Your own iPhone app without code: the Claude Code and Expo guide Your owniPhone app,no code

What you're building

In the reel you saw it in short: you ask Claude Code to build an app, test it on your phone, and ask it to upload it to Apple's App Store. Here it is in detail, with the exact sentences to write, and what the reel didn't have time to say.

There are two tools here. Claude Code writes and runs the code for you. Expo (opens in a new tab) is a platform for building apps that work on both iPhone and Android, and it also builds them in the cloud and sends them to the stores. Expo is an independent company, not part of Anthropic or Apple, and we're not connected to it.

The way there, step by step

You can use Claude Code in the Claude desktop app, in the Code tab, or in the terminal. The sentences below work either way.

1. 1

   Step 1: Open three accounts

   Before you start, it's worth having three accounts open:

   • Claude, on a paid plan. Claude Code is not included in the free plan.
   • Expo, a free account at expo.dev/signup (opens in a new tab).
   • Apple Developer Program, at developer.apple.com (opens in a new tab). On iPhone you already need it to test the app, not only for the store, so it's worth opening it first.

   Android only? Then you can test without an Apple account, and publishing on Google Play has a one-time registration fee of $25.

2. 2

   Step 2: Write one sentence

   Open a new, empty folder in Claude Code, and paste:

   Build me a calorie tracking app with Expo that works on both iPhone and Android. Start a new project and run it, so I can scan a QR code and try it on my phone.

   Instead of a calorie tracker, write your own idea. The more you describe what you see on the screen and what you tap, the closer the first result will be to what you imagined.

   Claude Code asks for your approval before it installs packages or runs commands. Read what it asks for, and approve. If something is missing on your computer, like Node.js, it will tell you what to install.

3. 3

   Step 3: Test it on your phone

   At the end of the build, Claude Code runs the command npx expo start, and a QR code appears in the terminal. Scan it, and the app opens on your phone through the Expo Go app.

   On Android, install Expo Go from Google Play, and scan.

   On iPhone, according to Expo, you already need an active Apple Developer Program membership: run npx eas-cli@latest go, install Expo Go through TestFlight, and then scan the code.

   Expo Go and the project on your computer need to be signed in to the same Expo account. If your phone can't connect, ask Claude Code to check this.

4. 4

   Step 4: Improve it until it looks the way you wanted

   Every change starts with one more sentence to Claude Code, for example "Add a weekly history screen" or "Make the buttons bigger". The change shows up on your phone without uploading anything to the store.

5. 5

   Step 5: Ask it to prepare a version for the store

   When you're happy with it, write:

   Get the app ready for the App Store with EAS: set up the project, build an iOS version in the cloud and send it to App Store Connect.

   Behind the scenes, this is the command eas build --platform ios --auto-submit. According to Expo, the build runs on their computers in the cloud, so you don't need a Mac to build for iPhone.

   The first time, the command asks you to sign in with your Apple ID. If Claude Code can't complete this step on its own, run the command in the terminal yourself, and Claude Code will tell you exactly what to type.

6. 6

   Step 6: Submit it for Apple's review

   According to Expo, after about 10 to 15 minutes of processing, the build shows up in TestFlight. From there you can install it on your phone and on your friends' phones, for testing.

   For it to appear in the store, go to App Store Connect (opens in a new tab), fill in the app's details, like a description, screenshots and a link to a privacy policy, and submit it for Apple's review. You do this step yourself.

   Apple reviews every app, and it can also reject one. An app that collects personal data, like a calorie tracker, needs a clear privacy policy.

What it costs

In the reel I said that Expo's free plan gives you 15 iPhone builds a month, and that an Apple developer account costs $99 a year. Here's the full picture:

Prices checked on November 1, 2026 on the official sites, and they can change.

Good to know

"No code" doesn't mean "no judgment". Claude Code writes the code, but you decide what the app does, check that it works, and approve every action it takes on your computer.

The free build waits in line. On Expo's free plan, builds run at low priority, so sometimes it takes a while before a build starts.

Expo and Apple are separate companies. We're not connected to them, and their terms and prices can change. It's worth checking them on their own pages before you pay.