App Showcase: Alpenglow

What it does

Alpenglow is a specialized weather app designed for photographers and outdoor enthusiasts. Its primary job is to predict the quality of sunrises and sunsets, helping users know the best times to go out and capture stunning photos. The app provides detailed timelines for light phases like the 'Golden Hour' and 'Blue Hour' and includes advanced tools to plan photoshoots based on the sun's exact position.

Where it shines

Alpenglow excels by focusing on a specific niche and building tools that perfectly serve it. The sun direction map, explored at 03:17, is a prime example. It allows users to scrub through time and see the precise altitude and azimuth of the sun, which is crucial for planning compositions. Another standout feature is the Community Globe (01:53), which crowdsources beautiful sunset and sunrise photos from around the world, transforming a utility app into an inspirational discovery tool.

UX highlights

• The main dashboard (00:52) is clean and scannable, presenting a clear timeline of the day's light events, from first light to last light.
• Searching for a new location (00:57) is fast and seamlessly updates the entire forecast, making it easy to plan for different spots.
• The onboarding flow is extremely quick, taking less than 20 seconds to get to the main app while successfully securing necessary permissions.
• The use of 'warm-up' screens for permissions, like the one for notifications at 00:07, builds trust by explaining the value before the system prompt appears.
• Interactive elements are polished, like the confetti animation on the setup success screen (00:12) and the smooth rotation of the 3D globe (01:56).

Monetization & growth

Monetization is handled through a Pro subscription with a free trial. The app cleverly uses a dual paywall strategy. Immediately after onboarding, it presents a simple, low-friction free trial offer (00:17) with a feature comparison table. Later, a more comprehensive paywall (00:25) is shown, offering Lifetime, Yearly, and Monthly options. This detailed screen includes a clear discount for the annual plan and an extensive list of pro features, catering to users who need more information before committing.

Who it’s for

This app is built for landscape photographers, travel bloggers, and anyone passionate about capturing beautiful natural light. It serves both amateurs who want to know if a sunset is worth watching and professionals who need precise data for planning shoots. The toolset is specific enough to be indispensable for its target audience while remaining accessible for casual users.

Notes & opportunities

While the app is highly polished, the weather data itself is locked behind the pro subscription. Showing a basic weather condition (e.g., 'Cloudy', 'Clear') on the free version could provide more immediate value and serve as a better hook for the detailed forecast. Additionally, the distinction between the different notification types in settings (Forecast, Event, Field Report) could be clarified with more descriptive text or tooltips.