From a Lovable or Bolt prototype to the App Store: what has to change

"Why would I hire someone? I can build it with AI now." For a demo, you should. Tools like Lovable and Bolt can turn an idea into something clickable in an afternoon, and that is a genuinely good way to test whether anyone wants it.

The trouble starts after the demo, when real users, real money and the app stores get involved.

Where prototypes usually struggle

• Store review. Apple rejects apps that are little more than a website in a wrapper, and Google Play requires new personal developer accounts to run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before publishing.
• Payments. Taking money reliably, refunds included, and verifying in-app purchases on the server.
• Data security. Who can read which records, and keeping keys and secrets out of the app.
• Many users at once. Something that works for one tester can fall over with a hundred.
• Support. Someone has to fix it at 2am when it breaks, and understand the code well enough to do it.

What is worth keeping

More than you might think. The screens, the flows and the copy you tested are real product decisions, and they carry straight into a rebuild. What usually changes is the foundation underneath: the backend, the data rules, payments and the native app shell.

We use AI tools every day ourselves. It is a big part of why we can offer fixed prices to first-time founders. What you are paying for is not typing code; it is someone accountable for the product working with real users.

If you have a prototype that people like, bring it. We will tell you honestly what can stay and what has to be rebuilt.