I built a free app to help people avoid buying a £4 coffee just to use the loo. It went viral, crashed my servers, but led to something genuinely amazing.
A while ago, I got fed up with the classic British dilemma: needing the toilet in a city centre and having to buy an overpriced coffee just to get a door code. So, I built a free, community-driven map app called LooCation to track down free public toilets.
Earlier this week, the app went a bit viral. You guys completely gave it the "Reddit Hug of D**th" – we hit over 100,000 map requests in a couple of days, and my map API provider temporarily shut me down. 😅
I managed to upgrade the servers out of my own pocket to get it back online, but during the downtime, the most incredible thing happened. I received an influx of messages from people with Crohn's and IBS, telling me how much a map like this helps reduce their daily anxiety.
I originally had the "Medical & Specialized Access" filters (like Changing Places and Ostomy Friendly) as part of an optional 'Pro' tier just to help cover server costs. But reading those messages made me realise that shouldn't be the case.
So, the real success story today: I’ve just pushed an update that makes ALL medical and specialised access filters completely 100% free for everyone, forever.
The core map remains completely free and ad-free. I did add a one-time "Lifetime supporter" badge in the app for anyone who wants to help me keep the servers from catching fire again, but there's zero pressure.
I just wanted to share this little win. Thanks to the UK Reddit community for breaking my app, and ultimately helping make it better and more accessible for the people who really need it.
A while ago, I got fed up with the classic British dilemma: needing the toilet in a city centre and having to buy an overpriced coffee just to get a door code. So, I built a free, community-driven map app called LooCation to track down free public toilets.
Earlier this week, the app went a bit viral. You guys completely gave it the "Reddit Hug of D**th" – we hit over 100,000 map requests in a couple of days, and my map API provider temporarily shut me down. 😅
I managed to upgrade the servers out of my own pocket to get it back online, but during the downtime, the most incredible thing happened. I received an influx of messages from people with Crohn's and IBS, telling me how much a map like this helps reduce their daily anxiety.
I originally had the "Medical & Specialized Access" filters (like Changing Places and Ostomy Friendly) as part of an optional 'Pro' tier just to help cover server costs. But reading those messages made me realise that shouldn't be the case.
So, the real success story today: I’ve just pushed an update that makes ALL medical and specialised access filters completely 100% free for everyone, forever.
The core map remains completely free and ad-free. I did add a one-time "Lifetime supporter" badge in the app for anyone who wants to help me keep the servers from catching fire again, but there's zero pressure.
I just wanted to share this little win. Thanks to the UK Reddit community for breaking my app, and ultimately helping make it better and more accessible for the people who really need it.