I Gave My Indie App Two AI Spokespersons. 3,590 Views Later, Nobody Came Back

Amana is a solo-built iOS app that visualizes the sky outside your window based on your location and the sun's position, encouraging users to give the real sky a name. After releasing the app on the App Store on August 6th, 2026, the author implemented two AI-generated spokespersons to make the app more appealing. These AI-generated characters, named Akane and Kahatare, represent dusk and early dawn, respectively, and introduce the app through short videos and a theme song.

The app's promotional efforts involved uploading videos to four platforms - X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube - each featuring the same logo and brush-lettered title. The videos were created using generative AI, with the theme song composed and sung by the AI-generated sisters. The author tracked the app's performance over a month, documenting the number of videos published, total views, likes, subscribers, and unique app users.

Despite the author's assumption that a face would make the product more memorable, the AI-generated characters did not translate into a significant increase in downloads or engagement. After excluding themselves from the analytics, the author found that only 40 unique users opened the app, and none of them returned the following day. Consequently, the app achieved a gross revenue of $9.41 from a single transaction.

The author reflects on the limitations of focusing solely on marketing and distribution, acknowledging that a lack of compelling reasons for users to return ultimately hinders success. The AI-generated spokespersons accomplished their intended purpose, but did not address the fundamental issue of driving repeat usage. In light of these findings, the author suggests that future iterations of the app should prioritize creating a stronger incentive for users to engage and return, beyond simply having a recognizable face.