Installing your iOS app

Floot can convert your project into a native iOS app. Here is how to get it running on your iPhone or the simulator.

This page covers the do-it-yourself route: download the project zip from floot.com and build it in Xcode on your own Mac. Your assistant cannot download the zip for you. Publishing through Floot needs neither the zip nor Xcode: connect your Apple account under App stores on the Publish screen, and Floot uploads each build to TestFlight.

Prerequisites (for building it yourself)

• A Mac running macOS
• Xcode installed — free from the Mac App Store

Getting your iOS app

1. 1

   Build the mobile apps

   1. Open your project on floot.com and click the Publish button
   2. Switch on Publish mobile app
   3. Click Publish, or Publish update if the app is already live. Wait a few minutes for the build to finish
2. 2

   Download the mobile project

   1. On the Publish screen, find the Last build card
   2. Next to Project zip, click Download. Each build stays available for 30 days
   3. Unzip it — a single archive holds both the ios/ and the android/ project
3. 3

   Install Node.js dependencies

   Install Node.js if you do not have it, then run this in the unzipped folder:

   npm install -g pnpm
   pnpm install

4. 4

   Install Homebrew

   Skip this if you already have it.

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

5. 5

   Install CocoaPods

   brew install cocoapods

6. 6

   Install the native dependencies

   cd ios/App
   pod install --repo-update

7. 7

   Open the project in Xcode

   1. Navigate to the unzipped folder
   2. Go to ios/App
   3. Double-click App.xcworkspace to open it in Xcode

   Open the workspace, not the project

   App.xcworkspace is the one you want — App.xcodeproj will not have the CocoaPods dependencies.

Running in the iOS Simulator

1. At the top of Xcode, find the device selector dropdown next to the app name
2. Select a simulator device (for example, "iPhone 17 Pro")
3. Click the ▶ Play button, or press Cmd + R, to build and run
4. The simulator launches with your app running

Installing on a real iPhone

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB
2. Select your iPhone from the device dropdown in Xcode
3. Configure code signing — this requires an Apple Developer account
4. Click ▶ Play to install and run on your device

After you change your app and publish again, download the project again and click ▶ Play to refresh the installed app.

Troubleshooting

"No provisioning profiles found"

This happens when running on a physical device. Set up code signing in Xcode under Signing & Capabilities.

"Build failed" errors

Clean the build folder — Product → Clean Build Folder, or Cmd + Shift + K — then build again.

Simulator not appearing

Make sure iOS simulators are installed. In Xcode, go to Settings → Components to download them.

Publishing to the App Store

1. 1

   Create an Apple Developer account

   Enroll in the Apple Developer Program ($99 per year).

2. 2

   Confirm the app installs on your iPhone

   Follow the steps above first — if it will not install on your own device, it will not pass review either.

3. 3

   Add push notification capability, if you use it

   1. Click the App target in the left pane
   2. Click App under TARGETS
   3. Open the Signing & Capabilities tab
   4. Click + Capability
   5. Search for "Push Notifications" and add it
4. 4

   Upload to App Store Connect

   Go to Product → Archive, then click Distribute app. Head to appstoreconnect.apple.com and fill in the required information to submit for review.

For full detail, see Apple's publishing guide.

Shipping an update

1. Make your changes and publish them
2. Download the updated project (same steps as the initial setup)
3. Open it in Xcode, select your app target, and open the General tab
4. Update Version — it ships as 1.0 and never moves on its own, so raise it for each release you submit (for example 1.0 → 1.1)
5. Archive and submit as above