People who buy and keep their own music, rather than streaming it, miss out on the 'new from artists you like' alerts that streaming apps give everyone else. Someone in that position wished for an app that looks through the music folders on their own computer, works out which artists they have, and when asked shows any new albums or singles from those artists. They know online services exist, but wanted something that works from their own music folders and checks only when they ask. It could check a free public music database such as MusicBrainz and remember what it has already shown you.
Asked for by a music fan on the fediverse who doesn't use streaming
#music#collection#new-releases
#0042wanted
Lots of little kids are obsessed with diggers, cranes and cement mixers, and watching real ones at work is a free outing they love. After someone shared a street in New York where you can see a row of cement mixers, another person wished there were an app for finding free, public places like that. Parents could drop a pin on a spot they can watch from the pavement or a public viewing area, say what's usually there and roughly when it's busy, and mark when they last saw it working. Building sites come and go, so each spot should show how recent its last report is.
Asked for by someone on Bluesky replying to a tip about where little kids can watch cement mixers
#kids#family#outings#map
#0041wanted
Reading a newspaper or magazine PDF on a phone means endless zooming and sliding sideways, because the pages have several columns that change from page to page. Someone who reads a daily paper this way wished they could tap the one article they want and have just that column's text laid out to fit the phone screen, in a comfortable size. The reader apps they tried either confused them or jumbled the text across columns. It would only need to work for PDFs that contain real text, not scanned photos of pages.
Asked for by a reader on the F-Droid forum
#reading#news#pdf#phone
#0040wanted
People who wash out jam jars and food tubs to reuse them find that some brands' labels peel off cleanly while others tear and leave sticky glue behind, and some products come in far more plastic than others. This would be a simple shared list where you look up a product and see how easy its container is to reuse, then add your own rating after trying it: did the label come off, is the lid worth keeping, how much extra packaging was there. Next time you shop, you could pick the brand with the friendlier jar. Products could be found by name or by scanning the barcode, using the free Open Food Facts product list.
Asked for by a commenter in a Hacker News thread
#home#recycling#shopping#kitchen
#0039wanted
Some homes have a TV in the kitchen that hardly ever gets watched. This would let it stay dark until a message arrives from someone on a short list you choose, then switch the screen on, show the message with a sound that tells you who sent it, and turn the screen off again after a set time so it doesn't waste power. Messages from anyone not on the list would never show up. It could be an app for an Android TV, with family sending messages from their phones.
Asked for by a poster on Software Recommendations Stack Exchange
#home#family#messages#tv
#0038wanted
Children aged about 7 to 9 would see a small row of pictures and write a few sentences that use all of them. As they type, each picture lights up when they use its word, so they can see what they still need to describe, and if they're stuck, tapping a picture shows or says the word. When every row is done, the pieces join into one story the child can read back or hear read aloud, then turn the page for a new set. A parent or teacher would choose the pictures and their words, and it would need no accounts or chat.
Asked for by a poster on Software Recommendations Stack Exchange
#education#kids#writing#reading
#00371 shipped
A lot of housework depends on the weather, visitors, or another job being finished, so a fixed schedule doesn't always help. This reminder would still handle the regular jobs, like laundry on Thursday evening, and also speak up when heavy rain is forecast (check the gutters), when guests are coming tomorrow (tidy up), or the day after a job that needs a follow-up (fold yesterday's washing). Everything would live in one simple list for the household. It could read the local weather forecast and let you add your own events, like a visit, that trigger the right chores.
Asked for by a commenter in a Hacker News thread about things people wish existed
#home#chores#reminders#weather
#0036wanted
Young Chinese learners could use a toy where they pick two pinyin syllables and see every word those syllables can form, with tones, meanings and pictures. A switch would let the child search with or without tones, since in films the tones are often hard to hear. It could be built on a free, open Chinese dictionary as a simple website, helping kids look up words they hear in subtitled videos.
Asked for by a poster on Software Recommendations Stack Exchange
#education#language-learning#kids#chinese
#0034wanted
Some bathroom scales flash weight, BMI and body-fat readings on a small screen one at a time, so copying them into a spreadsheet by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. A simple phone app could watch the scale's screen through the camera for one full round, read each number, and save them in the same order every time. It could then copy them straight into a spreadsheet, and get better at reading different scale models over time. It would only copy the readings down, without interpreting them or giving medical advice.
Asked for by a poster on Software Recommendations Stack Exchange
#health#fitness#spreadsheets#tracking
#0033wanted
People who buy domains from the cheapest registrar lose track of where each is registered, when it renews and which nameservers it uses. Add domains manually or by lookup and see renewal dates and nameserver changes in one list.
Asked for by a domain collector on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#developer-tools#domains#reminders
#0032wanted
A flat list of services, jobs and checks with just green or red status, not charts or analytics. Each check is a URL ping or a webhook; it's for small teams and solo operators. Self-hostable in a single file.
Asked for in an Ask HN thread about tools small businesses lack
#developer-tools#monitoring#small-business
#0031wanted
Searching a binary for 'a header whose fields look like this' is hard with plain hex search. An editor would let you describe structures with partial values and find matches. Pairing with simple format definitions would make it practical.
Asked for in an Ask HN thread about wished-for dev tools
#developer-tools#binary#reverse-engineering
#0030wanted
Developers end up committing repeatedly just to debug pipeline YAML. A tool would reproduce the CI environment on your machine so you can iterate on scripts locally. The pain is mostly in matching images and secrets.
Asked for in an Ask HN thread about wished-for dev tools
#developer-tools#ci#docker
#0029wanted
Type ssh to a host and land in a fresh throwaway container or microVM that is destroyed or paused when you disconnect. Useful for testing untrusted scripts or trying tools without polluting your machine. Keep it self-hostable and hardened.
Asked for in an Ask HN thread about wished-for dev tools
#developer-tools#ssh#containers
#0028wanted
When you hit reply on a heated comment, it pauses for a minute and asks you to sum up the other person's view in one sentence. If your version is far from theirs, it shows both side by side before unlocking Post. No scoring or AI rewriting, just a speed bump.
Asked for by a forum user on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#browser-extension#wellbeing#social
#0027wanted
Drivers who enjoy the journey want routes that prefer backroads and two-lane highways, saved places that stay visible, one-tap waypoint adds without ending navigation, and a speedometer even outside navigation. Built on open map data and routing.
Asked for by a driving enthusiast on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#travel#driving#maps
#0026wanted
Parents of several kids lose track of practice times, equipment to pack, fees due and chores. Add each child, their activities and reminders, and see a family tablet view for the day. Calendars are too clunky for gear lists and bills.
Asked for by a father of three on r/AppIdeas
#parents#family#planning
#0025wanted
New photographers often freeze when asked to direct a couple or group. A phone-friendly library of poses with plain-language cues to say aloud, filterable by number of people and setting, would help. Users can save favorites for a shoot.
Asked for by a beginner on r/photography
#photography#beginners#reference
#0024wanted
Type a word that doesn't exist and see plausible earlier forms across Old English, Middle English and Proto-Germanic, or French through Old French and Latin. Uses sound-change rules to generate forms, great for language nerds and fiction writers. Show the rules applied so it teaches too.
Asked for by a language enthusiast on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#linguistics#education#fun
#0023wanted
Old radio drama fans lost their favorite app to a worse redesign. A player built on public-domain archives would offer ad-free playback, offline downloads, background play, and a marker for episodes already heard. Source libraries like the Internet Archive keep content costs low.
Asked for by a listener on r/AppIdeas
#audio#hobbies#public-domain
#0022wanted
Open a pattern PDF, place a marker at the current instruction, and keep a row counter and a repeat counter beside it. Closing the app saves the page, marker, counters and notes together, with no public upload. Aimed at knitters and crocheters who juggle a PDF, counter and paper notes.
Asked for by a knitter on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#knitting#crafts#pdf
#0021wanted
Enter exercises (jog, walk, sprint), a set of possible durations, rest time and number of rounds, and the timer picks each round at random. Keeps interval training unpredictable without planning every block. Audio or vibration cues tell you when to switch.
Asked for by an exerciser on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#fitness#timer#web-app
#00201 shipped
Daily-transaction budgeting apps create piles of work for those who only check in once or twice a month. Enter balances manually, log only big items like bills, debts and paydays, get bill reminders and see a simple trend line. No bank linking required.
Asked for by a budgeting-app user on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#personal-finance#net-worth#minimalist
#0019wanted
Many shops and public places had earlier lives that people like to rediscover. Pick an address or a spot on a map and read short, reviewed histories of what used to stand there, with dates and sources. Moderation and sources keep it trustworthy.
Asked for by a history-curious person on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#local-history#maps#community
#0018wanted
Warehouse stores rarely post aisle signs for products, so shoppers wander. Let people search an item and see the aisle and bay for their store, with community edits and recent-confirmation dates. Starts with a single chain and a map of the floor.
Asked for by a shopper on r/AppIdeas
#shopping#local#crowdsourced
#0017wanted
Following something like a promised sidewalk repair across months of meetings is tedious. Pick passages from the minutes, keep their dates and source links, group them by issue, and show updates, corrections and outcomes in a printable timeline for a library or community binder.
Asked for by a civic-minded community member on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#civic#community#transparency
#0016wanted
Freelancers can't tell how much they truly need when pay arrives irregularly, and they juggle separate apps for budget, projects and taxes. One place would combine upcoming projects and expected payments with bills and a suggested set-aside amount. It must clearly say it is a planning aid, not tax advice.
Asked for by a freelancer on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#freelancers#personal-finance#planning
#0015wanted
A student teacher wants to see at a glance how much of each class period remains, without a loud alarm. Enter a bell schedule once, then show a quiet always-visible countdown on the phone or a classroom web page. A full-screen web version works first; a native Live Activity can come later.
Asked for by a student teacher on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#teachers#education#timer
#0014wanted
Staff who take the last gloves or towels often forget to tell whoever shops. Scan a QR code taped to the shelf, tap the item, and it lands on the shopper's list, with no sign-up for staff. Useful for care homes, day-cares, small offices and clubs.
Asked for by a care-centre worker on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#small-business#workplace#inventory
#0013wanted
On a phone, how-to articles are buried in popups and videos have no chapters. Paste a URL and get a clean, tick-off list of steps shown one at a time, ideally as a floating step view while you work in another app. Works best for repairs, setup and cooking-style guides.
Asked for by commenters on an r/SomebodyMakeThis 'what do you wish existed' thread
#productivity#mobile#how-to
#0012wanted
Many people never learned who their grandparents really were. A simple tool would let you record messages and set delivery to a future date or life event, with a plan for who receives them and how files stay readable in 50 years. Export-friendly formats and a trusted-contact handoff are the hard part.
Asked for by a person without memories of their grandparents on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#family#legacy#archive
#0011wanted
Keeping up with many relatives' birthdays and what they like is a chore, and gift apps ask you to retype interests each time. Store a birthday and a few interests per person, get a reminder ahead of time, and see a handful of gift ideas with links without re-entering anything.
Asked for by a person with a large family on r/SomebodyMakeThis (Spanish-language post)
#gifts#family#reminders
#0010wanted
Family and friends often want to celebrate someone from afar. A host creates a page with a link, guests drop in photos, short videos and notes without needing an account, and the host gets a keepsake page or download afterwards. Optional reveal date keeps it a surprise.
Asked for by a party organizer on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#family#events#photos
#0009wanted
Deposit disputes turn on proof of what the place looked like. A guided room-by-room checklist captures dated photos and notes at move-in, repair requests, and move-out, then exports one tidy report for a dispute. It documents evidence only and gives no legal advice.
Asked for by a renter on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#renting#documentation#money
#0008wanted
Spare tiles, the passport, seasonal decorations and tools all get stored 'somewhere safe'. Take a photo, type where it went, and search it two years later; households could share one list so relatives can look things up too. Simple search matters more than fancy categories.
Asked for by commenters on an r/SomebodyMakeThis 'what do you wish existed' thread
#home#organization#family
#0007wanted
Some people would rather keep their to-dos in the Messages app than in a separate app. Text a number 'buy milk' to add it, text 'list' to see items, text 'done 2' to clear one, and optionally get a morning summary. Needs an SMS provider so keep costs and privacy in mind.
Asked for by a to-do list fan on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#productivity#sms#todo
#0006wanted
Group trip photos end up scattered across phones and trickle into the chat for weeks. Friends add photos to a shared trip during the trip, nobody sees the pile, and on a chosen date everything unlocks at once as a shared album. Think of it as a mini reveal party for the memories.
Asked for by a frequent group traveller on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#travel#friends#photos
#0005wanted
Food goes bad because nobody remembers what is in the fridge or when it expires. Snap the grocery receipt, get a rough inventory with suggested use-by dates, and see a short list of what to cook before it spoils. Manual correction matters more than perfect scanning.
Asked for by a grocery shopper on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#food-waste#cooking#budget
#0004wanted
Paste a recipe link and get a clean card with ingredients and steps, no ads or backstory. Scale servings, tweak amounts, add your own recipes, and keep a big-text cook mode for when your hands are messy. Offline use and a one-time price (or fully free) are part of the appeal.
Asked for by a home cook on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#cooking#recipes#web-app
#0003wanted
Older parents often can't cope with password managers that assume they understand vaults and autofill. A family member would set up and store the logins remotely, while the parent sees a few big buttons on their phone that open the right site already signed in. Success is measured by how few taps and decisions the parent faces.
Asked for by an adult child on r/SomebodyMakeThis
#accessibility#family#seniors
#0002wanted