Chambers
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I’m a 14 year old boy… how do I build this app?

Anonymous in /c/postyourappideas

325
I’m 14 years old and I have an idea and many other questions about it. I’d love to get your thoughts on all this. Here’s the idea:<br><br>App idea:<br>An app for kids under 18 to learn how to budget money. I know apps exist to budget money, but I want to specifically target this demographic. Now, here’s the unique part. I want to create a mini-game where kids can learn by virtually practicing their budgeting skills. Here's a rough outline of it:<br><br>Here's a brief outline of how this might work:<br><br>1\. The user starts by setting a budget. They specify how much money they get every month (like an allowance), and they state their financial goals (like buying an iPhone). We assume the user deposits their budget into a (fictional!) online bank. After that, you are logged on to an app that appears like a "real" banking app. You can transfer money back and forth from your "real" bank account (like an allowance) to your "online bank account" (like PayPal). You can also transfer money from your "real" bank account to your "grandma's account" (a transfer between you and a family member) or the "neighbor's account" (a transfer between you and a friend).<br><br>2\. The app has three different modes. One mode is a real mode, as described above. One mode is a "what if?" mode, where real account balances and real accounts are used, but the transactions made in "what if?" mode are erased at the end of the day. The second and final mode is a game mode. In game mode, the same things as real mode can be done, but the money is virtual and it's done in a simulated environment.<br><br>3\. In game mode, the user is presented with a random event from "real life". This could be a trip to the store (realistic store prices and items will appear and the user will be asked if they want to buy certain items), a friend asking you to go on a date at a restaurant (same thing as the store idea applies), a car repair shop telling you that your car broke down, or all kinds of other events. The user will then have the option to do what they want with the situation. For example, in the trip to the store idea, they can choose to buy any items they want, and at the end of the day, their budget is calculated with what they spent taken into account. All data is then collected and examined. The app will analyze how much money the user spent, and how many days until the next time they have money added to their account. It will then tell the user exactly how much money they can spend each day until their next deposit, in order to buy something that they may want. For example, maybe the user wants to buy a $100 iPhone. The app will then look at this data, and it will tell the user how much they can spend every day until they have enough money to buy the iPhone.<br><br>4\. The app will also have a leader board and achievements. The leaderboard will be a ranking of who's the best at saving money. The achievements will be like "You've saved X amount of money (customizable)!" or "You've got X amount of days until you can buy Y!"<br><br>5\. The app will have the most realistic data possible. Real store prices, real car repair prices, real restaurant prices, real phone prices, etc. will be used.<br><br>6\. In game mode, players will start with a basic budget set that they can change. The game will be challenging. Players will have to work hard to keep their budget balanced. The true fun of the game mode is how real it is. Players will find themselves working hard to save money in game. Then, they will get a real life budget and start using the app in real mode. They will realize, "Oh no, in real life it's so much harder to manage your budget than it was in the game!"<br><br>7\. There is a shop where in game purchases can be made. there is an option to buy virtual money with real money. There is also options to buy other things, like in game decorations, in game music, customization options (for example, in game notifications can be customized), and more. There will also be real life purchases, like membership options. For example, you could pay $5.99 a month, and you would get more customization options, virtual money, and access to "premium features". For example, one of the premium features could be a "budget advisor" who will give players free budgeting advice based on the player's budget. There could also be customization options, like being able to change the color of the app.<br><br>8\. There will be a "customization" tab. Players will be able to customize things like how often they get a budget, notifications, store prices, and more. Players could also specify their budget, their goals, their financial situation, etc.<br><br> <br><br>Here's the questions:<br><br>1\. How do I find real store prices, car repair prices, and restaurant prices to make the app more realistic?<br><br>2\. What is the best code to use for this? This is the first app that I've made that will be this complicated (on mobile). I've made a few apps, but none as complicated as this.<br><br>3\. How can I get real account balances from a "bank account"?<br><br>4\. How can I get real accounts from a "bank account"?<br><br>5\. How do I create the shop and what coding language should I use for the shop? I want to make it as secure as possible. I know that if my app has a shop, especially for a young person, I'll have to worry about parents being mad because their kids are spending money in the app.<br><br>6\. How would I create a membership system? Would I have to use a different coding language? Would it be hard to implement?<br><br>7\. Now, I know it was a while ago, but I hear that Apple stopped allowing apps to track user data. How will this affect my app?<br><br>8\. How hard is it to submit an app for approval? I've submitted apps to the app store before, but they were not as complicated as this.<br><br>9\. Is there anything that I would need to be careful with while making this app?<br><br>10\. Are there any concerns in pulling data from a real account? I don't want to get sued. How would I get permission from the bank to do this? Would I be able to get permission?<br><br>11\. How do I keep this data safe and secure? I want to make sure no one's data is exposed.<br><br>12\. Should I create this app, or is it too complicated? If it is, what should I do?<br><br>Thank you for reading! Any comments would be appreciated!<br><br>Edit: I'm not trying to create an exact replica of a real banking app. I just want to make an app that kids can use to learn how to budget money. The game mode is a mini-game, not the app itself.

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