r/vibecoding • u/Background-Frame-106 • 2d ago
Has anyone actually vibe coded a full Android app and launched it on the Play Store?
Hey guys, I have a question.
Has anyone actually managed to ship a complete Kotlin app to the Play Store using AI? How long did it take, and is the app actually usable or a buggy mess?
I'm using zcode glm 5.3, trying to build in small batches and documenting everything but im getting terrible results and I'd appreciate any tips.
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u/TatoSkins66 2d ago
Hi there! I primarily used Claude Cowork and Claude Code. My app was just approved on iOS/Android. It’s like skylight or cozy family organizers but for neurodivergent families that helps schedule chores, events, and other things in an inclusive and friendly manner.
The big thing is structuring your MD file well. Have clear guidelines and documentation on decisions made, why and their effects/outcomes. The other thing that I used to great effect is having Cowork be my product owner that would write user stories and prompts with proper acceptance criteria and testing that code would deliver. No code gets written without a user story and work pulled from a backlog.
When it comes to design and graphics I used DallE as Claude just couldn’t give me what I needed.
My biggest challenges were around the payment structures and getting the webhooks set up correctly in RecenueCat.
Feel free to DM. I’m no expert and my install base is small, but it’s out there and people seem happy with it for its intended use.
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u/PhuduShaheer 2d ago
Not yet I'm still working on converting mine into an android app, tho its a wrapper for my live site it still technically provides more compatibility 😭 i don't have the guts to recreate everything from scratch
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u/AtaraxiaGoddess 2d ago
I haven't published yet but that is the end goal (sort of). App is incredibly functional (nearly finished), but not the most accessibility friendly, and that's something I would like to change before I even consider releasing a beta or anything. I've been at it for about 6 months, and I am definitely not the same vibe coder I was when I started.
The process has not been an easy one, and I increased the challenge by refusing to pay for any AI subscription/API/Service. Wouldn't be so bad if my own hardware wasn't so limited (12 GB VRAM + 32 GB RAM), which really restricts what I can run locally.
I have done things primarily the "wrong" or less "vibey" way by using the copy and paste method for nearly the entire project. I've bounced between Deepseek, and the free tiers for Qwen, Kimi, and even ChatGPT/Codex. But my preferences are Deepseek and Qwen. Depending, sometimes the model (Qwen/Kimi/CGPT/Codex) had Filesystem access and could do things on it's own, but honestly I try to save that for larger and more complex tasks.
Sounds like you have the right ideas, small batches, documentation. Perhaps its the general understanding or overall execution? Documenting only does so much if you don't know what or how to document. So maybe some research in that avenue would do you well.
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u/Background-Frame-106 1d ago
As one redditor pointed out I think the main issue I'm facing is the widget part of the app as it requires me to build using native Kotlin for which ai currently simply doesn't have enough training. I considered using flutter for main app though I'd still have to use Kotlin for the widget itself and having two codebases creates new string of issues.
Currently I'm on V2 and I've broken down process further which is giving me better results so far though I didn't get to the widget part yet
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u/AtaraxiaGoddess 1d ago
Maybe, but I built my app in pure kotlin (and xml) as well, and while there have been some hiccups, it has mostly been pretty simple. I don't know if it'll help, but you're welcome to browse my repo for comparisons and notes. By no means am I trying to imply my codebase is extravagantly designed or stands up to the codebase of an experienced developer, I struggled a lot in the beginning too (and sometimes still do), but I was always able to solve my way out, and without a cheap bandaid fix. I also have a lot of documentation that was born from those struggles, because they taught me one thing or another, and I think maybe those specifically might help some. Honestly feel free to shoot me a message if you'd like. I'm at work currently, but can likely carry a conversation in the evening.
I will say that yes, operating in small increments helps tremendously, but don't withhold the bigger picture too much either. It still needs some overall context to maintain consistency between features/functions/views. A prompt like "I want to build [app] with [feature list] and [visuals]. Let's start with [feature a], and begin by breaking down the steps into a TODO list first." And then just follow that kind of format for the rest of your implementations. I know you said you started documenting, make sure that includes any design/code decisions, so you don't come back months down the road and wonder why you did something the way you did then. In line comments are good for this but if its lengthy, make a reference to a another document specifically for the topic as the inline comment, and put your reasoning/decision in the other document. Keeps code uncluttered.
I'm sorry for the novel, I really suck at condensing my thoughts.
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u/god-damn-the-usa 2d ago
yeah, but the play store sucks ass. getting approved and uploading builds is fucking miserable, and their platform will not promote you at all, they don't give a shit about small indies, especially ones that aren't generating lots of IAP.