How to Build React Native Apps Without Writing All the Code
Alright, my friend, let’s get into it. I’m sitting here with my coffee, got my watch on (mostly for the time, but hey, it’s also nice to know if my heart’s racing when I’m stressed out). Today, it’s just you and me, and we’re diving into building React Native apps using Cursor AI. I’ve been a software engineer for 12 years, but now I’m all about changing habits and letting AI do the heavy lifting.
Why I Switched to AI (Late, But Better Than Never)
I’ll be honest: I was slow to jump on the AI copilot train. I only started using AI in 2023, even though things really started heating up in 2022. That’s a whole year lost in AI time, which is like a decade in regular tech years. But hey, I’m making up for it now. If you don’t adapt, you end up as a solo, old-school engineer, and nobody wants that.
It’s the same story with crypto and web3. I was early there, built some dApps, but now? Not sure if web3 is even alive. But that’s a topic for another day.
Getting Hands-On With Cursor
Let’s get back to Cursor. Here’s the thing: sometimes Cursor doesn’t play nice. I was trying to fix a version issue in my package.json and the port file, but Cursor wasn’t finding the right version. So, what do you do? You Google it. Sometimes you just have to do the research yourself.
Cursor gives you 500 requests on the free plan. I’ve already burned through 138, so you have to be a bit careful. There’s a business plan for $40 a month, but it’s not super clear what the limits are. Anyway, if you want to go all-in on AI, just know there are some edge cases where it gets tricky.
Example: Fixing a Port File With Cursor
Here’s what I did:
1# In Cursor, I asked:
2Please fix the parts file currently error.
Sometimes, switching the AI model helps. But if you want to do everything with AI, be ready for some weird edge cases. Cursor might spit out something that looks right but isn’t. You have to keep an eye on it.
I committed the changes, ran the build, and kept moving. That’s the workflow.
Automating App Store Screenshots and Descriptions
Next up, I wanted Cursor to generate screenshots and a catchy description for the app store. Here’s the prompt:
1Please generate screenshots and a description for the app store. Build it in a junky script.
Cursor actually did a decent job. I accepted the changes and moved on.
Coding Blindfolded (Sort Of)
Here’s a fun bit: with AI, you can almost code blindfolded. I joked about putting on a sleeping eye mask and letting Cursor do the work. I love sleeping masks for travel, but honestly, with AI, you could probably get away with it. That said, don’t be a code monkey. AI helps, but you still need to know what’s going on.
People used to say AI was like a junior engineer. Now, it’s more like a mid-level. Give it six months, and it’ll be a senior. With agents, it’ll manage a whole team. You’ll be the C-level person, setting direction instead of grinding out code. That’s actually pretty nice, because coding is fun, but it can get exhausting.
Automating Marketing With AI
I’ve got a bunch of apps in the works. I love building in parallel. For one of my apps, I wanted to automate the marketing too. I asked Cursor to build a script for posting on Reddit, targeting subreddits like r/sideproject. It can generate a description, post it, and even mimic viral posts by analyzing what’s worked before.
Here’s the kind of prompt I used:
1Fetch on Reddit in r/sideproject the most popular posts, find correlations of the viral ones, and create one for me for my app. Adapt my original post accordingly.
You can even feed it your app description for more context. It’ll spit out a post that’s got a better shot at going viral.
Submitting the App With Expo
Submitting an app with Expo is super handy. You just run the build and submit commands. Sometimes you hit errors (like with EAS from Expo), but that’s for another session.
Key Takeaways
- AI is now a core part of my workflow. If you’re not using it, you’re falling behind.
- Cursor AI is powerful, but not perfect. Be ready to step in when it gets stuck.
- You can automate not just coding, but also marketing and app store tasks.
- AI is leveling up fast. What was “junior” a year ago is “mid-level” now. Soon, it’ll be running teams.
- Don’t be a code monkey. Use AI as a tool, but keep your brain engaged.
“With AI, you can almost be blind. But don’t be a code monkey.”
“Coding is nice, but sometimes it’s exhausting. AI lets you focus on where things need to go, not just on execution.”
Pierre-Henry Soria
#Ai Tools #App Development #Cursor Ai #Entrepreneurship #Nomad #Productivity #React Native #Software Engineering #Tasks #Tech