t release it until it’s something I’m proud of.

I know it’s only the beginning (about 2 months). But should I continue refining after my 10th app release? Or is this just something I dreamed up and should have just stayed in my head?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

ScreenEra - A reason to track your screen time.

ScreenEra is a privacy-first, calming, gamified screen time companion for macOS users that combines local app usage tracking with ambient backgrounds, soundscapes, XP, badges, levels, and themed universes - giving you a reason to track your screen time.

The problem it solves...

Screen time tracking is useful, but most tools make it feel like a boring chore. You check once, see a number, feel vaguely judged, and move on. ScreenEra makes the habit feel more inviting by turning awareness into atmosphere, progress, and small unlocks.

The solution...

ScreenEra shows where your Mac time goes and gives that data a living space. Choose an ambient universe, listen to calming soundscapes, earn XP, unlock badge rarities, and make screen awareness part of your day without turning it into punishment.

FEATURES

• Privately track active app usage on your Mac
• No account or signup
• Earn XP and level up through regular use
• Unlock badges across multiple rarity tiers
• Choose ambient universes with visual backgrounds and soundscapes
• Make screen time awareness feel calm, visual, and rewarding
• Era Coins let you collect additional ambient worlds over time

Included universes: Fantasy, Cyber, Space, Cozy, Arcade, and Corporate.

I built ScreenEra because screen time tracking is useful, but boring. I wanted something worth looking at every day/week. This is the first release, so although it's been rigorously self-tested, you may encounter bugs. This is a common part of new software releases. Luckily, we have auto updates built into the app, so bug fixes and updates can be pushed out quickly. There's a feedback button in the settings where you can report issues or send praise. Any feedback is always appreciated.

Link for anyone who wants to try it:
https://quietware.itch.io/screenera

It’s free / pay-what-you-want, signed and notarized for macOS.

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video and read this post. I hope you enjoy and get use out of ScreenEra as much as I enjoyed building it :)

What genre/song is your go to?

I tend to play lofi hip hop or motivational music. Wbu?

I’m an indie solo developer that’s been releasing useful and fun macOS apps all month long. If you’ve been on this subreddit at all this month, I’m sure you’ve seen at least one of my posts.

Mondays can be busy for most people, I know. But this Monday for me is wide open, and I thought, why not connect with fellow macOS users and see if I could potentially make their digital experience a little better while getting real-world feedback from like-minded people.

Today I will be reading and responding to as many comments as I possibly can. So feel free to explore my digital world from the Carrd link. Support me with a follow on X, download a free app you think looks cool, and leave your feedback in the comments below.

[My Carrd]

I’ll be here 😊

[Here's my CARRD]
I know these kinds of posts are overdone, so I'll spare you the promo/AI ad and give you something real. I've attached my Carrd site with all my info if you're interested in supporting me or following along.

I didn't go to college, nor did I graduate from high school. I ended up getting my GED at age 17. I have no notable achievements or accolades I can flex. What I do have is wicked determination and creativity. If I can do anything... It's turning an idea into a reality. I think that's one of my most valuable skills, and I really do cherish and nurture it as much as I can.

That being said, I've tried using my creativity in many ways. I've written a fantasy novel nobody wanted, I've failed at 3 startups, and was a freelance graphic designer for a while before AI came into the picture and wiped us all out. It hasn't been easy, but boy, have I learned a lot... not only about myself, but also about the resilience it takes to achieve your dreams even when you're losing hard.

I don't really have any friends, and my family is kind of split up all over the country, but I do have a very supportive partner who has been there with me through every failed venture I've dreamed up and tried to pursue. Without them... well... I don't know where or who I'd be. So here's a special thank you to my partner. I love you.

My newest venture they've been supporting me through is solo app development. The kind that's like "Hey, what if this did this or that?" and then spend days and weeks obsessing over it until finally... it exists. Dreaming up something that doesn't exist yet and then giving it your all to bring it to life... now that's true magic right there. It's something people can spend their entire life trying to do, but never having the willpower, confidence, or time to ever do. And I know I'm not winning a Nobel Peace Prize or winning an Oscar. I'm simply sharing my hard work with the world. Proudly, and wondering if what I have to give will matter to anyone.

This is more than a promo post about a collection of apps I've exhausted myself mentally, physically, and spiritually to create. This is me asking the universe, "Is this enough?" "Have I found it?" And whether the answer is no or not yet, I've still enjoyed every minute (and I do mean every minute) creating things for people to use. To be of service to someone other than myself for once.

Over the last few months, I've dreamed up and created a growing collection of macOS apps that I genuinely believe are worth sharing. Sorry if you don't have a Mac device and you've read this far, but if this blows up and or there's enough demand... I have a Windows machine that I can use to recreate these apps for different kinds of devices and people. I'm up for the challenge, so let me know if that's something you'd look forward to seeing happen.

As of today, June 21st, 2026, I've brought eight apps into the world. (as if I've given birth or something 🤣) The video in this post is my most recent idea made a reality. The idea came to me like any "good" idea or idea worth acting on comes... spontaneously, and stemming from a bunch of other "bad" ideas.

I was sitting at my desk thinking of what it was I wanted to do next. I thought... Maybe I could make a desktop Tamagotchi pet...

No... that's been done before. A lot.

And then a decent idea came to me... what if I could blend/fuse the seams of desktop windows to create seamless flows without harsh lines. Like unified windows. Well, that idea turned out to be very, very difficult to pull off. Dang near impossible really, especially with the limitations of customization Apple has around window manipulation. So I scratched the idea.

Then, for some reason, the nostalgic thought of custom cursors came to the forefront. The ones that sparkle, or animate, or trail particles as it moves. and then BOOM 💥

You've heard of cursor customization, but what about window customization? I looked it up and have yet to find anything exactly like this. So there's a prideful part of me that's like, "Did I finally create something new?" Maybe it already exists, and I've just missed it, but my newest app is called TRAYL. Like TRAIL, but with a Y...for funsies.

It's a window and file movement customization utility for macOS. You can select any Apple emoji and customize the trailing effects of windows, and desktop files/folders. There are really cool drop animations, and you can even customize different animations for different active windows open on your computer. So if you want Safari to have earth emojis trailing behind it when you move it, but you want an open picture of your partner to emit little sunshine emojis too, that's possible.

One of the coolest parts about all of the apps I've dreamed up is that they all have auto-updaters installed by default, so if there are features that users really want, or bugs that people find that need to be fixed quickly, I can do it all very fast. And you would get the update instantly.

This is all one long post just to say, I've made something. And I know that. But there's so much more that's led up to this moment, and I thought it wouldn't be as sweet if I didn't at least introduce myself and give you something real for once. So thank you so, so, so much for taking the time to read this, and I really hope that if you do try this app or any of the others, they bring real purpose and joy to your life. That's why all of the apps are free/pay-what-you-want. Because that's all I'm really trying to do.

Have a great Sunday :)

Music in the video is by Kontraa Music from Pixabay

TRAYL is a macOS menu-bar app designed to animate the movement of your windows and desktop files.

I’m sure you’ve heard of cursor customization, but have you ever heard of window customization? Yeah, me neither until the idea came to me recently.

The idea started off as an app that fused windows together with a reflective blurred overlay at the seam where the windows snap together. (That was nearly impossible.)

And then I thought… maybe I could make a desktop pet…

No… that’s overdone.

Then I got flashbacks to old school cursor customizations and how you could have trailing cursors. And BOOM 💥

I have never seen this done before and it’s honestly super satisfying and really fun. For example, I forgot I had it on earlier when I moved my safari window and stars appeared and I thought “Oh that’s cool. Wait… that’s my app.” 😂

Unfortunately, it’s only for Apple Silicon machines since it’s lightweight but graphics heavy, I just didn’t feel comfortable releasing the Intel version. It was laggy and not as smooth as the Silicon version.

It’s FREE to download right now on my itch.io profile.

Any support, even a comment or feedback would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading 🫶🏼

And who knows, if there’s enough demand for it, I might develop a super lightweight version that Intel machines can handle. But for now, this is it. Enjoy!

What do you think about apps that give you free reign over the way your app looks like. I honestly think it should be a standard these days.

This is a part of the settings panel of my current WIP. It should be released later today. I’ve been up all night working on it and am slowly loosing my mind over every tiny detail 😅 HELP!

What’re your thoughts? Do most apps you use give you options like this? Would you want more than this? If so, what colors?

macOS users are about to have a lot of fun! 🤩

I was looking for something simple to hold all of my links in one place. Something that not only looked good but that I could easily share on social media or with people who ask, "Do you have a card?"

Now I can say, "Yes, I have a carrd" 😉

I couldn't be more pleased with the flexibility of the free version, and I had to share mine.

https://quietware.carrd.co

You can really create anything. I've looked through the carrd Reddit and saw so many amazing designs. Some people go all out and make incredibly creative and or very professional-looking sites.

I'd love to see what you've made. Drop it below!

Focus apps these days feel too rigid and pressure filled.

Sometimes i don't want a strict timer. Sometimes I just want to get into focus mode and stay there. I wanted something that helped me settle, build momentum and notice when i'm getting scattered.

And its called Sync Mode.

The idea was straight forward: I wanted a focus app that didn't feel like another timer, checklist or guilt trip.

Instead of giving you any of that, Sync Mode looks at safe local rhythm signals like typing pace, pauses, mouse scroll and movement, and click rhythm. It then estimates your current focus mode and shifts your sooundscape and visual atmosphere to support it.

The four focus modes:

• Calm - for slower, quieter work like reading, planning, journaling, or easing into a task. 
• Focused - for steady work sessions where you are locked in but not rushing. 
• Energized - for high momentum work when you're moving quickly and want the environment to keep up. 
• Scattered - for moments when your rhythm feels interupted, restless, or all over the place.

Reads Rhythm, Not Content.

Privacy matters alot here.

Sync Mode does not read what you type. It does not store your words. It does not inspect your documents. It does not cellect URLs, clipboard contents, messages, passwords, or private text. And most of all, it does not send your activity anywhere.

Everything is design to stay on your Mac.

Feature List:

• Local rhythm-based focus detection (no ai) 
• Calm, Focused, Energized, and Scattered modes 
• Built-in soundscapes 
• Soft visual atmosphere / widget like window for your workspace 
• Light Mode and Dark Mode 
• Customization options 
• Privacy-conscious activity detection 
• Designed for writing, coding, srudying, planning, and creative work 
• Free / pay-what-you-want release

It's not trying to replace discipline, diagnose your mood, or spy on your work.

It's a small Mac app that tries to help your workspace feel more aligned with your rhythm.

It's free on itch.io (an indie game / app hosting platform) right now.

This is an early release, and i'm still improving the detection system. The app may not alwasy guess the perfect mode, but the goal is for it to feel helpful gentle and useful overtime.

Link: https://quietware.itch.io/sync-mode

Thanks for reading :)

I’ve recently been on a roll creating macOS apps, and I’m about to start working on my 8th one very soon.

My plan is to craft 10 useful apps with auto updaters built in, then circle back and refine them all again on a loop. Of course, if there is a glaring bug or problem, that moves up the priority ladder, but overall, that is the plan.

Right now I’m sitting at 1,800+ page views, 300+ downloads, and a little over $25 in support revenue.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I’m giving them all away in a free / pay-what-you-want format on itch.io.

It has been a blast so far. I’m really enjoying the process, and it seems like other people are enjoying the end result too, so why would I stop?

It would be crazy of me to, right?

Regardless, I’ve learned so much already, and I cannot wait to continue creating, refining, and seeing where this little collection of apps goes.

Hope you have a great day.

Thanks for reading.

This setup has gotten me through 7 app builds and many sleepless nights. I know it’s not the best or most aesthetic but this captures everything I need to function at my desk.

(And yes, if you zoom in, you’ll see Lego Dumbledore and Fawkes⚡️)

M2 Mac Mini as my main desktop with a wide screen LG monitor. 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro 16GB ram. Wormier RD75 keyboard. Samsung T7 1T SSD. Magic Mouse and I keep my Apple keyboard in the back for fingerprint detection.

Lighting is Hue lights. And of course… my notebook, water, Diet Coke and nicotine 😬

What are your thoughts?

I’ve had my 2017 MacBook Pro for almost 10 years, and I still rely on it every day for my creative work. Whether I’m coding, writing, or designing, it still keeps up with me.

I love Apple.

What’s your oldest Apple device you still use?

I got bored of just refreshing my safari browser over and over again to see my stats change on my itch.io dashboard.

This custom app allows me to pull data from each apps page and aesthetically displays it all in one beautiful dashboard. It makes me so happy!!!!!

When I get a view it dings and shows which app was viewed. Any download has a chime sound and shows a +1 animation and then any donation has a “cha-ching” sound and an animation of the donated amount.

It’s basically a gamified way of tracking the progress of my hard work! Highly recommend doing something like this if you check stats on a loop all day. lol

Focus apps these days feel too rigid and pressure filled.

Sometimes i don't want a strict timer. Sometimes I just want to get into focus mode and stay there. I wanted something that helped me settle, build momentum and notice when i'm getting scattered.

And its called Sync Mode.

The idea was straight forward: I wanted a focus app that didn't feel like another timer, checklist or guilt trip.

Instead of giving you any of that, Sync Mode looks at safe local rhythm signals like typing pace, pauses, mouse scroll and movement, and click rhythm. It then estimates your current focus mode and shifts your sooundscape and visual atmosphere to support it.

The four focus modes:

• Calm - for slower, quieter work like reading, planning, journaling, or easing into a task. 
• Focused - for steady work sessions where you are locked in but not rushing. 
• Energized - for high momentum work when you're moving quickly and want the environment to keep up. 
• Scattered - for moments when your rhythm feels interupted, restless, or all over the place.

Reads Rhythm, Not Content.

Privacy matters alot here.

Sync Mode does not read what you type. It does not store your words. It does not inspect your documents. It does not cellect URLs, clipboard contents, messages, passwords, or private text. And most of all, it does not send your activity anywhere.

Everything is design to stay on your Mac.

Feature List:

• Local rhythm-based focus detection (no ai) 
• Calm, Focused, Energized, and Scattered modes 
• Built-in soundscapes 
• Soft visual atmosphere / widget like window for your workspace 
• Light Mode and Dark Mode 
• Customization options 
• Privacy-conscious activity detection 
• Designed for writing, coding, srudying, planning, and creative work 
• Free / pay-what-you-want release

It's not trying to replace discipline, diagnose your mood, or spy on your work.

It's a small Mac app that tries to help your workspace feel more aligned with your rhythm.

Link: https://www.producthunt.com/products/sync-mode/

Any upvotes or comments are appreciated immensely :)

I just released a free / pay-what-you-want macOS app on itch.io called Sync Mode.

I built it because I wanted focus to feel less like a timer yelling at you and more like your Mac quietly adjusting to how you’re working.

It looks at local rhythm signals like typing pace, pauses, mouse movement, and click rhythm to estimate if you’re in one of four modes:

Calm, Focused, Energized, or Scattered.

Then it can shift the soundscape and visual atmosphere to match.

The biggest thing for me was privacy. It does not read typed words, documents, clipboard, URLs, or anything like that. It only reads rhythm, not content.

Would love to know if the idea makes sense from the outside.

I made a free/"pay-what-you-want" macOS app called SyncMode, and I just launched it on itch.io.

It is a focus app that estimates your current work rhythm using local signals like typing pace, pauses, mouse movement, and click rhythm. Based on that, it shifts between four modes: Calm, Focused, Energized, and Scattered.

Each mode can adjust the soundscape so your workspace feels more aligned with how you are working. And the app kinda becomes a widget too.

The biggest thing I wanted to get right was privacy. The app does not read typed words. It does not store text. It does not inspect documents. It does not collect URLs or clipboard contents. and it does not send activity data anywhere.

Our slogan is "Read Rhythm, Not Content."

I built this because a lot of focus apps just felt too rigid to me. Sometimes I don't want a timer. I want something that helps me get into focus and stay there. It is still an early version, and I am actively working on the detection, but I would love to hear whether this is something a Mac user like yourself would find useful, or just a novelty app.

Link: https://quietware.itch.io/sync-mode