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Next.js Night event stage in San Francisco with purple lighting

My iOS App Was Rejected, Then I Went to Next.js Night in SF

folderCommunitycalendar-daysJun 10, 2026alarm-clock4 min

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I went to Next.js Night in San Francisco and had a great time meeting local Next.js developers, builders, and people working on personal projects.

Next.js Night venue in San Francisco with purple lighting
Speaker presenting at Next.js Night in San Francisco
Tim wearing a Next.js hat on the way to Next.js Night

Next.js Night in SF

People talked about agents, Next.js, Vercel, tech stacks, and side projects. I also met people from the Next.js and Vercel team.

I asked if shadcn was there because I am a big fan of shadcn/ui. I did not get to meet him this time, but I already have a ticket for Vercel Ship in October 2026. Hopefully I can meet him there.

I also wore my Next.js hat. I received it for my open source contribution, so it means a lot to me.

SF and AI billboards

On the way there, I noticed AI billboards everywhere. Even near Chinatown, around Chinese grocery stores and small local businesses, the streets were full of ads about agents, Codex, and AI infrastructure.

Judgment Labs AI agents billboard in San Francisco
OpenAI Codex billboard above buildings in San Francisco
AI-themed billboard in San Francisco reading if you are reading this it is already settled

SF is crazy that way. You see the hype on the street, then a few blocks later you meet the people building the tools.

My iOS app was rejected

Around the same time, Apple rejected my iOS portfolio app. They said it was not useful for a wider audience.

That was disappointing, but I understand the feedback. A portfolio app shows my SwiftUI work, but the App Store expects an app to be useful for more people.

App Store Connect screen showing the iOS app submitted for review

My iOS app submission in App Store Connect

Now I need to either improve the concept or build another app that solves a clearer problem.

Web, Android, and iOS

I started learning Android development around 2016. Later, I focused on Next.js, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript, and React. Now I am learning Swift and SwiftUI.

Android Studio showing the Android portfolio app with Jetpack Compose
Xcode showing the SwiftUI iOS portfolio app running in the iPhone simulator
Portfolio app running across Android and iOS devices next to a laptop

I built HireTimSF.com as my portfolio website. I also built an Android portfolio app and submitted it to the Google Play Store, where it is currently in review.

HireTimSF app download page showing Google Play and App Store buttons

The download page for my portfolio apps

The iOS version did not pass review, so I need to rethink the app idea.

What comes next

I will still publish the iOS app on TestFlight. If anyone is interested, they can try it there.

For the App Store, I need something more useful than a portfolio. That is the next challenge.

Next.js Night reminded me why I keep building: meet people, learn, ship, and improve the idea.