Alsterrunde
A weekly newsletter for anyone who wants to know Hamburg a little better. Local politics, new discoveries, everyday moments, and everything in between.
Moin! I’m Mert.
Product-Minded Developer based in Hamburg, Germany.
I'm a builder and a lifelong learner who loves diving into new ideas and figuring things out. On this site I share my experiences, thoughts, and discoveries, from how-to guides and reviews to interesting finds and things I'm currently exploring.
Subscribe below to be the first to know when I publish something new.
Work
fruitful apps
A small studio dedicated to creating practical, user-friendly apps for Apple platforms, built around problems that are actually worth solving.
Farklı Düşün
A technology-themed podcast (Think Different) largely discussing Apple, books, software industry, and related technologies in Turkish.
Posts
How to declare taxes in Germany as an App Developer
A practical guide to filing your taxes on Elster as an app developer in Germany, covering the three forms you need to submit every year.
Einbürgerungsantragsjubiläum
A personal look at Germany’s slow citizenship process and why it matters for the skilled immigrants the country says it needs.
My Favorite Books in the First Quarter of 2026
Sharing my favorite books from the first quarter of 2026 and how they impacted my perspective on various topics.
Why I Stopped Following the News
A personal reflection on the decision to stop following daily news and its impact on my well-being.
When the Tech Industry Becomes Disgusting
A reflection on how the tech industry has shifted from curiosity-driven innovation to a culture of excess and influence.
About Being Grateful
Reflecting on the importance of gratitude in a world driven by consumerism.
My 2025 Q4 Highlights: Favorite Books, Games, and TV Shows
Sharing my favorite books, games, and TV shows from the fourth quarter of 2025.
What is a City Super App and Why Every City Needs One
Why I believe every city needs a super app and how it will transform the way we engage with digital devices.
Books
Quotes
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple
Be aware of the world's magical, mystical, and artistic sides. The most important things in life are not the goal-oriented, materialistic things that everyone and everything tries to convince you to strive for.
Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
Seneca, Roman Stoic Philosopher
No one is most hated than he who speaks the truth.
Plato, Greek Philosopher
Don't worry about what others think. Mind what you think. Watch the movements of your mind, and focus your thoughts on something worthy.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
Programming
My checklist before submitting a new app to App Store Connect
A checklist to simplify app submissions and reduce rejection risk on App Store Connect.
Don't rely on BGAppRefreshTask for your app's business logic
Why you shouldn’t rely on background app refresh tasks for critical data updates in your app.
How to get subscription notifications on iPhone without RevenueCat
Learn how to set up subscription notifications on your iPhone using CloudKit and Cloudflare for free.
Be careful how you save Relationship in SwiftData
SwiftData is cool but it comes with a lot of issues but you can easily avoid them.
Never use SwiftData without VersionedSchema
No versioned schema in SwiftData? Prepare for crashes—learn from my mistake.
How to bring back English as supported languages on App Store
After starting to use String Catalogs, I noticed that English was no longer listed as a supported language on the App Store. This post shows you how to bring it back.
How to handle dynamic text with String Catalogs
Using String Catalogs is a new way to localize your app, but how do you handle dynamic text?
How to test the same Rake task multiple times
In some cases, you may want to test the same Rake task multiple times with different arguments. This post shows you how to do that.