x.dro1d.org
Tech tales, privacy insights, and app development chronicles
// No tracking. // No ads. // Just code.
2026
App Store Time Capsule: 15 Years of Dev History
Unearthing the original 2011 "Fact File" and viral soundboards. A journey from Objective-C rejections to modern privacy architecture.
Apps Designed Right for iPhone & Mac
Dispelling the myth that privacy requires ugly design.
2025
How Dro1d Labs Handles Your Data (We Don't)
A deep dive into our privacy philosophy, why we built everything offline-first, and why "privacy-focused" isn't enough—you need privacy by design.
iQuake: Background Task Debugging Saga
Building iQuake: a SwiftUI earthquake alert app with background fetch and more than a few gotchas. A journey through iOS quirks, crashes, and caffeine-fueled persistence.
Defndr: SMS Spam Blocking
Building Defndr, an SMS spam filter for iPhone using Apple's mysterious IdentityLookup framework. Wrestling with Apple's IdentityLookup framework.
2024
Mnml: Building a Custom Launcher for iOS
Creating a minimal, customizable home screen launcher for iOS with clean aesthetics and zero bloat.
ZenMode: A Smoother Alarm and Sleep Tracker
Building a non-annoying alarm app with beautiful sounds and gentle wake-ups.
Fact File Redux: Our First iPhone App Returns
Reviving my first iPhone app from years ago and modernizing it with SwiftUI.
Archive
Older posts covering hardware builds, system administration, and tech experiments from 2020-2023.
Nothing phone [1]
T-Rex 2 Smartwatch
Noctua PSU Mod
Ryzen 4650G ITX Build
NanoPi with Pi-Hole DNS
Privacy-Focused Search with Searx
// More articles available in the archive directories