In the age of hyper-polished mobile games with million-dollar budgets, the rise of a minimalist SwiftUI creation built around a meme cat seems both absurd and oddly refreshing. The popcat meme game, a deceptively simple iOS game where users tap the screen to animate a cat’s mouth with a satisfying “pop” sound, surged in popularity just 72 hours after launch—despite initial resistance from Apple’s App Review team. This is the unlikely story of how a silly internet meme became an App Store phenomenon.
The Origins of Popcat
Before the app, there was the meme.
Popcat began as a humble viral GIF showing a white cat named Oatmeal, affectionately known as "Popcat", opening and closing its mouth dramatically. Internet users quickly latched onto the image, remixing it with exaggerated popping sounds. By 2020, Popcat was a fixture of meme culture, with countless TikToks, Discord emojis, and even a global leaderboard website (popcat.click) turning the simple mouth pop into a global obsession.
So when indie developer James Lau saw the opportunity to turn it into an app, the idea practically coded itself.
An App That Almost Didn’t Happen
Bringing popcat app to the App Store wasn’t as smooth as one might expect. Lau built the app using SwiftUI—Apple’s declarative framework for UI design—and the core mechanic was as basic as tapping anywhere on the screen to make Popcat’s mouth move and play a sound.
But Apple initially pushed back.
“They rejected it at first, calling it too trivial,” Lau recounts. “It didn’t offer enough ‘user value,’ according to the guidelines.”
Indeed, Apple’s App Review process is notorious for weeding out what it deems "spammy" or "low-effort" apps. A static image with one animation and a single audio file doesn’t scream innovation—at least not on the surface. But Lau wasn’t deterred.
How It Passed App Review
Rather than abandon the project, Lau made several key pivots:
1. Strategic Category Choice
He reclassified the app from a “Utilities” toy into the Games category, which allowed for looser expectations regarding content depth. Apple tends to tolerate quirky, minimalistic experiences more in the Games section, especially if they generate user engagement.
2. Sound Feedback as Game Mechanics
Lau emphasized the audio feedback loop: the “pop” sound triggered by each tap isn’t just satisfying—it’s addictive. He added random pitch variations and haptic feedback to elevate the single mechanic into something that felt dynamic. That tiny layer of polish turned it from “pointless” to “playable.”
3. Micro Interaction = Macro Enjoyment
He argued in the App Review notes that the app wasn't trying to be a traditional game—it was a “micro-interaction experience.” This framing aligned with a growing genre of minimalist mobile games, like Dumb Ways to Die or Stack, where the appeal lies in the loop rather than long-term goals.
Eventually, Apple approved it.
72 Hours to Viral
Once the app was live, the downloads exploded.
The initial push came from TikTok, where users filmed themselves obsessively tapping the cat for minutes on end. Influencers jumped on board. Memes spawned memes. Within three days, the app shot to the top of the “Free Games” chart in multiple countries.
Social media comments often joked, “Why am I addicted to tapping a cat’s mouth?” The combination of visual absurdity and audio reward made it strangely irresistible—exactly the kind of bite-sized distraction that thrives in today’s attention economy.
Minimalism as a Superpower
What made Popcat’s iOS app work wasn’t just its meme origin, but its confidence in doing one thing well. In a sea of bloated, microtransaction-heavy mobile games, Popcat’s simplicity stood out. There were no leaderboards, no levels, no skins—just a cat, a mouth, and a sound.
This purity, combined with meme recognition, created a frictionless experience. Anyone could pick it up in a second and understand it. The barrier to entry was non-existent, and the reward—psychologically speaking—was immediate.
Lessons for Indie Developers
The Popcat phenomenon offers surprising insights for aspiring iOS developers:
Start with emotion, not features: Popcat doesn’t offer depth, but it nails instant gratification. Emotions drive engagement.
Leverage trends: Tapping into a pre-existing meme gave the app a head start. Don’t underestimate the power of virality.
Polish the basics: Good animation, responsive feedback, and sound design can make even the simplest mechanic feel premium.
Know your category: Apple's rules aren't always clear-cut. Reframing an app's purpose can be the difference between rejection and approval.
Where It Stands Today
Since launch, the Popcat Meme App has been downloaded millions of times, and while its peak may have passed, it remains a testament to the unpredictable nature of mobile virality. Lau has hinted at adding small features—like global “pop” counters or new cat sounds—but maintains the app’s minimalist ethos.
As for the original cat, Oatmeal, he’s living proof that the internet never stops finding joy in the bizarre.
Conclusion
Popcat’s journey from internet meme to App Store hit is more than a funny footnote—it’s a reminder that sometimes, stupid-simple ideas can break through the noise, especially when they’re executed with care and just the right amount of absurdity. In a world dominated by complex algorithms and over-engineered apps, Popcat’s success shows there's still room for a good old-fashioned “pop.”
