Ask HN: When to release the first version of an iOS app?
It works fairly well, with the occasional bug or two. While it's a simple app, there's definitely a niche market for it and I've seen some interest for it.
The base functionality works well almost all the time, performance is decent (use of SwiftUI notwithstanding).
I'm finally starting a new job soon and my original goal was to release a v1 at that point.
The problem is I'm not sure if I'm at the right stage with the app for it to be in a production-ready state.
It's missing one core feature, although it's not necessary for the main use of the app. There are a couple other bugs I wouldn't mind debugging.
I've had some friends test it out using TestFlight distributions, so I have had some feedback that way.
So my dilemma is: should I release it now and try to do iterative releases the first couple months, knowing it could be busy while I ramp-up to my new job, or just... wait a while longer, hope for some solid free after-hours time when I'll feel like hacking on my own project, and release a first version later at some point?
The one other side-note is it's too simple of an app for ads and I was initially thinking I'd charge a small amount for it. Maybe USD1.99 or similar. But I feel guilty publishing it for that price if I personally don't see it as "perfectly ready", so then I wonder if I should release it as a free app for now and then charge for it later once I have more bugfixes and a new feature or two.
Any advice would be appreciated! I'm not really looking specifically for advice on ads-based freeware / charging for the app / free other than how they are affected with the state of the app at this time.
Thanks.