With zero prior experience in mobile development, we never thought we'd be able to publish an iOS app — let alone do it in a single day. But thanks to a few modern AI tools, we did exactly that. Here’s the story of how we built and shipped Slowflo, a simple mindfulness sorting app, in less than 24 hours using AI tools like Bolt.new, VS Code, and GitHub Copilot.

⚡ Step 1: App Idea & Using Bolt.new

We started with a simple idea — a minimalist app to help people slow down and relax on the go.

We had heard about Bolt.new, a tool that uses AI to turn prompts into working mobile apps. We typed a short description of what we wanted:

Within minutes, Bolt.new generated a complete React Native project.

(Pro tip: Bolt.new’s "Enhance Prompt" feature can help you refine your input for better results.)

🔄 Step 2: Iterate and Fine-tune App Functionality

Using a few more prompts, We were able to iterate on the app’s functionality and get it closer to my vision. Bolt.new’s built-in preview feature made it easy to verify changes as I made.

Some of the tweaks we made:

• Switched to a tab layout

• Ensured consistent and visually appealing design across all tabs

• Added support for Dark Mode

• Fixed minor issues with layout, design, and sorting logic

🔄 Step 3: From React Native to Flutter

Bolt.new has a "Deploy" feature for publishing apps, but it’s still in development for App Store submissions. When I clicked “Deploy,” it redirected me to a guide detailing the manual deployment process.

We had always been curious about Flutter, and wondered if it could make the submission process easier.

Since we weren't tied to any framework.

Bolt.new helped generate a Flutter version of the app. Since previewing Flutter apps isn’t currently supported on Bolt.new, we downloaded the code and switched to VS Code for further edits.

The conversion wasn’t perfect, but it was surprisingly solid — a great starting point.

🛠️ Step 4: Debugging in VS Code with GitHub Copilot

We opened the converted Flutter project in VS Code, installed the Flutter extension, and relied on GitHub Copilot to help me debug and polish the code.

Whenever we hit a bug or compilation error, we'd simply hover for suggestions or add a comment like:

... and Copilot would do the heavy lifting.

We used the iOS Simulator on my Mac to test everything. The feedback loop was quick — fix, save, run, repeat.

🚀 Step 5: App Store Submission

Once the app was stable, we followed Flutter’s iOS deployment guide. This was definitely the most tedious part — dealing with provisioning profiles, certificates, and App Store Connect — but Apple’s documentation and GitHub Copilot helped us navigate it.

After a few tries…

✅ Slowflo was live on the App Store.

📲 Try It Out

If you’re into mindfulness, or just want to see what’s possible with no experience and the right tools, check out Slowflo on the App Store.

🧠 Reflections

• Bolt.new got us started — the AI-generated React Native code saved us days.

• VS Code + GitHub Copilot were essential for debugging and development.

• Flutter made the build and submission process manageable.

• Our CS background and product management experience helped streamline the whole process.

This project reminded us that building apps today is less about knowing everything, and more about knowing how to ask the right questions and leverage the right tools.

💡 Final Thought

If you’re sitting on an app idea and feel like you’re “not technical enough” — trust me, you are. The tools have never been better. Go build something.

And if you'd rather let experts handle the development and want it done quickly — feel free to reach out. We’d love to help.