From Rejection to Release: How the Pinoy-Made App Todochi Got on Google Play

Hello, World!Hello again from Lagooners! We are four brothers from the Philippines building Todochi for RevenueCat's Shipaton 2026.It has been a few weeks since we first submitted Todochi for testing on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The journey has been far from smooth. We encountered multiple suggestions for improvement, went back to development, listened to our testers, and rebuilt parts of the experience.But after all that work, we finally have some good news: Todochi has been granted production access on Google Play!This means we have cleared Google's closed-testing requirements and can now make Todochi available to the public on Android.But getting there wasn't easy. So, what exactly happened?The Hurdles We FacedOur first attempts at getting Todochi approved did not go as planned. Both Google Play and the App Store gave us issues during the review process. For Google Play in particular, one of the biggest problems was that Google could not detect enough engagement from our closed-test users. We had testers, but simply having people enrolled in a testing track wasn't enough.We initially gave Google a really basic version of Todochi. It had no proper UI and didn't even have alarms yet. Google wanted to see that testers were actually using the app and that we were taking their feedback seriously.Google also recommended that we follow testing best practices, including making improvements based on feedback from our testers, and suggested that we conduct another 14-day closed test.At first, this was shocking. We were already racing against the clock for Shipaton 2026. The last thing we wanted was to spend another two weeks waiting.But there wasn't really a shortcut.If we wanted Todochi to reach the public, we had to treat the testing process as what it was supposed to be: an opportunity to make the app better.So that's exactly what we did.A Tip for New DevelopersIf you're a new developer preparing to publish your first Android app, here's something we learned the hard way: Don't wait until the last minute to find your testers.For our closed testing, we needed to get our testers enrolled and actively using the app before we could move forward. Simply having the required number of testers wasn't enough for us. Google also wanted to see meaningful engagement and improvements based on testing.So our advice is:Find your testers as early as possible. At the time of our testing, Google Play required a minimum of 12 testers for closed testing.Don't treat the 14-day testing period as just a countdown. Use it to collect real feedback.Keep improving your app during testing.Pay attention to the problems your testers actually encounter, even if they aren't problems you noticed yourself.Keep records of the feedback you receive and the changes you make.For us, the closed test eventually became much more than something we had to complete before publishing. It became one of the most important development stages of Todochi.And if you're planning to participate in a hackathon or shipping event with a deadline, start the store approval process as early as you possibly can.We definitely wish we had.Jumping Over the HurdlesWe immediately check on our testers.Instead of treating their feedback as something we needed to satisfy Google's requirements, we treated it as a roadmap for what Todochi needed to become. Our testers consistently told us that Todochi could be more customizable, intuitive, and user-friendly.And this is where we learned something important:Testers See Things We Don'tAs developers, we already knew how Todochi worked. We knew where the buttons were, what every feature did, and how the app was supposed to behave. Our testers didn't.Something that seemed obvious to us could be confusing to someone opening the app for the first time. A feature we thought was unnecessary could turn out to be something users actually wanted.That's why we started paying closer attention to the small comments and suggestions. Their feedback eventually led to several of the improvements we have in Todochi today, including:Custom Voice RecordingCustom Voice PageOne of Todochi's main ideas is that reminders should feel more personal than ordinary notifications.We took that idea further by allowing users to record their own voices. Want Todochi to sound like you? You can. Want to record your friend's voice? You can do that too.Instead of relying entirely on the voices we provide, users can now make their reminders sound like someone they know.Custom Character PhotosCustom Photos InterfaceWe also added the ability to customize a character's photo.This might seem like a small feature, but personalization is an important part of Todochi's identity. We don't want our characters to feel like generic notification icons. We want users to feel like they are interacting with someone they personally know.Characters Per ReminderPreviously, Todochi used one character across your reminders.Now, each reminder can have its own character.A reminder to study can come from one character, while a reminder to drink water can come from another. This gives users more freedom to decide how they want Todochi to interact with them.Calendar & Specific-Date RemindersCalendar PageWe also introduced a functional calendar.Users can now create reminders for specific dates, making Todochi more useful for planning events, appointments, deadlines, and other occasions that don't necessarily belong to a simple daily schedule.This was one of the areas where we realized that Todochi needed to grow beyond being just a reminder app.A New TutorialTutorialTodochi was also getting more features, which created another problem:How do we explain all of this to someone who has never used the app before?To solve that, we added a new onboarding tutorial that introduces users to Todochi and explains how its major features work. Our goal was simple: users shouldn't have to figure everything out on their own.Better Reminder ManagementNew Interface of Alarms PageWe also redesigned parts of reminder management.We added separate tabs for unfinished and finished tasks, along with filtering categories in the sidebar.These changes may not be as flashy as custom voices or characters, but they make a big difference when someone has a lot of reminders to manage.UX ImprovementsAnd then there were all the smaller improvements.We worked on:Better keyboard behaviorInline form validation and error messagesEasier subtask creationA simpler profile setupImproved handling of completed remindersCleaner navigationBetter overall interaction with the appWe also fixed several bugs reported by our testers, including an issue where the keyboard could cover buttons while users were typing.None of these changes alone would completely transform Todochi. Together, however, they made the app feel much more polished.And Then, We Got ApprovedAfter making these improvements and completing the additional testing process, we submitted Todochi again. And this time, Google Play approved our production access.That was a huge milestone for our team.We started Todochi as four brothers who simply wanted to build an app that people could actually use. Suddenly, we had cleared one of the biggest barriers standing between our project and the public. We're still a long way from having a perfect app, but now Todochi can finally reach Android users.And we're not done improving it.The Hurdle We Have Yet to FaceWhile we're celebrating our progress on Android, there is still another hurdle waiting for us: iOS.Todochi's iOS version is still waiting to be approved through App Store Connect.Our current issue involves the subscription configuration for Todochi. Apple flagged our subscription and subscription-group setup during the review process.The items currently involved include:App VersionTodochi 1.0 for iOSSubscriptionsPremium Annual — 1 Year (premium_annual)Premium Monthly — 1 Month (premium_monthly)Subscription GroupTodochi PremiumSo while Android has crossed the finish line, iOS is still waiting for its turn.A Question for Experienced iOS DevelopersIf you've encountered a similar App Store Connect subscription issue before, we'd love to hear from you.What did you have to change in your subscription or subscription-group configuration to get your first app approved? Were there any common mistakes you made with subscriptions that you wish you had known about beforehand? We're still working through Apple's feedback, so any advice from developers who have already gone through this process would be greatly appreciated.We Are Not Stopping YetOne thing we've learned from this process is that Todochi isn't ours alone anymore. Our testers have become part of the development process.Every bug they report, every feature they request, and every piece of feedback they give us helps shape what Todochi becomes. That's why we're not treating version 1.0 as the finish line. It's the starting point.We still have plenty of room to improve Todochi. We'll continue listening to our testers, fixing bugs, improving the user experience, and finding new ways to make reminders feel more personal. There will be more versions. There will be more features. And, hopefully, there will be many more people using Todochi.To Other Developers Shipping Their First AppWe're curious about your experience as well!If you've recently published your first app, what was the biggest hurdle you encountered?Was it development itself, app-store approval, finding testers, getting users, monetization, or even choosing the right tech stack?We'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.Hello, Shipaton 2026!With production access now granted on Google Play, Todochi has cleared another major milestone on its journey toward RevenueCat's Shipaton 2026.We still have plenty of work ahead of us. We have more things to update, more bugs to fix, and an iOS release to fight for. But whether we win or lose the competition, we can already be proud of what we've built.It all started with a simple dream: We wanted to make our own app that people could actually use.Now, that dream is slowly becoming a reality. And we're incredibly grateful to everyone who helped us get here.To our testers, thank you for downloading Todochi, trying it out, reporting bugs, suggesting features, and giving us honest feedback.To everyone who believed in our project, thank you!This is only version 1.0.We'll see you in the next version. 💜Try TodochiTodochi is now available on Android!👉 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lagooners.todochiIf you try it, we'd love to hear what you think. Your feedback could help shape the next version of Todochi. 💜