Scope
Technical
Technical architecture
Swift-native, privacy-first, subscription-ready. Hover any technology card to see what it means in plain language.
Technology stack
8 architecture decisions, explained
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Swift 5.9+
Language
Apple's modern programming language with strict concurrency and async/await. Fast, safe, and fully supported by Apple.
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What this means for you
Built with Apple's latest, fastest language. Your app gets new features and performance improvements as Apple releases them — no rewrites needed.
SwiftUI
User Interface
Declarative UI framework. Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, and dark mode support built in from the start.
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What this means for you
The screens automatically adjust to any font size or accessibility setting. If a user makes their text bigger, every screen adapts beautifully — no extra work.
SwiftData
Data Persistence
On-device database. Zero configuration, zero servers, zero internet dependency. Data stays on the phone.
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What this means for you
Your plant data stays on your device. No accounts to create, no cloud to worry about, no internet required. Open the app on an airplane and everything works.
StoreKit 2
Monetization
Apple's subscription framework. $4.99/month and $39.99/year auto-renewable subscriptions with 7-day free trial.
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What this means for you
Apple handles all payment processing, refunds, and receipt validation. You set prices in App Store Connect and Apple does the rest. Change pricing anytime without a code update.
MVVM
Architecture Pattern
Model-View-ViewModel. Clean separation between what the user sees and how the app thinks. Easier to test, easier to change.
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What this means for you
The code that decides what to show is separate from the code that draws it. This means we can change how things look without breaking how things work — and vice versa.
iOS 16.0+
Minimum OS
iPhone only. Supports every iPhone from iPhone 8 forward. Covers approximately 95% of active iPhones.
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What this means for you
Works on every iPhone from iPhone 8 and newer — that's about 95% of iPhones in use today. Your target market of boomers typically has recent phones, so nearly everyone can install Dewdrop.
Local Notifications
UNUserNotificationCenter
On-device notification scheduling. Fires at 9:00 AM on due dates. Grouped, deep-linked, and locally managed.
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What this means for you
Reminders are scheduled right on the phone — no server needed, works even without internet. A notification pops up at 9 AM saying "Time to water your Monstera!" Tap it and you're looking at that plant.
App Intents
Siri & Shortcuts
WaterPlantIntent and ShowPlantsIntent. Works with Siri and the Shortcuts app. Foundation for Apple Intelligence features.
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What this means for you
Say "Hey Siri, water my Monstera" or "Show my plants" and it just works. You can also add Dewdrop to Shortcuts automations — like reminders that trigger when you get home.
Data model
Three SwiftData entities
All data lives on-device. No server, no account creation, no tracking. The schema is deliberately minimal to match the product philosophy.
| Entity | Key Properties | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Plant |
name,
species,
wateringInterval,
lastWatered,
photoURL
|
Has many WateringLog, has one NotificationSchedule |
| WateringLog |
timestamp,
notes (premium)
|
Belongs to Plant |
| NotificationSchedule |
nextFireDate,
isEnabled,
priority (premium)
|
Belongs to Plant |
Key frameworks
Apple-native, nothing more
Shipping in v1
- UserNotifications — local push scheduling, grouped, deep-linked
- PhotosUI — PHPickerViewController for plant photos
- App Intents —
WaterPlantIntentandShowPlantsIntentfor Siri and Shortcuts
Planned for v1.1+
- WidgetKit — Home Screen widget showing next plant due
- CloudKit — optional iCloud sync (v2.0)
- Core ML — adaptive watering recommendations (v3.0)
Monetization
Freemium with StoreKit 2
3
Free plants
$4.99
Per month
$39.99
Per year (~33% off)
7 days
Free trial
How it works
- Free tier allows up to 3 plants with full functionality (watering, notifications, sharing)
- Premium unlocks unlimited plants, custom notes, and priority notification timing
- 7-day free trial auto-enrolls on first paywall tap
- Day 8 trial reminder notification deep-links back to the paywall
- Post-trial empty state nudges users who had more than 3 plants during trial
- Pricing adjustable in App Store Connect at any time without a code update
Privacy architecture
All data on-device. No server required.
What stays on the phone
- All plant data stored locally via SwiftData
- Photos stored in app sandbox, not uploaded
- Notification scheduling is 100% local (UNUserNotificationCenter)
- No analytics SDK, no tracking pixels, no third-party code
Future: CloudKit sync (optional)
- iCloud sync planned for v2.0 as an opt-in feature
- Uses Apple's end-to-end encrypted CloudKit containers
- No custom server, no user accounts, no passwords
- Fully compliant with Apple Intelligence privacy standards
The bottom line
Why these choices matter for Dewdrop
-
Fast to build. Apple's modern frameworks mean less custom code, fewer bugs, and faster delivery. The 5-month timeline is realistic because the tools do heavy lifting.
-
Accessible from day one. VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and high-contrast dark mode aren't afterthoughts — they're built into the framework.
-
Privacy by design. No server means no data breaches, no GDPR headaches. Apple's App Store privacy label reads: "This app does not collect any data."
-
Portfolio-ready. Every architecture choice is portable. PillDrop, FeedDrop, or any future app reuses 80% of this code. Time to market: 3–4 weeks per app vs. 6–10 from scratch.
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Future-proof. App Intents, SwiftData, and StoreKit 2 are Apple's current-generation frameworks. As Apple adds features, Dewdrop is already wired to adopt them.