Build profitable iOS Apps Using Just Cursor + Claude (Full Tutorial)

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Apr 28, 2025

Chris Raroque, an innovative solo developer, shares his journey of creating a portfolio of iOS apps using AI tools. He reveals how to seamlessly integrate an AI chat feature into a budgeting app, enhancing user interaction. Chris also dives into effective methods for implementing function calling to allow the AI to analyze transaction data. Additionally, he showcases techniques for generating high-quality app assets with ChatGPT 4.0, making app development more efficient and creative. Get insights into the future of app creation powered by AI!

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ANECDOTE

Solo Developer Builds 4 iOS Apps

Chris Raroque built four advanced native iOS apps with thousands of paying users as a solo developer.
He credits AI for supercharging his productivity and enabling complex app features solo.

ADVICE

Manually Setup Xcode Project First

Set up your iOS Xcode project manually before opening it in Cursor; Cursor cannot configure Xcode project settings or frameworks.
Then open the project in Cursor to rapidly edit code using its AI-assisted chat features.

ADVICE

Build AI Chat UI First

When adding an AI chat feature, build the UI first using dummy data before hooking up live data or backend functionality.
This staged approach improves AI's ability to deliver accurate, integrated UI features step-by-step.

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Join me as I chat with Chris Raroque, who demonstrates how to use AI tools to build sophisticated mobile apps as a solo developer. Chris walks through adding an AI chat feature to his budgeting app, showing his workflow with Cursor and Claude 3.7. He explains how to implement function calling to create an intelligent agent that can access transaction data and answer questions about spending patterns.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction to Chris Raroque and his portfolio of apps
• 02:32 - Overview of Cursor workflow for native iOS development
• 09:54 - Demo of adding AI chat to a budgeting app
• 17:50 - Connecting AI Chat Feature with Open Router
• 25:55 - Improving prompts using Claude for better responses
• 34:19 - Implementing tool/function calling for efficient data access
• 45:13 - Adding token usage and cost tracking to the app
• 48:34 - Techniques for AI-generated app assets and illustrations

Key Points:

• Chris Raroque demonstrates how to use Cursor with Claude 3.7 to build native iOS apps with AI features
• Shows a workflow for adding an AI chat feature to an existing budgeting app using OpenRouter
• Explains tool/function calling implementation to create an AI agent that can access transaction data
• Shares techniques for generating high-quality app assets using ChatGPT 4.0

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