For years I’ve wanted to not only create an iPhone app but go through the entire process of getting it into the app store. Years ago I got very close with a custom Tesla app I built, but given it was built on unsupported APIs I always felt uneasy launching it and then dealing with the headache of APIs constantly breaking.

With all the advancements in AI tools lately, I figured this was as good a time as any to finally make it happen. Using Cursor as my AI coding companion, I was able to build an entire app from scratch and finally get something launched!

The app tracks freeze-dried food inventory, which might sound niche but is actually quite useful for anyone into emergency preparedness or long-term food storage. Building it required setting up a backend that uses Supabase for data storage and user authentication, plus learning the Expo framework for React Native development. Expo turned out to be fantastic - it handles the build process seamlessly, provides over-the-air updates so you can push fixes without App Store approval, includes a great development environment with hot reloading, offers easy access to native device features, and simplifies the entire deployment process to both iOS and Android app stores.

The app is now live on the App Store and I’m honestly amazed that I was able to go from idea to published app so quickly. If you’re interested in tracking your freeze-dried food supplies, you can download Freeze Dry Tracker App.