Build Apps with AI

From idea to published app, no coding experience required.

Build a real mobile app and publish it to the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Not a toy.

Not a tutorial exercise.

A complete, polished application that strangers can download and use.

You will not learn to write code yourself. You will learn to direct an AI that writes the code for you, and by the end of 22 chapters, you'll have HabitFlow: a full habit tracker with user accounts, push notifications, cloud sync, statistics, dark mode, and a live store listing on both platforms.

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

You have ideas for apps but you've never written a line of code.

You might be:

• The professional shipping a side project after hours
• The entrepreneur turning a product idea into something real
• The student building their first thing that runs
• The creative who thinks visually, not in syntax
• The returning hobbyist who tried code once and quit

If you can use a web browser, install apps on your phone, and type sentences in English, you have every prerequisite this book requires.

WHAT YOU WILL BUILD

HabitFlow a complete habit tracking app for Android and iOS, with:

• Daily tracking with streaks and a calendar heatmap
• User accounts with password reset (Firebase Authentication)
• Cloud sync across devices with offline support (Cloud Firestore)
• Push notification reminders at custom times
• Statistics with charts and a habit leaderboard
• Light and dark mode, polished animations, native iOS haptics
• Published listings on both app stores

WHAT'S INSIDE

22 chapters take you from installing your tools to a live store listing:

• The mental model for how mobile apps actually work
• Setting up Claude Code, VS Code, Expo, Node.js
• The wireframe-to-prompt pattern, the core skill the book teaches
• Building every screen, step by step
• Data persistence, cloud sync, authentication
• Push notifications, statistics, animations, dark mode
• Testing manually and with automated Jest tests
• Publishing to Google Play (including the 14-day closed-test rule)
• Publishing to the Apple App Store
• Marketing, App Store Optimization, and growth strategies
• Maintaining and updating after launch
• The escalation ladder for when AI can't fix it (because eventually, it won't)

THE HONEST PROMISE

This book will teach you to plan, build, and publish a real app. It will not make you a software engineer.

That's an honest distinction worth understanding before you start.

Think of it as getting your driver's license: you'll be a competent driver who can go anywhere, but not a car engineer. Most journeys don't need one. Most app ideas don't require deep engineering. They require someone who can plan clearly, build iteratively, and ship.

TOOLS

All prompts are tested with Claude Code by Anthropic, and are fully compatible with OpenAI Codex CLI.

The app uses React Native, Expo, Firebase, and EAS.

A free companion GitHub repository contains every prompt from the book, ready to copy and paste, no retyping.

Errata and updates are published there first.

WHAT YOU NEED

A computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux)

A smartphone (Android or iPhone)

About 8–12 weeks of evenings

Willingness to follow instructions carefully

Stop wishing you could build apps, Pick this up and ship something.