Hey HN, we’re Daniel and Daniel (the Daniels) from aSim (https://asim.sh/). aSim is a mobile app that can generate immediately usable and shareable mobile apps from your phone.
Tools like bolt.new and v0 have made it easier to build websites by just chatting with an LLM, but things have been lagging on the mobile side. We’ve always been suckers for well-made mobile apps, but today, it is still extremely difficult to build mobile apps with LLMs on your computer, and nearly impossible to do it from your phone.
We built aSim to make it easy to build prototypes, “trinket” apps, or just random fun things all async from your phone. You can check our landing page (https://asim.sh/) for some ideas of different types of apps. Hopefully we can bring some life to your side project graveyard, or at least make the graveyard even more numerous.
Here’s a demo video of the generation process: https://youtu.be/_3VCl13oMGc
And here are the actual one-shotted apps I made in that video:
- https://asim.sh/@dli/s/157003/make-an-app-where-i-can-upload...
- https://asim.sh/@dli/s/157014/make-me-an-app-that-is-a-clone...
- https://asim.sh/@dli/s/157006/make-me-a-chess-timer-app-for-...
All of our app generations also get access to a set of APIs that help get the ball rolling on some basic functionality. These APIs range from LLM usage and image generation to having shared state with your friends, and globally among all users. We’re always on the lookout for new API integrations (i.e. Spotify and Maps) so please let us know if you need any!
We’ve had a small cohort of beta users that have been making what we think are some pretty cool apps. Here’s some of our favorites:
- Pokemon-style Gacha Game - https://asim.sh/@evan/s/126948/elves-vs-monsters
- OpenStreetMap stats: https://asim.sh/@lake/s/104102/osm-stats
- Star wars idle game: https://asim.sh/@jojaspero/s/29102
- Find your Meyers Briggs - https://asim.sh/@typewhisperer/s/135964/jung-mirror (<-- just for fun, you don’t have to believe in MB :))
- AI Tic Tac Toe - https://asim.sh/@hashmelons/s/105561/ai-tic-tac
Behind the scenes, we’re generating a modified version of Typescript React Native that can be parsed and compiled into simpler instructions that can be sent to mobile devices on the fly. We’ve ripped out some parts of the TSC library, as well as lean heavily on AcornJS to massage the (mostly usable) LLM code into something that can actually be run. We have a bunch of static analyzers, as well as leaning on web runtimes to catch runtime errors (as well as take screenshots), though at the very end of the day, we lean the most on our users to play around with their creations and remix them into something great.
It’s currently completely free to use, so we hope you check out aSim at https://asim.sh/ and enjoy it as much as we have while building it! Let us know what features you’d like to see and any problems you have with your generations.
zkid182 days ago
love it. but that makes me think that development is no longer the bottleneck —distribution and positioning are. and my bet that the ASim fucntionality will find it place in the current media platfrom.
say, if tiktok launches an ai app store, it won’t be for complex software—it’ll start with low-friction, high-retention apps: ai-powered video enhancements (think face-swaps, lip sync, object replacement) or micro-utilities, something like ASim does.
for platforms, it’s obvious—more engagement, higher monetization, and a new vertical.
for creators, it’s a no-brainer—why funnel traffic to some app store when you can keep users inside tiktok, get them to install, and even monetize directly?
even the infamous 30% app store cut could be creatively sidestepped—imagine launching your own meme coin for in-app purchases instead.
dli123op2 days ago
thanks for the kind words! yep, this is exactly how we're thinking about this space as well! we think as software dev costs compress, it'll become a new modality of expression, similar to how we've seen images and video platforms take off as creation costs start to really compress.
zkid18a day ago
cool! happy to connect with you folks! my twitter: kidrulit
qoez2 days ago
This reply would be a lot easier to read with some capitalization after punctuation.
kridsdale1a day ago
There at least 2 capital letters in that post.
gtr32xa day ago
The embedded mini-app ecosystem is a real model in China. Wechat being the most popular platform. Douyin also has a good share of it. You even see such ecosystem in payment apps like Alipay. I'm also certain there are special deals with Apple structured around this concept.
dli123opa day ago
ya - i think the replication of the wechat super-app has been attempted so many times in the west at this point, but maybe agi coding solves this...?
zkid1814 hours ago
the playbook works relatively well outside west hemisphere. grab, gojek, gozem, yassir scaled well beyond services to fintech.
deadbabea day ago
Development hasn’t been the bottleneck for a long time people are just lazy
dartos17 hours ago
It’s only the bottleneck for orgs that don’t know how to keep focus and bloated orgs with too many teams/managers/engineers.
And scrappy startups made by businesses school dropouts (and grads)
ncr10014 hours ago
[Answered]
Does it play sound at this stage? or other media (eg video, beyond still images and text and UI?)
EDIT Thank you for making and sharing this -- it is pushing the future closer to today (euphemisms are my superpower lol jk)!
EDIT 2: I see the "Enable Sound API/Access" toggle in the Gear icon, below my generation. Exploring this now.
EDIT 3: Behold the HORROR (Works in Desktop Browser) English -> Morse code with "Sound": http://asim.sh/s/160375
- tip: beware of playing long morse code sequences, there is no stopping it.
dli123op12 hours ago
hahahaha i love it!!
sound and video generation are very very primitive compared to image gen. definitely something we want to beef up though!
ncr1003 hours ago
:-) I was surprised when it spoke aloud, myself!
bambax17 hours ago
I tried and keep stuck in a loop between "Oops! Simulation failed" and "Try Fixing".
It's always the same error but it's not displayed in full: "Error: 297:3:invalid statement encou..." ('encountered' probably? but where? how? why not show the full error?)
Also, what are 'Agent' and 'Genius'? (two different app candidates?)
dli123op12 hours ago
will take a look at this loop.
yep, agent and genius are 2 distinct pipelines we're testing.
bambax12 hours ago
user id is 'bambax' just like here
aaurelionsa day ago
Cool, aSim - it's a0.dev + Expo?
dli123opa day ago
yep, you could describe it like that!
realprimoh2 days ago
Looks awesome! How do you plan to monetize down the road?
dli123op2 days ago
we're currently planning on adding the ability for app creators to charge users, similar to Roblox/Robux if you're familiar, and that revenue will be shared between us and the app creator
ddxva day ago
So where do the 'apps' you generate live? On my Google Play account or just inside of Asim?
dli123opa day ago
currently they only live inside of aSim, but we are playing around with the idea of being able to export apps. the Android APK export is definitely doable, but the iOS side is definitely more challenging, so unsure if we will commit to it.
ddxva day ago
What about monetization? Do you think integrating ad networks or IAP and then sharing ad monetization revenue or IAP revenue with developers is a good way to go?
dartos17 hours ago
I’d say this is more a tool for prototypes.
You could secure angel funding off a simple prototype.
You could also make something funny and share it with friends, if it doesn’t need to be monetized.
I wouldn’t use tools like this for long lived products though.
leonharda day ago
Would like to try it out but I’m not receiving the verification code on my UK number.
dli123opa day ago
we're definitely under heavy load right now - might be hitting some rate limits. can you try again now? if it still doesn't work, hit me up at [email protected] or on our discord https://www.asim.sh/discord and i'll get you sorted!
pzoa day ago
Looks like many of those mobile app generators these days:
Seems like most (all?) are making react native apps using expo.
dli123opa day ago
We’re a bit different than these since our apps are instantly deployed, not deployed through expo. So right after generation, you tap on your app and it loads and is usable, kinda like a webpage.
React native definitely seems to work the best! I think the current generation LLMs have just seen so much js/ts they can just about do anything in those languages.
kridsdale1a day ago
This all feels like Dreamweaver + 25 years, to me.
dli123opa day ago
wow I haven't heard someone bring up dreamweaver in probably a decade. brings back memories of coding on my cow colored gateway laptop :')
ddxva day ago
I think you're missing some too. I've been vaguely following and have seen very few that actually seem to have any apps on the app store and those that I found were basic examples.
dli123opa day ago
yea there's a ton now that i've stopped trying to keep tabs on them. i agree that most 'vibe-coded' apps are still really, really basic, so we try to lean into that. give some cool apis that make certain things easy, and make it easy to create kinda dumb, but fun apps. the sweet spot is usually some kind of meme, or something with your friends, like https://asim.sh/@rish/s/157178/create-a-cute-gamified-app-ca...
Apocryphona day ago
There's at least one that generates Flutter now.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43342101
Also Lovable, which the above is inspired by!
insaidera day ago
Wonder if there will ever be a .net maui one
Apocryphona day ago
We need a generator for mobile app generators.
dli123opa day ago
i think i've seen this prompt at least 5 times today in the logs lol
swyxa day ago
congrats on launching. how are you handling backend needs? firebase? supabse? whats good/whats missing?
dli123opa day ago
thanks! we just use good old fashioned postgres running on azure, paired with a node server and blob storage in r2. i like how simple it is, and logs show up in places i'd expect without having to remember how to navigate some ui. queuing was something that took a bit to figure out correctly, but pg-boss ended up being the most straighfoward/easy to deploy on our infra.
swyxa day ago
oh man sorry i didnt mean YOUR backend, i mean the backend of the apps that you make. in the demo video you showed something about Yikyak clone. whats the backend of that?
dli123opa day ago
haha oh, these kinds of clones are mostly just built on basic KV stores that we store in our postgres db! there's a couple different types of KV stores we give the app generations, but it's mostly just differing auth types (global, private, shared w/ friends).
swyx12 hours ago
decent solution for now. curious the tradeoffs of storing the kv in postgres vs a dedicated db. doesnt matter til the apps take off i guess!
purple-leafya day ago
While that’s interesting, what I’m really after these days is a Mobile App that generates Mobile Apps that generate Mobile Apps
You can never have too many mobile app generators
dli123opa day ago
will be taking a note of this and putting into consideration for our next venture!
econ15 hours ago
Think endless currying
Rendelloa day ago
Perhaps you could loop it back and make a quine, too.
dli123opa day ago
hmm, kinda like a... y combinator?
sirjaz18 hours ago
I'd love to see this adapted for desktop apps. Any plans on doing that?
asim2 days ago
Ironic that I end up competing with an AI app generator for work...
dli123op2 days ago
haha i think it's been a great namesake!
[deleted]15 hours agocollapsed
compootra day ago
nice april fools joke!
lukaskf2 days ago
This is so wild. Definitely one of the cooler uses of AI I have seen, especially for a consumer/app/game.
dli123op2 days ago
thank you! we've definitely had a blast building it, hope you enjoy it!
dostick2 days ago
[flagged]
dli123op2 days ago
haha no (at least not to my knowledge)! just following in gmail's footsteps of launching on april fools
9999000009992 days ago
Have to provide a number just to try someone else's app, hard pass.
dli123op2 days ago
Thx for the feedback - didnt have a chance to implement email otps (will start that now!) and even less didn’t want to figure out sign in with google/apple
9999000009992 days ago
Why do I need to sign in at all to view ?
dli123op2 days ago
unfortunately we've already been targeted by a small scale DOS attack (or wallet attack?), and account creation on our most expensive model was the only way we could solve the problem for now :/
OsrsNeedsf2Pa day ago
I've worked in the anti-bot space for a while. Friction to real users is a huge cost. I strongly recommend a better solution.
Apocryphona day ago
We need an AI app that generates and manages throwaway sign-ups with a single click so we can use AI apps that generate mobile apps.
prawna day ago
Wouldn't adding either of those be quite straightforward leaning on AI?
hashmelonsa day ago
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hashmelonsa day ago
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