Notes from the workshop

Development blog.

New posts go up as meaningful things ship — design decisions, build milestones, things I tried that didn't work, things that surprised me.

Hello, Chilltacular!

It finally has a name.

This app has been Upcoming in my head for months — that's the working title, the bundle ID, the project folder. Upcoming describes the killer feature: stuff you're waiting on that hasn't released yet, sitting in its own section of the list, automatically promoted to your queue the day it drops. It's the part nobody else's watchlist app gets right.

But Upcoming is the wrong name for a product. It's a section header, not a vibe. The vibe of this app is: you have your evening, your couch, your snack, and now you need to pick the thing. That's a Chilltacular! moment.

So: Chilltacular! it is. The exclamation point stays.

The website is going up at chilltacular.com, published by my one-person studio, LittleBlueBug, LLC.

Where things stand right now:

  • ✅ Core data model in SwiftData — items, categories, sources, statuses, collections
  • ✅ The list UI with section-based status flow (Active / Queue / Upcoming / History)
  • ✅ Drag-and-drop status changes
  • ✅ Default categories: TV, Movies, Books, Games — plus custom categories with icon + color
  • ✅ iCloud sync via CloudKit, including shared collections
  • ✅ Share Extension for adding items from any app via the iOS Share Sheet
  • ✅ Metadata API for auto-filling title, cover art, release dates, ratings
  • ✅ App icon — two friends watching a sunset on a TV from a cozy couch
  • 🚧 Siri & App Shortcuts (in progress)
  • 🚧 macOS build (works, but needs polish)
  • 🚧 iPadOS layout — full plan written, build not started
  • ⏳ App Store submission

More soon.

Coming up

Posts I plan to write as I get there:

  • The case for a status flow instead of folders (and why everyone reaches for "Watching / To Watch / Watched" first)
  • How shared collections work with CloudKit — and the one weird gotcha with CKShare acceptance on iPad
  • Why the Upcoming section is the only feature I won't compromise on
  • A short post on the icon design process — three concepts, one winner
  • macOS port notes — what was free, what wasn't
  • iPadOS layout — designing for the bigger canvas without just stretching the iPhone version
  • App Store submission diary

Want to follow along?

Bookmark this page. New posts go up here as Chilltacular! comes together. The download links go live the moment it ships to the App Store.