Ever got charged for a subscription you never intended to renew after the free trial?

That is exactly what I have often experienced time after time. Most recently, a week a go when two days in a row I got charged almost $ 200 from just two subscriptions! Not that they wouldn't be worth it but I just knew I was not really going to use those services in the short term. Yet, I failed to remember when the renewal dates were so I got charged nicely. In case you are wondering whether I got my money back after all, read till the end : )

From problem to solution in just few hours

I told myself I would never waste time requesting refunds from unwanted subscriptions ever again. I knew I had something cooking in the back of my mind so went ahead and listed all I would need to build a solution using no code tools. I guess here its the time where I share that I have absolutely no mobile app programming skills or knowledge, I am not a designer nor consider myself a maker or visual developer (at least not yet!).

This was my checklist on all I needed/wanted for my mobile app:

• A form where I could input all details related to the new subscription
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• A database where to store all data collected through the form
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• Automate a reminder on my calendar when a specific subscription is about to renew

‍Now that I knew exactly what I wanted, I chose the tools I needed to make it happen and in a fast manner with no code at all!

Typeform: Allows me to custom design my own form with direct data integration to a database with no code:

Airtable: Spreadsheet/database with an easy to use API that would allow me to call and connect to my app UI.

Figma: Design Tool to create the UI design and prototype (You can access the Figma file here)Like I said before, I am not a designer but Figma is so easy to use that anyone can make it work! I didn't want to design the app from scratch so just googled for a free ui kit. Find here the UI Kit I used and repurposed for my subscriptions app.

Bravo Studio: Bravo Studio turns your Figma prototype into a fully native app for both iOS and Android instantly. No code! Once I imported my Figma file in Bravo Studio, I was able to connect my app design to the data that will be sent to my Airtable through the Typeform form. Bravo Studio has a super easy and intuitive API Wizard that guides you step by step how to connect your Airtable to your app.

Now that I had my app ready, just needed one last step: Automate setting a reminder in my calendar every time I would add a new subscription in my app. For this, I used:

Zapier: Allows you to easily connect different apps and automate workflows. Also, with no code! In this case I connected Airtable to Google Calendar.

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Solution: My Subscriptions App

I really believe there is almost no limit on what you can build using no code. New tools and improved APIs are flourishing on a daily basis that is hard to keep up which one should you start with.

My personal advise to you is not to spend too much time on trying to come up with an app idea but rather look at your daily life and that of those around you and identify what you think you could improve. Those are really the ones worth working on. Once you have done a few apps you will have gained enough knowledge and identified your preferred tools to work with. To a point that you could easily start a side business building digital solutions.

Though I did get my money back after requesting for a full refund from both services, still had to go through the trouble that entailed.

Finally, I spent more time emailing back and forth to get my money back than actually building a solution to make sure I don't miss that renewal date again in the future.

So, are you ready to build your own app with no code? You can find me here, would love to know more about your app idea and help you build it just like i did.