The AI Chat is your primary tool for building apps in Natively. Through natural conversation, you can build your app, create features, fix bugs, and refine your app in real time.
The chat panel on the left side of the screen is where you interact with the AI. Simply describe what you want in plain language - English or in your own native language, and the AI will:
Understand your request and build your app
Generate and modify code
Build and deploy changes
Show results instantly in the preview and Expo Go
Note: This is a build-focused AI. Use it to build, modify, fix, or add features to your app, not as a general-purpose chatbot for asking unrelated questions.
The AI maintains the full context of your conversation and project. You can reference previous changes, screens, or features by name.
Clear prompts lead to better results. By describing what you want in a simple and specific way, you’ll help the AI build exactly what you’re looking for. Here are some proven patterns to follow:
- Start with a one-line description of your mobile app.Example: “Build me a calorie-tracking app with AI integration.” or "Build me a flashcard app."- Provide short, clear context about the app’s main purpose.Example: “Users can take a photo of their meal, and the app analyzes whether it’s healthy, then estimates calories, carbs, protein, and fat.”- Focus on a simple version of your app in your first prompt.You can enhance features and add complexity in follow-up prompts.
User experience is crucial. Make sure you understand the full flow of a user’s journey in your app.- Map the user journey: Determine if users need to create an account, go through onboarding, or if your app works without sign-ups and stores user data automatically.- Test the app: Use Expo Go to check that all features work properly and the experience feels smooth. If something doesn’t work—like button overlays, saving/deleting issues, or navigation problems—note the issue and ask the AI to fix it. - Use clear icons: Ensure your app’s icons are intuitive and easy to understand. You can pick your preferred ones from the visual editor.Note: When prompting the AI, combine a screenshot with your text prompt. This helps the AI understand the exact location and context for building or modifying features.
- Fixing existing features: Always reference the specific feature that isn’t working and explain exactly what needs to be fixed. Uploading a screenshot is highly recommended.Example: “At the Upload Picture of the Meal feature, I cannot upload a picture, and it doesn’t analyze or give me counts for protein, carbs, calories, and fat. Please fix this.” (+ screenshot)- Adding new sections or features: Clearly explain what you want to add and where it should appear in the app.Example: “Please add a new section to my app where I can see a monthly report of my meals, including calories, carbs, protein, and fat.”- Modifying design: You can upload a design from Figma, a Pinterest sample, or simply describe your design ideas in plain language. Use the visual editor for implementing design changes.- Fixing unclear icons: If you see question marks in place of icons, you can fix them immediately using the visual editor.
- Authentication setup: Decide how users will sign up and log in (e.g., email/password, social login, or anonymous access). Natively provides built-in options for Email, Google, and Apple authentication.- Data storage: Determine what user data needs to be stored, such as profiles, settings, or app content. Database is created by Natively using our own database as a solution. - Testing authentication: Test all flows thoroughly, including sign-up, login, password reset, and logout on web preview, iOS and Android using Expo Go. Ensure users can access and modify their data correctly. If login fails or errors appear, upload a screenshot or clearly describe which authentication method isn’t working, then ask the AI to fix it.- Prompting the AI: Be specific when asking the AI to build or fix backend functionality. Include clear descriptions of the issue, expected behavior, and relevant screenshots. Check the info bar descriptions to understand what has been done and what caused the issue, this helps you prompt the AI more effectively.
Be very specifc when fixing the Bugs- The login button isn't working on the sign-in screen. When I tap it with valid credentials, nothing happens. Expected: navigate to the home screen after successful login.- Always the best idea to screenshot the error and upload it in the chat, and asking Natively to fix the error/issue
- Use Visual editor for most of your design changes. - If you want to upload a design from Figma/Pinterest/or any other platforms, it is better to give the design in the very first prompts, so the design of your app is aligned withthe backend and also when enhancing the app, design is there to help you build the app flow. - When uploading a design, be specific if you only want the brand and color, not the sections and tabs, so thatNatively only copies the design and keeps your app structure as it is.
Create a shopping cart screen that shows:- List of items with image, name, price- Quantity selector for each item- Total at the bottom
2
Add Interactions
Copy
Add functionality to the cart:- Increase/decrease quantity with +/- buttons- Remove item on swipe left- Update total automatically when quantities change
3
Checkout Flow
Copy
Add a checkout button that:- Validates cart is not empty- Shows a confirmation modal with total- Navigates to payment screen on confirm
Breaking complex features into steps gives the AI clearer context and produces better results.
The AI remembers your entire conversation. Use this to your advantage:
Copy
User: Add a product listing screen with cards showing product images and prices.AI: [Creates product screen]User: Make the cards tappable and navigate to a detail page.AI: [Adds navigation without needing to be told what cards]User: The detail page should show the full product info.AI: [Knows which product data to display]
