Day 1-6: Building the Core

After six intense days of development, ShuttlePay—a badminton cost-splitting app, was taking shape. The focus?
✔ Split court fees & shuttlecock costs
✔ Track payments and attendance
✔ Simplify group expenses with one-tap calculations

Day 7: Refining the Experience

Spent a full day polishing:

• UI for smoother navigation

• Edge-case testing (what if someone brings extra shuttles?)

• Performance optimizations to avoid lag during calculations

• Design create branding and logo for this product

Day 8: The Play Store Battle

Deployment day arrived. However, my two-year pause from Android releases meant rusty memories and new hurdles.

Challenges

Challenge 1: Build Errors

The .kts Gradle file fought me. After half a day of trial and error, Flutter’s official docs saved the day (Flutter dev).

Lesson: Always start with official documentation. AI tools couldn’t match its clarity.

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Challenge 2: Rejection #1 – Metadata Policy

Boom. The first rejection: "Violation of Metadata Policy." My app store description was apparently as clear as mud.

Fix: Rewrote the description and used Hotpot.ai to generate slick promo graphics

Lesson: Invest in presentation. Even a functional app needs compelling metadata.

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Challenge 3: Rejection #2 – App Crashes

Boom again. The app installed but failed to launch. Turns out, skipping local testing was a colossal mistake.

Root Cause: A mismatched MainActivity path in AndroidManifest.xml.

Fix:

1. Tested locally with flutter install --release

2. Verified the APK before building the AAB

3. Corrected the manifest:

   xml

   Copy

    <activity android:name=".MainActivity" android:exported="true">
   

   Run HTML

Lesson: No shortcuts in testing. An hour of validation saves a day of rejection limbo.

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The Moment of Truth

With fixes deployed, I waited nervously. 24 hours later—approval! ShuttlePay went live, Android (iOS coming soon).

Key Takeaways

1. Documentation > AI for deployment workflows.

2. Test rigorously—even "quick" builds need validation.

3. Metadata matters as much as the app itself.

To fellow developers: Launching is messy, but each rejection teaches something vital. Now, who’s up for a badminton session? 🏸

Let’s Build Something Great Together!

Got an idea for a mobile app? I’d love to hear it. Let’s collaborate and bring it to life! Currently mastering Android, but iOS development is next on my radar.

Reach out anytime to brainstorm or build. 🚀