> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.highailabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Launch Readiness

> Operating system for getting High IQ from pre-production into App Store launch and first paying subscribers.

# Launch Readiness

High IQ is in the **production-readiness sprint**.

**As of August 3, 2026**, the goal is a production build that takes real money
and delivers real value. The app is on staging/TestFlight, is not in the App
Store, and has never processed a payment.

For the week-by-week schedule, see the
[Execution Plan](/planning/launch-readiness/execution-plan). This page is the
status and gate definition.

## Current Verdict

**Status:** Not ready to charge. Engineering health is good; nothing about the
paid journey has ever been exercised end to end.

The distinction matters. Local code health is strong — 2,196 mobile tests, 566
Convex tests, lint and typecheck green, design-system and geometry validators
passing. What is missing is not code quality. It is that **no human outside the
founder has used the app, and no transaction has ever completed**.

Three specific facts define the gap:

1. **A production build cannot generate a notebook.**
   `NOTEBOOK_GENERATION_ACTIONS_ENABLED` resolves false in production and
   `isNotebookArtifactRouteEnabled()` returns false unconditionally. Under the
   hard-paywall model, notebooks *are* the product.
2. **RevenueCat has never processed a transaction**, sandbox or otherwise.
   Purchase, restore, and webhook→Convex entitlement sync are unproven.
3. **Device QA has not run.** The August 1 pass deferred Argent/device QA at
   product direction; the last recorded Revyl smoke was 7/8.

<Warning>
  **A hard paywall raises the readiness bar.** Under freemium, a rough first
  session costs an unconverted free user. Under a hard paywall, every rough
  first session belongs to someone who **paid**, and their recourse is a refund
  request and a one-star review. With zero existing reviews, the first twenty
  are the entire social proof for a cannabis app. Friends & family and a real
  paid journey are not optional polish — they protect the store rating.
</Warning>

## Launch Model

Decided August 3, 2026. Full detail in [Pricing Strategy](/planning/pricing/strategy).

* **Hard paywall at full price** — $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr, **no trial, no intro offer**
* **The website is the free tier** — the app does not duplicate free browsing
* **Guest access is browse-only** — nothing saved, no AI
* **All personal data and all AI is Pro**
* **30-day retention** for never-subscribed accounts; **12 months read-only** for lapsed subscribers

## Launch Gates

| # | Gate                                                                                                   | Current state                                                               |
| - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1 | **Hard-paywall tier model** — flags re-tiered, no Pro route reachable by guest or unsubscribed account | Not started; registry still reflects the freemium model                     |
| 2 | **The paywall exists as a sales surface** — with Apple's required disclosures and Restore Purchases    | Not started; `SubscriptionBillingScreen` is a billing screen, not a paywall |
| 3 | **Payments proven** — sandbox purchase, restore, and webhook→entitlement sync recorded                 | Blocked on App Store Connect + RevenueCat configuration                     |
| 4 | **Notebooks generate in production** — order → notebook → readable result, including failure states    | Feature switched off in production builds                                   |
| 5 | **Data retention implemented** — 30-day and 12-month policies enforced and disclosed                   | Not started                                                                 |
| 6 | **Device certification** — Revyl smoke green, real-device journeys, small/large iPhone                 | Revyl 7/8; device QA deferred                                               |
| 7 | **Public promise consistency** — app, website, docs, App Store copy, and paywall all agree             | Docs updated Aug 3; website and App Store copy pending                      |

Secondary (tracked, not launch-gating):

* Gmail sync and Historical Import stay off until Google restricted-scope
  verification clears. Both ship via **remote feature-flag flip**, not an App
  Store release.
* Push notifications are v1.1 (November), deliberately. A permission prompt at
  the wrong moment permanently caps opt-in rate.
* Mobile screen/integration tests under `apps/mobile/test/**` remain excluded
  from the normal unit gate.

## Launch Path

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
  A[Production Ready<br/>August] --> B[Friends & Family<br/>September]
  B --> C[Public Launch<br/>October]
  C --> D[Learn & Retain<br/>November]
  D --> E[Compound<br/>Dec-Jan]
```

## Phase Definitions

| Phase            | Target    | Goal                                        | Charge?                             | Exit gate                                                          |
| ---------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Production Ready | August    | A build that takes money and delivers value | No                                  | All 7 launch gates green                                           |
| Friends & Family | September | 15–30 real people; fix what embarrasses you | Comped via promotional entitlements | Someone not obligated to be nice says the notebook was worth money |
| Public Launch    | October   | Invite gate off; strangers pay              | Yes, full price                     | 10+ paying subscribers who have never met you                      |
| Learn & Retain   | November  | Stop the leak before adding traffic         | Yes                                 | Push + share cards shipped; first pricing read                     |
| Compound         | Dec–Jan   | Repeatable acquisition loop                 | Yes                                 | 100 paying subscribers                                             |

<Info>
  **September is a distribution mechanism, not launch day.** The app goes live in
  the App Store behind an invite gate so friends and family can install from a
  normal link instead of TestFlight. No marketing, no announcement. A useful
  side effect: the App Review rejection cycle happens on a week that does not
  matter, which protects the October marketing date.
</Info>

## v1.0 Product Scope

* **Guest:** strain browse/search/detail, High Families, discovery, strain
  music, rate-capped label scanner, blog. Nothing saved.
* **Pro ($12.99/mo · $99.99/yr):** everything else — stash, orders, manual and
  photo upload, receipt parsing, notebooks, stats, dispensaries, collection,
  rankings, badges, and (on verification) Gmail sync and Historical Import.

**Not in v1.0:** shopping agent, menu extraction, Safari extension, Professor
High in-app chat, deep research, notebook media, Studio tier, Android.
Professor High remains the brand mascot on TikTok regardless of the in-app chat
ship date.

## Operating Loop

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
  A[Pick the week's single lane] --> B[Build it]
  B --> C[Prove it on a real device]
  C --> D{Meets the bar?}
  D -- No --> B
  D -- Yes --> E[Update execution plan + iteration log]
  E --> A
```

## Source Evidence

* Week-by-week plan: [Execution Plan](/planning/launch-readiness/execution-plan)
* Pricing model of record: [Pricing Strategy](/planning/pricing/strategy)
* Raw audit: `docs/mobile/[audit]-launch-readiness-jun03.md`
* Mobile coverage map: `docs/testing/product-feature-flow-coverage.md`
* Revyl matrix: `docs/testing/revyl/mobile-feature-coverage-matrix.md`