How to build a mobile app with Claude Code and publish it to the App Store and Google Play
Claude Code mobile app development starts with the build, and Claude Code can handle that whole part, front end, back end, database, all of it. What it doesn't do on its own is turn that project into something Apple and Google will list in their stores. Getting it published takes a native app shell, a set of mobile-specific features reviewers look for, and a submission through each store's developer portal. Median handles the shell, the features, and the submission, so a Claude Code project can go from code to a live store listing without you learning Xcode or managing signing certificates yourself.
Claude Code has made it normal to build something real in an afternoon, from a prompt to a working app and a live preview. Getting that project onto an iPhone home screen as an actual downloadable app is a separate question, and it's the one that trips people up right after the vibe coding feels done.
Does Claude Code have a mobile app?
Sort of, and it depends what you mean by it. Anthropic's Claude app for iOS and Android can connect to a Claude Code session two ways. Remote Control links the app to a session running on your own machine, so your files and tools stay local while you check in and send prompts from your phone. Claude Code on the web runs the session on Anthropic's own cloud infrastructure instead, which you can also reach from the Claude app.
Neither of these is the thing people usually mean when they search for a "Claude Code mobile app." Remote Control and Claude Code on the web let you drive a coding session from your phone. They don't publish anything to the App Store or Google Play on your behalf, and they're not meant to. Developers using Remote Control day to day describe it as genuinely useful for checking on a session or nudging it forward, less so for anything that needs a full terminal, like reviewing GitHub issues or running a tool the session doesn't already have installed.
That's a different job from the one this blog post is about: using Claude Code to build a mobile app for your own users, then getting that app published.
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Can Claude Code build a mobile app?
Yes. Claude Code is a general purpose coding agent, so unlike a no-code builder that's scoped to web apps, it can write native Swift or Kotlin if you point it at that kind of project and already have Xcode or Android Studio set up locally.
Most people building with Claude Code don't start there. Writing a single web app is faster to prompt, faster to preview, and doesn't require a native toolchain before you've even confirmed the idea works. That web app runs great in a browser. It's also not, by itself, something Apple or Google will list.
Developers who've actually built complete apps this way describe it as capable but not hands-off. The apps that turn out well are supervised, not one-shotted. Even still, none of that touches the App Store Connect or Google Play Developer console setup: registering as an organization, filling out privacy questionnaires, generating a signed build.
Publishing is a separate step regardless of how well the app itself turned out, and it's the part this guide is really about.
Why a Claude Code project doesn't automatically become an app store listing
Apple and Google both require a native app file before anything appears in their stores: an IPA for iOS, an AAB for Android. A web app, even one Claude Code built well, doesn't produce those files on its own.
Getting from a working project to a store listing means wrapping it in a native shell, adding functionality a website can't offer, and submitting it through App Store Connect and Google Play Console.
None of that is specifically a Claude Code limitation. It's the same gap that exists for Lovable, Base44, Google AI Studio, Replit, or anything else that gets you to a live URL fast.
If you're weighing Claude Code against other AI builders on this specific point, our vibe-coded app store publishing playbook rounds up the platform-specific guides in one place.
Tip: Confirm your app is live at a stable, production URL before you start the wrapping and submission process. Changing the URL later means re-testing everything downstream of it.
What Apple and Google require before they'll list your app
Apple's Guideline 4.2 rejects apps that are just a website loaded in a wrapper with nothing added. Google Play's Spam and Minimum Functionality policy covers the same ground, with a slightly lower bar in practice.
What reviewers want to see is functionality a user couldn't get by opening your URL in a browser. You don't need every native feature Median offers, but you do need enough that the app reads as a real mobile product:
Push notifications;
Biometric login;
Deep linking to specific screens;
Meaningful use of camera, location, or other device permissions; and/or
Offline behavior where it makes sense for your app.
Two ways to get a Claude Code app into the app store
Option 1: A web-to-app platform like Median (recommended for most builders)
Median wraps your live Claude Code project in a native iOS and Android shell, adds the native functionality reviewers are checking for, and handles the publishing steps that trip up most first-time submitters.
You connect your Apple Developer account once, and Bundle ID registration and future App Store Connect uploads are handled automatically from there. No Mac required, no manual certificate management.
Here's what that looks like:
Step 1: Build. Enter your deployed Claude Code app's URL into Median's App Studio at median.co/app and set your app name.
Step 2: Preview and test. Check your app's core flows inside Median's browser-based iOS and Android simulators before you touch anything else.
Step 3: Customize. Set your app icon, splash screen, and theme colours, then turn on the native features you want, such as push notifications, biometric login, or deep linking, through Median's native plugin library.
Step 4: Test on real devices. Install a test build on a real phone. A layout that looks fine on a desktop tab can behave differently when rendered in a mobile WebView.
Step 5: License and launch. Connect your Apple Developer account using an App Store Connect API key, and Median builds and uploads a signed IPA and Android App Bundle for you.
Option 2: Build it yourself with Expo, React Native, and EAS Build
Most self-managed builders don't hand-write native Swift or Kotlin from scratch. The more common path is having Claude Code build in React Native with Expo, one codebase for both platforms, then using Expo's EAS Build service to compile it into an IPA and AAB in the cloud, and Fastlane to automate the submission itself.
It's a real, workable path, but it still leaves you managing a fair amount: Xcode on a Mac for parts of the iOS process, EAS CLI and Fastlane configuration, keystore and signing certificate handling, and the same App Store Connect and Google Play Console setup either option requires.
Choose it when a wrapped web app genuinely can't do what you need. However, for most builders shipping a first app with AI, that bar isn't close.
Where most Claude Code apps get stuck at publishing
With AI, the build is rarely the hard part. App submission is, and a few specific issues cause most of the back-and-forth with reviewers.
External link handling
Solution: Apple requires external links to open inside your app's in-app browser, not the system browser. That's a specific configuration setting, not something a plain web wrapper does by default.
Payment gateways
Solution: Digital goods and subscriptions have to go through Apple's in-app purchase system or Google Play Billing. Linking out to a third-party payment provider for digital content is a rejection cause on both stores. Physical goods and services follow different rules on each platform.
Median's RevenueCat plugin handles billing for both stores from a single setup, and your app can read subscription status via Median's JavaScript Bridge to gate premium features.
Minimum functionality
Solution: Add at least one or two native features from the list above before you submit. A bare wrapper with nothing added is the most common first-submission rejection on both stores.
Permission and capability declarations
Solution: iOS needs the right entries in Info.plist for any device capability your app uses. Android needs the equivalent in AndroidManifest.xml. Missing declarations are an easy, avoidable rejection.
Google Play's closed testing window
Solution: New personal Google Play developer accounts must run a closed test with a minimum of 12 opted-in testers who are active for 14 consecutive days before production access is unlocked.
It's a Google Play policy, not something specific to Claude Code apps or to Median, and it catches first-time publishers who don't plan for it. Start recruiting testers as soon as your app is in testable shape rather than after you've finished everything else, since this step sets your real launch timeline more than anything else in the process.
Claude Code mobile app publishing checklist
Before you submit, confirm each of these:
Your Claude Code project is live at a stable production URL
You've registered for an Apple Developer account and a Google Play Console account
Your app has at least one or two native features beyond a plain wrapper (e.g., push, biometrics, or deep linking)
External links open in an in-app browser, not the system browser
Any digital goods or subscriptions route through Apple's or Google's own billing system
Permission declarations are set for any camera, location, or device feature your app uses
If you're on a new personal Google Play account, you've started recruiting closed testers early, since that 14-day window sets your timeline
You've read through Apple's Guideline 4.2 and Google's Minimum Functionality policy at least once
Download the complete app store publishing checklist
Get the full app store publishing guide as a PDF, so you can run through it right before you submit.
Convert your Claude Code app to a mobile app with Median
Your Claude Code project stays exactly as it is. Median.co wraps it in a native shell, layers on the features reviewers need to see, and automates the parts of publishing that usually take the longest: Bundle ID registration, App Store Connect uploads, and Google Play submission.
Median has published thousands of apps through its app publishing service and maintains a 100% approval rate as of this writing. Plans start at $179 a year for self-serve, with fully managed support available if you'd rather hand the submission off entirely.
You used Claude Code to build something real. Median gets it in front of the people who'll use it.
Frequently asked questions about publishing a Claude Code app
Does Claude Code have a mobile app?
Not a separate one. The Claude app for iOS and Android can connect to a Claude Code session through Remote Control or Claude Code on the web, which is different from publishing an app you built with Claude Code to the App Store.
Can you turn a Claude Code project into a mobile app?
Yes. If Claude Code built you a web app, wrapping it in a native shell and adding the functionality app stores require gets it into both the App Store and Google Play without a rebuild.
How do I connect Claude Code to a mobile app?
If the question is about coding on the go, Remote Control links a Claude Code session on your computer to the Claude app on your phone. If the question is about publishing, that's a separate process: wrapping your project and submitting through each store's developer portal, which is what Median's App Studio handles.
How do I publish an app on the Play Store and Apple Store?
At a high level: register for an Apple Developer account and a Google Play Console account, build native app files, an IPA for iOS and an AAB for Android, add the mobile-specific functionality both stores expect, and submit through each store's developer portal. Our app store publishing checklist above walks through the specific pieces, and Median's App Studio and publishing service handle the build and submission end for you.
How hard is it to publish an app on the App Store? Harder than most first-timers expect, mostly because of what's in the developer portal rather than the app itself. Registering as an organization, completing App Store Connect's metadata and privacy sections, and getting a signed build uploaded all take separate configuration that Claude Code can't do for you. That's the part Median's App Studio and publishing service are built to absorb.
Will Apple reject a Claude Code app?
Apple reviews the app itself, not what built it. A bare wrapper with no native functionality is one of the usual rejection causes, regardless of whether the underlying project came from Claude Code, Lovable, or anywhere else.
Do I need native code to publish an app built with Claude Code?
No. Median wraps your existing project without requiring a Swift or Kotlin rebuild, and its native plugins cover push notifications, biometrics, and deep linking on top of it.
Is it legal to use AI to build an app?
Yes. An app built with Claude Code is subject to the same laws as one built any other way: data privacy rules, intellectual property, payment regulations, and each store's own policies. Using an AI coding tool doesn't change any of that, and it isn't something Apple or Google review.
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