We have tested it successfully with 4 nodes last week at the Fusion Festival in Germany - one of those where you have to battle constant cellular network outages - and were surprised to randomly see fellow meshtastic users extending the mesh network. It was one of those "open source technology is amazing" moments :D.
It sounds to me like it's not because of your skills and experience. You have been working in your field for a long time. Very few developers are "rock stars". We all build on the shoulders of giants - sticking code together is a pragmatic approach - especially if you work for a startup. But it sounds to me like you're comparing yourself too much to your ideal. My tip: Compare yourself less with "rockstars", learn the skills you are really interested in and reduce your working hours to a bearable level.
Without knowing the App, but the location permission could be required for Bluetooth 4.X LE to work. That still doesn't justify why a dryer needs your phonebook.
one of the best tools for reverse engineering mobile apps.
I'm just having problems when certificate pinning is enabled. Does anyone have an idea (or even a solution) how to deal with that?
I can highly recommend a visit there. Not only you can see an original Z4 and a replica of the Z3, but also lot's of more science and history related exhibitions. Don't miss the Enigma!