Build journal No. 01

Focus Train.
October 2026.

iOS (new tab) and Android (new tab) made more reliable, reworked multiplayer, iPhone Duo adaptation and V3 screenshots. A month spent improving the journey, then getting it known.

Alexis Guerquin31 October 2026

The Japan map in Focus Train — Turning focus time into a journey, solo or together.

The Focus Train home screen with the Solo and Multiplayer tickets — Turning focus time into a journey, solo or together.

This month

Login, audio, maps and boarding were improved on iOS (new tab) and Android (new tab). At the end of the month, the iPhone Duo adaptation, the V3 screenshots and the promotional carousels took over to make the product clearer and more visible.

The progress

Week by week.

Open to explore

Week 1 October 1–7Key progress

89 LOFI tracks to accompany sessions.

AudioGoogle sign-inMarketing site5 visuals

The LOFI playlist grows to 89 tracks, about 4 hours of listening. The current track, the next track and shuffle are available during sessions.

Focus Train solo session with progress on the map and the music player at the bottom — The music player during a solo session.

Focus Train wagon with next-track and shuffle controls — The same controls in the multiplayer wagon.

Work from October 4 to 8

Making the way into the app more reliable

Android Google sign-in (new tab) fixed: clearer errors and a cleaned-up sign-out. Version 1.0.1 published on October 4.
Tablet home screen adapted and language choice grouped into a dropdown menu.
iOS paywall (new tab) simplified, app blocking re-enabled and RevenueCat integrated.

WhyReduce blockers before the first session and make the subscription offer easier to understand.

Audio work from October 6 to 12

Staying in your session

89 LOFI tracks integrated, with current track, next track and shuffle.
Landscape scrolling and loading reworked to limit visual pauses.

WhyKeep the useful controls within reach, without interrupting the journey.

October 1

Showing the product on the website

Marketing site (new tab) available in 6 languages, with a real app video and a YouTube playlist carousel.
Lighter navigation, enriched metadata and content for SEO and AI assistants.

WhyExplain the concept with the real screens before the download.

Other screenshots and demos

3 visuals

Focus Train home screen and access to the Solo, Multiplayer and Collection modes — The home screen and its entry tickets.

Focus Train solo session showing the train in its landscape — The landscape that accompanies focus.

Focus Train marketing site in French with a real video and the App Store and Google Play buttons — Marketing site (new tab) · screenshot from October 31, with the Android link added on the 21st.

Week 2 October 8–14Key progress

A smoother, clearer multiplayer flow.

MapsBoardingSession tickets8 visuals

Work from October 6 to 13

Reducing the waits between screens

Maps, modals, route search and seat booking optimized; loading indicators added.
During the session: map view, clear view and music controls available in solo as well as multiplayer.
Session history as punched tickets and weekly focus time saved in the Collection.
Changes brought to iOS (new tab) and Android (new tab). Blocking modal aligned with the language chosen in the app.

WhyMake boarding simpler and keep a record of the time actually spent focusing.

October 8–13

Preparing and shipping updates

iOS 1.0.5 (new tab) published on October 10, then iOS 1.0.6 (new tab) on October 13.
Android 1.0.6 (new tab) submitted then published on October 12, according to the dashboard milestones.
Localized V2 screenshots and first presentation A/B tests prepared. Product Hunt draft created.

WhyShip the improvements and start testing how to present the product.

Week 3 October 15–21Key progress

Simulated passengers arriving gradually.

PresenceWagonsFirebase2 visuals

Work from October 15 to 25

Making presence feel less mechanical

Simulated passengers added with profiles, avatars, presence duration and progress.
First iteration: arrivals after departure. Then arrivals one by one, spaced about 1 to 4 minutes apart, including during renewals.
Automatic renewal, seat checks and a Firebase check every 4 hours.

WhyAvoid grouped arrivals and occupied seats with no character. Real user tracking must stay separate from this simulation.

October 21

Linking the website to the Android version

The Google Play link (new tab) replaces the “coming soon” notice on the marketing site (new tab).

WhyLet people download the right version directly from the website.

Week 4 October 22–28Key progress

27 TikTok carousels to test formats.

CommunicationTikTokDistribution5 visuals

Work from October 21 to 24

Varying the angles, keeping the product visible

27 carousels of 5 slides, i.e. 135 slides, created with app screenshots at the end of each sequence.
Varied formats: grid, tip, creation story, list, curiosity, expertise and before / after.
Scheduled at 11 am, 4 pm and 9 pm, then 16 different sounds added to the 26 posts still scheduled.

WhyCompare the formats on views, shares and profile visits. Scheduling alone does not prove they work.

October 21–24

Opening other discovery points

Pinterest board and pin created; AlternativeTo submission and outreach to directories.
The AlternativeTo approval is still to be confirmed in the messages found.

WhyGet the project known on several channels and measure which ones bring users.

Week 5 October 29–31Key progress

Adapting to iPhone Duo formats.

iPhone DuoV3 screenshotsA/B test14 visuals

Work from October 25 to 31

Adapting space and gestures

Navigation and back actions restored, buttons harmonized and home tickets resized.
Two-part onboarding in landscape, a single one in portrait. Collection: horizontal swipe between pages and vertical scrolling inside.
Cache, loading indicators, widgets and live activities integrated into the Duo update.
iOS 1.0.7 available on October 31 (new tab): availability verified on the public Apple listing.

WhyUse the extra space while keeping text, controls and flows accessible.

October 28

Continuing the Android optimizations

Android (new tab): image preloading, map and train caching, and the ticket-tearing animation reworked in the local code.
Loading gain to be measured; the release of this second work item is not confirmed.

WhyDisplay the data already available without waiting for each network response, then check smoothness on a device.

October 25–31

Iterating on the store presentation

5 V3 screenshots in 14 languages, i.e. 70 visuals, with more direct titles, stronger contrast and localized screenshots.
Presentation videos and variants for several formats prepared. The localized visuals are compositions built from the real screenshots.
On Google Play (new tab), 5 A/B tests stopped with no established winner and V3 upload triggered. The old screenshots are still visible on the French listing as of October 31.

WhyMake the promise understandable in a few seconds and check the effect of the new visuals.

The first signals

What we observe.

tracked sign-ups: 420
sessions started: 658
sessions completed: 223

Acquisition is starting to show, but retention remains low: 9.4% on D1 and 0.5% on D7 across eligible cohorts. Priority: understand drop-offs and make people want to start another trip.

Source and scope of the figures

PostHog, iOS + Android, production. Snapshot taken on October 31, 2026 from the Phenomenals dashboard. Period: full days from October 1 to 30, in UTC. The 420 sign-ups correspond to 420 distinct people with account_created; the 658 starts and 223 completions are event volumes, not a completion rate of paired sessions. Retention on the exact day: D1 = 37 / 394 eligible sign-ups; D7 = 1 / 217. Immature cohorts excluded, partial tracking. These figures are not downloads. Simulated passengers must not be treated as new human accounts.

The month in brief.

iOS (new tab) and Android (new tab) improved, clearer multiplayer, richer playlist, 27 scheduled carousels and localized V3 presentation. October was used to consolidate the experience and test its visibility.

Status as of 31 October 2026

Month conclusion.

iOS 1.0.7 available (new tab)
Live
The iPhone Duo update, the loading optimizations and the widgets appear in the release notes of the public Apple listing.
Discover Focus Train on the App Store (new tab)
The V3 screenshots give a first signal
To confirm
The Apple snapshot goes from 32.47% to 47.03%. Data collection was still in progress; the lasting effect and that of the new content remain to be measured.
Google Play: tracking the V3 rollout (new tab)
To verify
The upload was triggered. The old screenshots are still visible on the French listing at the October 31 check.
Bringing users back
November priority
The 420 tracked sign-ups confirm the start of acquisition. The low retention calls for work on the first trip, drop-offs and resuming a session.

Next month's goals

November: visibility and coming back to the app.

All-in on communication: test short formats and identify the ones that bring sign-ups.
Measure ASO and SEO, then compare screenshots and channels over consistent periods.
Improve the first trip and the return to the app: examine drop-offs and follow the D1 / D7 cohorts.

Personal challenges.

1 tweet a day to share progress.
1 long-form YouTube video over the month.
At least 1 video or 1 carousel a day. Automation to explore to keep up the pace.

Focus Train goal · November

1,000account creations

In total in November, across iOS / App Store (new tab) and Android / Google Play (new tab).