Bolt App to App Store: Expo Project or Web App?

Expo project or web app? Check package.json

Export your project from Bolt or open the file tree, then look at four things. If all four point the same way, you have your answer. If they don't agree, for example react-native-web sitting inside a Vite project, treat it as a web app. React Native packages inside a web build don't give you a native binary. Bolt's own documentation says projects created for web don't easily switch over to mobile. The prompt you started with decided this. A later prompt like "make it an iOS app" won't change it. For each thing you check, here is what each kind of project shows:

• package.json dependencies. Expo project: expo, react-native, expo-router. Web app: vite, next, react-dom with no react-native.
• Config file at the root. Expo project: app.json or app.config.js. Web app: vite.config.ts or next.config.js.
• How Bolt shows the preview. Expo project: a QR code you scan with Expo Go on your phone. Web app: a browser tab.
• Folder layout. Expo project: an app/ folder of screens, with View and Text components. Web app: src/ with div and other HTML tags.

Can Bolt.new publish to the App Store?

No. Bolt runs in the browser. It can't run Xcode, hold your Apple signing certificates or upload a build to App Store Connect. That part always happens outside Bolt, whichever kind of project you have. What happens next depends on the check above.

How to get a Bolt Expo app on the App Store

If package.json shows Expo, you're on the shortest path. Bolt's documentation and Expo's own walkthrough both describe the same route. You export the code and run eas build --platform ios --auto-submit, which sends the build to TestFlight. Then you finish the listing in App Store Connect and submit it for review. For Android you build with EAS and upload to the Google Play Console. You'll need these accounts:

• An Expo account (free).
• An Apple Developer Program membership, billed every year, for iOS.
• A Google Play developer account, paid once, for Android.
• Node and the EAS command line on your computer.

Three more checks before you run the build

Having an Expo project doesn't mean the build will work. These checks catch most of the surprises before EAS does. If all three are fine, try the EAS build yourself. If the build fails, or the app only works inside Expo Go, the diagnosis is pointing at a rebuild.

• 1. Packages outside the Expo SDK. Bolt's preview runs in Expo Go, which only includes a fixed set of native modules. If package.json lists packages that come with their own native code and aren't part of the Expo SDK, your app needs a development build. In that case the Bolt preview can't show you whether those features really work.
• 2. A scheme in app.json. Login links and password reset emails have to open the app, not a browser. Without a scheme, those flows break on a real phone even when they look fine in the preview.
• 3. A bundle identifier. Look for ios.bundleIdentifier and android.package in app.json. If they're missing, Bolt never prepared the project for a store build.

If it's a Bolt web app: wrapper or rebuild

A wrapper like Capacitor puts your web app inside a native shell so it can be built for iOS and Android. The risk is App Store review: Apple's Guideline 4.2 rejects apps that feel like a repackaged website, and we cover how that plays out in our iOS and App Store guides. There's also a rule that works whatever the outcome: a wrapper ships whatever is underneath it. If the prototype has weak auth rules or exposed keys, they go to the store with it.

If the web app also runs on Supabase or Stripe

That's common with Bolt. A web front end calls a backend that does the real work: logins, data, payments. In that case the backend is the most valuable part of the prototype. What has to change is the app on the phone. Before you choose a path, write down which tables, auth rules and payment flows the app depends on. Any developer you talk to will need that list. Not sure which kind of project you have? Book a call. We'll open package.json together and give you the answer on the call.

What the diagnosis tells you to do

For each result, here is what to do next.

• Expo project, standard Expo packages, scheme and bundle ID set. What to do next: build with EAS yourself, then test on real devices.
• Expo project, but the build fails or only runs in Expo Go. What to do next: rebuild the parts that break, or the whole app.
• Web app, mostly content and forms. What to do next: a wrapper is possible, but plan for Guideline 4.2.
• Web app that needs a real mobile experience, payments or native features. What to do next: rebuild it as a native app.
• Any project where each new Bolt prompt breaks something that worked. What to do next: rebuild, before you add more features.

When the answer is a rebuild

A rebuild keeps what Bolt did well: the screens, the flows, and proof that people want the idea. The app itself is written again as a proper Expo project made for the stores. That's the work we do. The details are on our MVP development page, and for more on moving AI-built apps forward, browse our AI prototype to production guides. Ready to find out which path your Bolt app needs? Book a call. It's a free 30-minute call, and you'll leave with a clear next step and a fixed price. Our MVP build is Fixed at $3,460, and you get the fixed quote before we start. It covers:

• Your app on web, iOS and Android.
• Design included.
• Delivery in about 20 days.
• Progress shown every week.
• 100% of the code on your GitHub.
• 2 weeks of fixes after launch.

How do I know if my Bolt project is a mobile app?

Open package.json. If it lists expo or react-native and Bolt shows the preview as an Expo Go QR code, it's a mobile project. If the preview opens in a browser tab and you see vite or next, it's a web app.

Can I convert a Bolt web project into an Expo app?

Not by changing a setting. Bolt notes that web projects don't easily switch over to mobile. The usual options are to wrap the web app or to rebuild it as an Expo project.

Does Bolt make native iOS apps?

Bolt can generate React Native code through Expo if you ask for a mobile app from the start. The build, signing and submission happen outside Bolt, with your own Apple Developer account.

Why does my Bolt app work in the preview but fail when I build it?

The preview runs in Expo Go, which only includes a fixed set of native modules. Packages outside that set need a development build, so the first real build is often the first time anyone sees how the app behaves outside the preview.