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Ask HN: What is the best way for kids to build a mobile app?

3 points by keepsimple ↗ HN
My daughter (5th grade) wants to build an mobile app as part of her school project. I think there must be some options for kids to build an app instead of writing it in Swift or Objective-C (iPhone). One thing we found is "Thunkable". Any other options? HN readers, any recommendations? Thanks!

11 comments

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O_H_E
A search for "thunkable alternatives" yields some alts that require adult curating. Sorry, I don't have experience with any.
brudgers
The easiest way to run code on a mobile device is to serve it as HTML. A simple way to do this is from a laptop over the local LAN with Python's simpleHTTPServer or Python3's http.server. Any mobile (or non-mobile) device can connect to the 192.168.XXX.XXX:port so long as it has a web browser.

This avoids a dependency on the app store, complex tooling, emulators, fees, registrations, etc. It touches on many topics more practical and widely applicable than the iOS ecosystem...and a Hello World can be up and running in a few minutes. Short feedback loops are great...even for children.

A hack, no doubt, but does everything important except tick the "built an iOS app" box on a future college education.

Good luck.

a-saleh
Well, if there is an easy enough pwa framework, yhen it might be almost indistinguishable for most people :)
brudgers
Usually for me

  function > indistinguishability
when I'm trying to get something done. That's where I would start with a 5th grader.
multimedial
Creo from Creolabs seems quite accessible, but isn‘t that simple either.

It comes with a player though - you can create the app and play it back on your device without having to register it through the app store or Google Play.

multimedial
Same for free C#-based Xamarin, but this is based on Visual Studio.

LiveCode comes to my mind as well which is close to HyperCard/Flash, but needs programming for any interactivity...

How about an iBook if this is for Apple? IBook Author is free and allows for interactive elements like quizzes and embedded HTML pages. Pretty nifty, free, but only for iOS again.

ryacko
I’d suggest a webpage on github pages that can be viewed on mobile.

As much as I hate to say this in this over competitive world, it would look good on a resume if she could point to having an early interest in development.

Just never remind her of that fact.

applecrazy
You might want to explore Exponent/RN. The basic JSX UI syntax is easy to pick up, and JavaScript is a great beginner language.

Plus, you can try on device without needing to deal with tooling and emulators. And you can start writing code in-browser using using Expo snack (https://snack.expo.io)

LarryMade2
Could always do a Mobile friendly web app... Would be easier to "deploy" and you get all platforms at one go.