Using Bolt with Expo to create mobile apps and deploy them to app stores.
Expo is a platform that lets you build mobile apps for both iPhone and Android using the same code. When you ask Bolt to create a mobile app, it automatically uses Expo to make your app work on multiple platforms.
Bolt’s Expo integration aims to:
You can deploy to:
While working on your app, you can quickly test it on your own phone using Expo Go.
You need to build and deploy your app in order to:
The instructions below will help you get your app from Bolt to your users’ phones. If you prefer learning by watching, check out this tutorial. Note that it assumes you already have Expo installed and set up.
Before you can deploy your app, you’ll need:
After building your app with Bolt, download the code and open it in a code editor such as VS Code.
Install the EAS CLI (Expo’s command-line tool) by opening a terminal and running:
Log in to your Expo account:
Navigate to your project folder and install dependencies:
Check that everything is set up correctly:
This command will identify and help you fix any setup issues.
Before deploying, customize your app’s basic information:
app.json
file in your project."name"
field with your app’s display name:
"slug"
field with a URL-friendly version:
Initialize your project with EAS:
Configure EAS Build:
This creates the necessary configuration files for building your app.
Deploy your app as a website. This is a quick way to share your app.
Enter
.Your app is now live on the web. Share the URL with anyone to let them try your app in their browser.
To get your app on iPhones, submit it to Apple’s TestFlight for testing, then to the App Store for public release.
Use TestFlight to share your app with testers before it’s publicly available.
Run this command:
Follow the prompts. EAS will:
When the build is ready, you’ll receive an email invitation to test your app through TestFlight.
Once you’re happy with your app:
To get your app onto Android devices, you’ll use Google Play Console.
Create a production build:
When complete, download the build file (APK or AAB) from the link provided in the CLI.
When ready for public release:
Steps to update and monitor your app.
When you make changes in Bolt and want to update your deployed app:
Use Expo’s dashboard at expo.dev to:
If you want users to pay for some of your app features, you need to add subscription and payment functionality.
RevenueCat is a tool to power in-app purchases. They’ve provided a guide to adding RevenueCat to a Bolt Android app: How to add subscriptions to a Bolt-generated Expo app. You can also use RevenueCat in iOS apps.
How to handle common issues, and where to get help with Expo.
Build fails: Check that all required certificates are set up in your Apple and Google Developer accounts. EAS can guide you through certificate setup.
App crashes on device: Check the error logs in your Expo dashboard. Most crashes are due to missing dependencies or platform-specific code issues.
Upload rejected: Make sure your app meets platform requirements (App Store guidelines for iOS, Google Play policies for Android).
If you have issues with Expo:
If you’re completely new to mobile app development, here’s what you need to know to use Expo with Bolt.
Expo is a platform that simplifies mobile app development by handling the complex technical setup for you. Instead of learning platform-specific languages (Swift for iPhone, Kotlin for Android), you can build apps that work on both platforms using web technologies.
Benefits of using Expo:
Key terms:
Resources to learn more about Expo: