From Bolt, Lovable, or v0 to a real App Store submission

Know what you actually have

Most AI app builders output a web app — React or similar, running in a browser. That's not an iOS app yet; it's the interface layer one could become part of.

There are two realistic paths from here: wrap the web app for iOS with something like Capacitor and add native functionality around it, or rebuild the core flows natively in SwiftUI once the idea is validated. The right choice depends on how much native-feeling functionality (notifications, offline use, widgets) the app actually needs.

If you wrap it: don't ship a bare WebView

A wrapped web app that's just a website in an app frame is one of the fastest paths to a Guideline 4.2 minimum functionality rejection — see the dedicated guide on wrapping a web app for iOS for exactly what to add before that becomes a problem.

At minimum: add native push notifications, make key screens work offline or show a real offline state, and remove anything that visually looks like a browser (address bars, obvious web-style scrolling, unstyled loading states).

Fix what app builders don't set up for you

Account deletion: most app-builder auth integrations (Supabase, Firebase, Clerk) ship account creation without an in-app deletion flow — add one before submitting.

Privacy: an AI app builder's default backend calls (analytics, auth providers, AI APIs) need to be reflected honestly in the App Privacy questionnaire and, for native wrappers, a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy manifest.

Secrets: confirm no API key or service token generated into the client bundle is exposed in the shipped app — a common gap when a builder wires up a third-party API quickly.

Differentiate it from the thousand other builder outputs

Apple's review systems can recognize structurally identical output from the same builder across many developer accounts — this is Guideline 4.2.6, and it applies regardless of which tool you used.

Swap generic template icons and layouts for something distinct, and make sure the app does at least one thing that isn't trivially reproducible by typing the same prompt into the same tool.

Submitting

Write App Store metadata from the finished, differentiated app — not the original one-line prompt — and take screenshots from the real shipping build, not the builder's preview environment.

Budget for at least one review cycle before launch day, especially on a first submission from a new developer account.