The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes
With over 600,000 apps in the iTunes App Store and 450,000 apps in Google Play you might think that there are no more apps to be developed.
MEDL Mobile disagrees. MEDL Mobile is an app incubator that takes ideas and turns them into apps for sale in the iTunes Apps Store and Google Play.
If you have a great idea for an app that hasn’t been developed yet, but you don’t know how to develop an app, MEDL Mobile may be your answer. Let’s say you have an app idea, such as Ivanka Trump did in her recent tweet, “There should be an app to identify the closest ice cream truck.” Your idea may be pure genius but you have no idea how to create an app, much less get it into the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Your options are:
- forget your idea,
- figure out how to do it yourself,
- hire an app developer, or
- check out MEDL Mobile.
MEDL Mobile takes these ideas, develops the apps, and then submits them to the iTunes App Store and Google Play.
That’s right, all you have to do is submit the app idea to MEDL Mobile and they do the rest. So what do you get for your idea? If your app idea is accepted by MEDL Mobile, they pay you 25% of the profits from the app.
I recently interviewed Rob Shoesmith, Digital PR Specialist at MEDL Mobile, about the process and how it works. Shoesmith informed me that MEDL originally developed just for iOS (the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch operating system), but the company has recently expanded to developing apps for Android. The app suggestions MEDL Mobile receives are “predominately for the iPhone but we have noticed an increase in app ideas for Android. The Android operating system is present on many smartphones these days so we were expecting this,” said Shoesmith.
MEDL strives to develop an app for both iPhone and Android, but sometimes an app is a better fit for only one of these. “In an ideal world we would love to develop an idea for both platforms which ultimately gives us a larger customer base. We agree that some ideas are suitable for a different platform and fine tune the idea and release the app on the operating system we feel will have the most success,” said Shoesmith.
Criteria
MEDL doesn’t accept all ideas. Many ideas are rejected because apps already exist or they involved copyrighted material. MEDL’s criteria include:
- Originality
- Functionality
- Simplicity
- Revenue
- Opportunity
- Fun
The Process
MEDL makes submitting app ideas easy. In fact, they have a free app called App Incubator for submitting apps: iTunes App Store and Google Play. You can also submit your app online at MEDL Mobile’s website.
MEDL warns that they are swamped with app ideas so a wait of several months to hear a response is common. Shoesmith explained, “Normally I can tell if an idea has potential within the first minute of reviewing the idea. We have received some excellent ideas but sometimes we have to weed through the bad ones. Common problems we explain with ideas being sent into us include ideas using copyright material, app ideas that are already on the Appstore and not original enough or ideas that cannot be developed due to Apple’s and Google’s development guidelines.”
To increase your chances of success, try to offer unique ideas that aren’t already available as apps. Shoesmith advises, “We have received tens of thousands of ideas for iPhone apps so to stand a better chance of having your idea being developed, I’d suggest sending us simple but unique Android app ideas.”
If your app idea is rejected, all hope may not be lost. If an app idea is salvageable, MEDL will offer suggestions to improve the app idea and increase the chance that a future submission will be accepted. “The problem we face is that reviewing ideas is a time consuming process and have to make sure we choose only the ideas we feel have a competitive advantage in the various App Stores,” said Shoesmith.
If your app is accepted by MEDL, they will pay you 25% of the app’s gross proceeds after they’ve broken even for their costs of developing and marketing your app. If you want more than 25% of the proceeds, you can hire MEDL to develop an app for you.
Here’s a YouTube video showing you the process in action:
Examples of Apps
On the website MEDL gives the example of a best-selling app in the iTunes App Store earning $10,000 a day, which would net you $2500 a day for submitting your idea to them. There is no guarantee however that your app will be a best-seller.
Examples of MEDL Mobile apps include Boxhead, Problem Halved (Rob Shoesmith’s app), Note to God, DJ Pauly D Beat That Boardwalk, and The Honey Badger Don’t Care. Boxhead was named by Mac World’s Appolooza as one of the 25 Best Apps of All Time.
Bottom Line
If you have a brilliant app idea, check out MEDL Mobile. And if you do develop an app, be sure to let The Wonder of Tech know!
Have you ever thought of an idea for an app? Have you ever searched for an app only to realize that one didn’t exist? Do you like the idea of submitting an idea and having someone else develop the app? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
I shall have to think of something. I need an app to do my cleaning! I have written a few thousand words, done some editing, made some vegetable soup and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom. I’m too tired to go out and take photographs now! I do have a guest blog for Saturday so that will save a little time. I need more time for my second instalment on how to make wine on Friday! I am expecting that to be popular! 🙂
Hi Mike, You’re a very creative guy so I’m certain you can come up with an idea for a killer app. You also have so very many areas of interest: photography, investing, fiction, blogging, electronics, Farmville, cooking, wine making. Certainly there’s an app idea in there somewhere? 🙂
Pretty clever idea this MEDL. I have been following some Java programming tutorials on youtube because I would like to make some small apps / progs myself (that can run on several OS platforms). The thought have come to mind that “boy if someone could just do this for me instead”. It would be so much easier and quicker that way. And by the looks of it, MEDL does just that! Still I’m not giving up, I’m gonna keep at it and hopefully make some apps on my own 🙂
Hi JD, If you can write apps yourself, that is great. I know many people can’t do that or don’t want the hassle. Plus MEDL has the experience to navigate the iTunes App Store which is a big help.
Please do let us know if you develop an app! :-bd
Hi Carol,
Believe it or not even though I don’t know much about tech I do have to write about it for clients. As a matter of fact I just got myself a writing job where I have to write about technology and I am certainly going to come to your blog a lot for my research. Also to get a bit educated on the subject matter 🙂
Thanks for all this information. Priceless 🙂
P.S: Your blog looks has changed quite a bit. No more side bar?
Hi Sylviane, That’s great you got a job writing about technology. That’s a hot topic so I’m sure you’ll have much success with your job. This blog is written for everyday people, so I hope you are able to learn a lot. Feel free to ask questions!
This is a temporary look. I anticipate the debut of my complete blog makeover will be happening very soon!
BTW, my name is Carolyn. Carol is the name of my dear friend Carol Biederman who has an awesome blog, Let’s Get Deals Today! 🙂
This is a great opportunity for someone who is creative and no money to develop and market it. There are similar projects in internet such as quirky and kick starter. I have to think about an idea and see whether it they accept it or not.
Hi Pubudu, You’re right, you don’t need to invest any money to give MEDL a try. For those who have brilliant ideas but don’t have either the knowledge or the funds to develop apps, MEDL Mobile is a great place to turn your ideas into apps.
Please let us know if any of your ideas turn into apps in the app stores!
I’ll let you know for sure 🙂
Now that’s a pretty cool idea Carolyn! We all can’t be a Benny Hsu who actually had a great idea, hired the developers, spend a ton of money but then it because big hit on iTunes. So if you have a great idea, the least you can do is turn it in and you just never know what will come of it.
I’m so not up on apps and how many there are that I’d probably turn in an idea that’s already out there. I just don’t know because I’m not a big app person. But I do love them and they are so convenient.
Another fabulous share my friend… Love it!
Hi Adrienne, I completely agree with you. This is very cool. Now all you need is an idea. No need for knowledge about how to create an app, just an idea for a fun and/or useful app.
I don’t know how many people have come to me saying, “There really should be an app…” but they had no way of developing the app. Now they have a way to make that idea into a reality. Very exciting!
I have acttually been looking for something similar to this. I had a few ideas for apps that I wanted to share with people. I thought about just writing a blog post about the ideas, but that didn’t happen. And I know that I won’t hire any developers myself. So, this is a great idea 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing it.
Hi Jens, Yes, MEDL Mobile is a great resource for brilliant app ideas from people who can’t develop them on their own. Lots of people have told me their app ideas over the years, but now there is a place for people to go to have them developed.
I have always admired app developers because they have a brilliant idea plus the knowledge and resources to turn those ideas into apps. But now everyone can bring their ideas to MEDL from around the world and have those ideas turn into apps.
Best of luck with your ideas, Jens. Please let us know if your ideas turn into apps! 🙂
Hey Carolyn,
I have never thought about developing or even brainstorming an idea for a mobile app but since the boom of iphone & ipad has been growing tremendously lately, I think it would actually be a great idea to try!
Particularly now that MEDL Mobile is offering their app incubator and revenue in case the idea gets accepted and makes it live.
Anyway, great article Carolyn, really enjoyed it.
Sergio
PS. I recently bought Rob Shoesmith’s book “Bin There Done That” and I highly recommend it.
Hi Sergio, Great to see you back here at The Wonder of Tech! If you have some great ideas for apps, you should definitely check out MEDL Mobile. Be sure to let us know if you develop any apps, Sergio! We would love to spread the word about them here at The Wonder of Tech!
Interesting that you mentioned Rob Shoesmith’s book today. Tune in tomorrow for my review of Bin There Done That!
According to his blog ,Once he reached 1M downloads he will be donating his house for charity.Very inspirational story it seems.
Hi Pudubu, Yes, you’re right. His story is very inspirational. He not only lifted himself up but he’s reaching out to lift up others as well.