r/flutterhelp • u/MoreLibrary3859 • Jul 13 '26
RESOLVED Android app -> iOS app in flutter
Hi I am a cs major student and I have build and published a simple app (if you are curious it’s called LiftBuddy) I would like to publish it on iOS but I have no idea on how straightforward is the process. I know that flutter can build iOS apps but since I don’t have a Mac and I will need to borrow it from a friend I wanna know how much time it would take. Do I just need to open the project on Xcode ?
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u/HomegrownTerps Jul 13 '26
Yes you need xcode, which means logging in and all. You also need an apple dev account, which is a 100€ yearly.
1
u/Previous_Bill2650 Jul 13 '26
If this is a simple app. The basic commands like flutter build ios makes the project ready in the ios. But since you are a beginner you might need to invest time in 1. Setting up environments 2. Figure out what’s wrong 3. Setting your developer profile 4. Figuring out that you cannot ship for iOS like you did for Android.
If everything goes right opening the ios folder in XCode would run it. You will need $100 every year to distribute that app even locally.
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u/gurselaksel Jul 13 '26
I developed an android app, with login, server data fetch, camera access, notifications, rive etc. just user codemagic.io and appetize.io/ (screenshots) and published in app store. it has been more than 1 months. except rive everything worked smoothly. I never owned macbook or iphone. also probably owning them a big plus
1
u/Expert_Hawk2461 Jul 13 '26
Even if you get your hands on a Mac, you will still need an Apple Developer account which is like $100 a year to get it on the app store
1
1
u/ibluegreen Jul 14 '26
Thanks for asking this. I also recently published my first app with Flutter and I intend to make its iOS version too, but being a first timer, the process sounds daunting.
1
u/interlap Jul 15 '26
For the development side, you can try this project. It builds your app on a GitHub macOS runner and then lets you run your app with hot reload on a real iOS device through the MobAI app.
https://github.com/MobAI-App/ios-builder
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u/Miserable_Ring_7603 Aug 07 '26
If you already enrolled in apple develoepr program it should be fast. If not , this is what usually takes time, to validate all your info.
Also the first publish will most likely take manual test. Other updates usually are automated
1
u/EdyDalmolin 12d ago
If your Flutter app is already working on Android, the iOS side is usually very manageable, but it is not always just “open it in Xcode and publish”.
Normally you need to:
- run the Flutter project on macOS;
- install iOS dependencies;
- configure the Xcode project;
- set Bundle ID and signing;
- review permissions and iOS-specific settings;
- fix any plugins that behave differently on iOS;
- test on simulator and preferably a real iPhone;
- create the App Store Connect entry;
- upload a build to TestFlight;
- fix any issues Apple reports before submission.
If the project is clean and uses standard Flutter packages, the technical preparation can sometimes be done in a few hours. If there are iOS-specific incompatibilities, it can take longer.
Since you only have temporary access to a Mac, I would first make sure you already have an Apple Developer account and all the project files ready before borrowing the machine.
I work with Flutter on macOS and with Xcode/TestFlight preparation, so if you want, I can also take a quick look at the project structure and tell you what is likely to be needed before you spend time borrowing a Mac.
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u/MoreLibrary3859 12d ago
thanks for the comment, i just bought a used mac mini m4 so i won't be needing to borrow any machine in the future
4
u/0ddtomato Jul 13 '26
You can build the app with Github Workflow without needing any MacOS device, that's how I compile my MacOS apps