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Vibecode builds native Swift and SwiftUI apps for iPhone and iPad and publishes them to the App Store. Pick iOS app when you create a project and the agent writes a standard Xcode project in Swift (not React Native, not a web view), builds it on cloud Macs, and runs it in a cloud iOS Simulator streamed to your browser or phone. When it’s ready, Vibecode installs it on your iPhone or uploads it to the App Store and submits it for review with your Apple Developer account. Need the same app on Android too? Pick Mobile app for React Native and Expo, or Web app for the browser. You don’t need a Mac or Xcode for any of them.

Built on iPhone: describe an app on your iPhone, and Vibecode writes the Swift, builds it, and installs it

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Native iOS or React Native?

You choose the platform per project: Pick iOS app when you want a real native iPhone app that looks and feels like one. Pick Mobile app when you need the same app on iOS and Android. For a deeper comparison, see Swift vs React Native.

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Create a Native iOS App

On the web: click New app and choose iOS app (“Native apps for iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad, ready for the App Store”). You can also switch the platform picker in the prompt box to iOS before you send your first prompt. On iPhone: tap the new project button and choose iOS app (“Native SwiftUI for iPhone & iPad”). Then describe your app like any other project. The agent writes Swift and SwiftUI, adds Swift packages when it needs them, and builds and tests the app in the simulator after each change.

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How the Preview Works

Your app runs in a real iOS Simulator in the cloud. What you see in the browser or in the Vibecode iPhone app is a live video stream of that simulator. Your taps, swipes, and typing are sent back to it.

A native Swift game running live in the cloud iOS Simulator, streamed to the browser

No app code runs on your device while you build. That’s why the preview works in any browser and why nothing has to be installed on your phone to test. Preview controls:
  • Reload: rebuilds your app from the latest code and restarts it in the simulator
  • Hard reset (web) / Reset simulator (iPhone project menu): starts a fresh simulator if it gets stuck. If the latest version of your app is already built, it reopens right away without a rebuild.
The preview runs as an iPhone or an iPhone Duo. Your app is still built for iPad too.

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Preview on iPhone Duo

iPhone Duo is the foldable iPhone. On the web, use the device switch in the preview toolbar to pick iPhone or iPhone Duo.

Folded on the outer display, then unfolded: the app moves to the inner display

Closed, your app runs on the outer display. Open it and iOS moves your app to the inner display. Use the Unfold / Fold button or drag the Hinge slider to test both.
  • Switching devices starts a fresh simulator, so data your app saved on the other device doesn’t carry over. Your choice is saved with the project.
  • The agent can switch the simulator to iPhone Duo when a change needs it. Your preview follows.
  • The iPhone Duo preview takes single-finger taps and drags. Pinch, other multi-finger gestures, and scroll-wheel scrolling don’t work.

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While the Agent Works

Your preview stays live while the agent works, and you can keep using your app. The agent tests in the same simulator: it builds the app, opens it, and taps through what it changed, so you may see it moving around your app. On the web, Hard reset and the device switch are off until it’s done. When the agent finishes, Vibecode makes sure the app builds and loads the new version into your preview. If the build fails, the agent automatically tries to fix it. If it still fails, send a message such as “keep going” to try again.

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If the Preview Pauses

If you don’t use the preview or send a prompt for an hour, the simulator stops. The preview asks Are you still here? over your app’s last screen. Click or tap I’m still here to start it again, or just send a prompt. On the web, the toolbar shows Simulator paused until you’re back.

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Install on Your iPhone

When you want the real app on your own phone, Vibecode builds it, signs it with your Apple Developer account, and gives you an install link. What you need:
  • A paid Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year). New to it? See How to Create an Apple Developer Account.
  • Your Apple ID, or an App Store Connect API key with the App Manager or Admin role. Sign in with your Apple ID (with the verification code Apple sends to your devices) and Vibecode creates the API key for you. Or enter the key’s issuer ID, key ID, .p8 key file, and team ID yourself. You connect once, and Vibecode reuses it for every build.
Steps:
  1. Click Publish and choose Install (or click Install on iPhone in the preview toolbar)
  2. Connect Apple credentials: sign in with your Apple ID, or add your App Store Connect API key
  3. Register your iPhone: scan the QR code with your iPhone (or tap Register this iPhone if you’re already on it). This installs a small Apple profile that shares your device ID, and Vibecode adds the device to your Apple Developer account for you.
  4. If your app has a backend that was never deployed, the panel says Your backend isn’t deployed. Click Deploy (Go to Deploy in the iPhone app). The build starts on its own once the deploy finishes.
  5. Click Build and install if the build hasn’t started yet, and wait for it to finish
  6. Scan the QR code (or tap the link on your iPhone) to install the app
The install panel asks you to deploy your backend first

The install panel asks you to deploy your backend first

The installed app uses your deployed backend. If your backend has changes you haven’t deployed, Vibecode asks before building: choose Install anyway, or deploy first. When a build is ready, the panel also shows Deploy backend with the number of unpublished updates. Past builds stay listed in the panel. If you’ve changed the app since the last build, the panel offers to build again. To see, replace, or disconnect your Apple credentials later, open Settings on the web and find Apple Developer.
If iOS says the app needs Developer Mode, turn it on in Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode and restart your iPhone.
Each build uses credits for its cloud build time, whether the build succeeds or fails.

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Publish to the App Store

Native iOS projects don’t use Expo. Vibecode builds, signs, and uploads the app to Apple itself.
The Publish menu for a native iOS project

The Publish menu for a native iOS project

  1. Click Publish and choose Publish to App Store (in the Vibecode iPhone app, tap Publish at the top of your project)
  2. Connect your Apple credentials if you haven’t already: sign in with your Apple ID, or add your App Store Connect API key (see what you need)
  3. Deploy your backend if Vibecode asks. The published app uses your deployed backend.
  4. Confirm your bundle ID, for example com.yourname.habittracker. You can edit it now, but it can’t be changed after publishing.
  5. Click Confirm and publish
Vibecode then shows its progress as it works: Preparing your release, Uploading to Apple, Apple is processing your build, Updating your listing, and Submitting for review. On your first publish, it may send you back to the project chat, where the agent finishes App Store setup such as your listing details and screenshots. Your listing, Apple’s review, and what to do after approval are covered in How to Publish an App to the App Store. Want a TestFlight build instead? Ask the agent in chat to “upload this build to TestFlight.” Then invite testers in App Store Connect.

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Your Code

Native iOS projects are standard Xcode projects that use Swift Package Manager for dependencies. On the Pro and Max plans you can download the code from the web app or connect via SSH, then open it in Xcode.

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What’s Different From Mobile App Projects

A few features are specific to React Native projects and don’t apply to native iOS apps:
  • Share links and the Appsmith app: a native app has no web URL to share. Use Install to put it on your phone.
  • Preflight: the App Store preflight check is for Expo projects
  • RevenueCat: not available for native iOS apps yet
  • Expo integrations such as Expo Push Notifications

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Frequently Asked Questions

Both. iOS app projects are native Swift and SwiftUI, compiled with Xcode, with no React Native or web view. Mobile app projects are React Native and Expo, for one codebase on iPhone and Android. You choose per project.
Yes. Click Publish and choose Publish to App Store. Vibecode builds and signs the app, uploads it to Apple, updates your listing, and submits it for review. You need a paid Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year). See the steps above.
No. Vibecode compiles your app on cloud Macs and streams a cloud iOS Simulator to your browser or the Vibecode iPhone app. You only need Xcode if you want to open the downloaded project yourself. See How to Publish an iPhone App Without a Mac.
Yes. It’s a standard Xcode project that uses Swift Package Manager. On the Pro and Max plans you can download it or connect via SSH and open it in Xcode.
Yes. iOS apps are built for iPhone and iPad, and you can preview them as an iPhone or as iPhone Duo, the foldable iPhone.
No. Swift apps run on Apple devices. If you need Android, create a Mobile app (React Native) project instead.

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Next Steps

Creating Your First App

Write a prompt and generate your app

Publish to the App Store

The full App Store guide

Choose Your Deployment Path

Compare install, App Store, and web options

Best AI Mobile App Builders

Native Swift vs React Native builders compared
Last modified on October 10, 2026