Can someone walk me through how to make a simple app?

General
1

I’ve got an idea for a basic mobile app but I’m totally new to development and feeling stuck. I’m not sure which tools or languages to start with, or how to go from idea and sketches to a working prototype in the app store. I’d really appreciate step‑by‑step guidance, recommended beginner‑friendly tools, and any tips on avoiding common mistakes while learning how to make an app from scratch.

2

Short version. You want a simple mobile app, zero experience. Here is a straight path that works for a lot of beginners.

  1. Pick platform and tools

If you want iPhone only:

  • Use Xcode + Swift + SwiftUI
  • Mac required

If you want Android only:

  • Use Android Studio + Kotlin + Jetpack Compose

If you want both with less work:

  • Use Flutter (Dart) or React Native (JavaScript)
  • Easiest for many beginners is often:
    • React Native + Expo if you know a bit of web
    • Flutter if you like a more structured tool

Since you are new, I would start with:

  • React Native + Expo
    Reason: simple setup, lots of tutorials, runs on your phone quickly.
  1. Turn idea into simple feature list

Take your sketches, write 5 to 10 bullet points like:

  • Screen 1: Login with email
  • Screen 2: List of items
  • Screen 3: Detail view for one item
  • Basic settings page

Cut that in half. First version should be:

  • One main screen
  • One secondary screen
  • One simple data action (save something, list something, or call an API)

Your v1 goal: a prototype that runs on your phone, not a full product in the store.

  1. Setup your environment

React Native + Expo path:

  • Install Node.js from nodejs.org
  • Install Expo CLI:
    • npm install -g expo-cli
  • Create app:
    • npx create-expo-app my-first-app
  • cd my-first-app
  • Start dev server:
    • npx expo start
  • Install Expo Go on your phone
  • Scan QR code from terminal or web page

Now you see a starter screen. Change App.js and watch it update.

  1. Learn just enough basics

You only need a few concepts at start:

  • Components
  • Props and state
  • Basic navigation

Focus tutorials on:

  • “React Native beginner tutorial Expo”
  • “React Navigation basic setup”

Do not jump into:

  • Complex state managers
  • Big architectures
  • Custom native modules
  1. Build a tiny vertical slice

Pick the core flow of your idea. For example:

  • Open app
  • See a list with hardcoded items
  • Tap item to see detail screen

Steps:

  • Install React Navigation:
    • npm install @react-navigation/native
    • Follow install steps from docs
  • Create two screens: HomeScreen, DetailScreen
  • Use a static array of data:
    • const items = [{id: 1, title: ‘Item 1’, desc: ‘…’}]
  • Use FlatList in HomeScreen to show items
  • On press, navigate to DetailScreen with item data
  • On DetailScreen, show title and desc

Do not add login, backend, or fancy design yet.

  1. Add simple data storage

When your basic navigation works, add local storage:

  • Use AsyncStorage (expo install @react-native-async-storage/async-storage)
  • Store a simple list of objects
  • Load on app start, save when user adds or edits an item

This gives you a working prototype that remembers data between runs.

  1. Polish minimum UI

You do not need a designer. Keep it simple:

  • Use React Native built in components
    • View, Text, TextInput, Button, FlatList
  • Stick to 2 colors
  • Focus on clear labels and spacing

Later you can add a UI library like:

  • React Native Paper
  • Native Base
  1. Get it on your phone as a test app

With Expo you already run it through Expo Go.
If you want a real APK or IPA:

  • Expo has build commands:
    • npx expo prebuild
    • npx expo run:android or run:ios
      Check Expo docs for up to date build steps.

For app stores later:

  • For Google Play:
    • Create a developer account
    • Generate a signed build (Expo EAS or native)
    • Upload, fill listing, submit
  • For Apple App Store:
    • Mac required
    • Apple developer account
    • Use Xcode or EAS to upload

Do this only after your prototype feels stable and useful.

  1. Time expectations

For total beginner, rough averages from surveys and bootcamps:

  • 10 to 20 hours to get comfort with basic React Native syntax
  • 20 to 40 hours to get a simple two or three screen prototype
  • More if you go for both platforms with store releases

Do not try to ship “perfect” v1. Aim for usable.

  1. Concrete starter plan for this week

Day 1:

  • Install Node, Expo, create project
  • Change text on screen

Day 2:

  • Add a second screen with navigation

Day 3:

  • Add a FlatList with fake data

Day 4:

  • Add detail screen that shows item detail

Day 5:

  • Add AsyncStorage to save and load list

Day 6:

  • Clean layout, remove unused code

Day 7:

  • Show to a friend, watch how they tap
  • Note where they get confused, adjust

If you share what your app idea does in 1 or 2 sentences, people here can suggest which stack fits better and what features to cut for v1.

3

Honestly, before you even pick a language, do one thing @yozora didn’t lean on enough: validate that your idea is worth the pain.

1. Start with “paper app” testing

You already have sketches, so use them like a fake app:

  • Draw each screen on paper / in Figma / Canva.
  • Sit someone next to you, hand them your phone, and you “be the app.”
  • When they “tap,” you flip to the next screen.
  • Watch where they hesitate or get confused.

If 2–3 people don’t get it or don’t care, fix that before touching code. Coding a confusing idea is just a very time‑consuming way to find out it’s confusing.

2. Pick the laziest tech that still works

I slightly disagree with @yozora on defaulting to React Native for every beginner. If:

  • You mainly want iOS and have a Mac:
    Swift + SwiftUI is honestly cleaner to reason about than React for some people. Great docs, less tooling weirdness.

  • You mainly want Android:
    Kotlin + Jetpack Compose is similar to SwiftUI. Very direct, less “JS ecosystem chaos.”

  • You just want to see your idea working and don’t care if it’s “real native” yet:
    Build it as a mobile website first:

    • Use something like a very basic React or even plain HTML/CSS/JS.
    • Make it responsive, add it to home screen on your phone.
    • If people acually like it, then port to RN / Flutter / native.

A lot of people skip the “web first” route and regret it. I’d argue:
If this is your first ever app, a simple web prototype is often the fastest learning + validation combo.

3. Translate sketches into a tiny spec

Do this in words, not code:

  • What is the one thing your app helps me do?
  • What is the shortest path from open app → value?

Write a minimal flow like:

  1. Open app
  2. See a list of X
  3. Tap one to Y
  4. Optional: can create/edit one item

If your first version includes:

  • login
  • profiles
  • push notifications
  • settings
    You’re probably overshooting.

Your v1 should feel like a toy that proves the concept, not a “startup.”

4. Focus learning on your actual flow

Whatever stack you pick, learn just enough to build your specific flow, not “everything about the language.”

For example, if you choose SwiftUI:

  • Learn:

    • @State / @Binding
    • Navigation stack
    • Lists
    • Simple persistence with AppStorage or a small file

  • Ignore for now:

    • MVVM patterns debates
    • Core Data
    • Fancy animations
    • Dependency injection wars

Same idea for any stack. Only google things that directly unblock your next step.

5. Hacky persistence beats “proper” backend at first

Another place I’d diverge from the typical path:
For your first version, skip:

  • full database design
  • REST APIs
  • auth systems

Instead:

  • Store data locally:
    • SwiftUI: UserDefaults / AppStorage or a basic file
    • Android: SharedPreferences / simple file
    • RN / web: localStorage or AsyncStorage
  • Use fake data at the start to wire the UI.
  • Only add “real” storage after the screens feel right.

Complex backends are a great way to burn out before anything feels fun.

6. Make the release an optional bonus, not the goal

You mentioned “in the app store.” I’d reframe that:

Goal 1: Working prototype on your own phone
Goal 2: Show 5 people, watch them use it
Goal 3: Decide if it’s worth a store release

App store submission is mostly:

  • Forms
  • Icons
  • Screenshots
  • Policies
  • Waiting

Do that only if:

  • You still like your idea after using it a week.
  • At least one other human says “I’d actually use this.”

7. Suggested concrete first week (platform agnostic)

Day 1

  • Take your sketches and trim the idea to 2–3 screens.
  • Do the “paper app” test with one person.

Day 2

  • Pick one tech path (web / SwiftUI / Kotlin / RN / Flutter).
  • Follow a single beginner tutorial until you can show text on screen.

Day 3

  • Implement your first screen with fake data.
  • No styling, just working.

Day 4

  • Add navigation to second screen.
  • Pass selected item data.

Day 5

  • Add the simplest possible storage so data survives app restarts.

Day 6

  • Remove features, not add them.
  • Anything that feels “nice to have” but not critical goes out.

Day 7

  • Put it in someone’s hands and shut up while they use it.
  • Write down everything they do that surprises you.

If you share what your app is in 1–2 sentences (e.g. “simple mood tracker” or “quick grocery list sharer”), people can suggest a very specific minimal feature set and which tech is the least painful for that case.

Also, tiny warning: the first week feels like nothing works, then in week 2 suddenly you have “an app.” Don’t take the early frustration as a sign you’re not “technical enough.” Everyone flails at the start.

4

Skip the tooling debate for a second and zoom out: your real job for this first app is scope control.

@yozora and the other reply covered validation and stack choices pretty well, so here’s a different angle: how do you keep this project from quietly dying in your drafts folder?

1. Decide what “done” actually looks like

Not “shipped to the app store.”

Define a tiny finish line:

“Done = I can open the app on my phone, do X in under 30 seconds, and the data is still there when I reopen it.”

Write that in one sentence. Tape it above your desk. Every time you’re tempted to add something, ask “does this help that sentence?”

If no, it goes in a “later” list, not in your first build.

2. Ruthlessly cut features with a checklist

For every idea you have, run it through:

  • Does this help the core action of the app?
  • Would a user actually miss the app without this?
  • Does this require:
    • a backend
    • push notifications
    • login
    • 3rd‑party SDKs
      If yes, delay it.

If you are new, a login system alone can burn your entire motivation.

3. Pick one constraint and lean into it

Instead of “React Native or Swift or Kotlin or web?”, choose a constraint like:

  • “I will only use what I can learn from one beginner tutorial series.”
  • “I will not set up any backend; all data must be stored on the device.”
  • “No design work after day 2. Ugly is allowed.”

These guardrails matter more than which language you pick. @yozora is right that React Native is a solid option; they tend to assume you are okay living in JavaScript-land though. If JS already stresses you out, choose the thing that feels more readable to your eyes, even if somebody online says it is “less popular.”

4. Treat bugs and confusion as UI issues first, not “I suck at coding”

When you test:

  • If users are tapping the wrong thing, resist the urge to fix logic first.
    Change the text, spacing, or order of elements.
  • If they are asking “what does this do?”, rename buttons to verbs:
    • “Save” instead of an icon
    • “Add note” instead of a plus sign

Beginners often jump to rewriting logic when the real fix is wording or layout.

5. How to actually learn while building (without falling into tutorial hell)

Instead of watching 20 videos and then coding:

  1. Pick a stack.
  2. Open one tutorial.
  3. Do 10–20 minutes, then immediately switch to your app and:
    • Copy the pattern, but with your own screen.
  4. Only go back to the tutorial when you are stuck again.

The loop should be:

learn a tiny thing → apply to your feature → get stuck → learn next tiny thing

If you are just passively consuming content, you will feel like you “know nothing” once you start coding.

6. Don’t obsess over “app store ready” quality

A trap I see: first-time devs polish too early.

For your first version:

  • Accept:
    • Basic colors
    • Default fonts
    • Slightly awkward transitions
  • Focus on:
    • Clear text
    • Obvious paths
    • No crashes in the main flow

You can spend hours centering one button while the main flow is still broken.

7. About picking tools vs your future self

You mentioned feeling stuck on tools. Some quick tradeoffs, especially if you later care about the app store:

  • Native (SwiftUI / Jetpack Compose)

    • Pros: Official docs, great performance, feels “future proof,” cleaner to reason about for some minds.
    • Cons: Two separate codebases if you want both platforms.

  • Cross platform like React Native or Flutter (the route @yozora likes more)

    • Pros: Single codebase for both. Huge community.
    • Cons: More tooling weirdness, especially for beginners; JS ecosystem churn or Dart learning.

  • Web first

    • Pros: Fast iteration, zero app store drama, simplest deployment.
    • Cons: No app store presence by default, some native-only features harder.

Since you are new, pick the one where the tutorial you like is clearest. That matters more than any theoretical pros and cons.

8. Pros & cons of sticking with a very simple “starter stack”

Treat your first-choice stack almost like a product you are committing to briefly.

Pros

  • You build muscle memory.
  • You reduce context switching.
  • You actually finish something.
  • Future features are faster because you already know the basics.

Cons

  • You might later discover a different framework that suits you better and need to relearn.
  • Some limitations will only show up once you are further along.
  • You might pick something that feels verbose or clunky later.

This is fine. The goal of this app is not eternal perfection. It is to turn you from “I’ve never shipped anything” into “I’ve actually shipped an app-shaped thing.”

9. Mini roadmap that pairs with what others said, but from a different angle

Instead of days, think in milestones:

  1. Milestone A: Clickable mock only

    • No code. Just a tappable prototype in Figma or similar.
    • Show it to at least 3 people.

  2. Milestone B: Single-screen real app

    • One screen.
    • Static fake data.
    • Runs on your device or simulator.

  3. Milestone C: Minimal flow

    • Navigate from screen 1 to 2 and back.
    • Still fine using fake data.

  4. Milestone D: Persistence

    • Inputs are saved locally.
    • You can close and reopen and see the same data.

  5. Milestone E: External feedback

    • Put it on your device, hand it to 3–5 people, watch silently.
    • Only after that, decide if app store submission is worth it.

If you get to Milestone D, you already beat most people who “have an app idea.”

Last thing: do not assume struggling means you are not cut out for this. Everyone hits the “why is nothing working” wall. The trick is to hit that wall in the smallest possible sandbox so you can climb over it quickly, not in a 40-feature monster.