How to Convert a Blink.new Project to a Mobile App
Short answer: you can't convert it directly. Here's what to do instead.
Founder, Natively
You've been building with Blink.new and now you want your project on the App Store or Google Play. I get it — Blink makes it fast to go from an idea to a working application. But what it produces is a web app, and getting that onto a phone as a real native mobile app isn't something you can do with an export button. Let me explain what's actually going on and what your options are.
Key Takeaways
- Blink.new builds web apps — using React and modern JavaScript frameworks that run in the browser, not natively on iOS or Android
- There is no "export to mobile" feature — despite some marketing language suggesting mobile support, the output is web code
- Wrapping it in a WebView gives you a poor experience that both Apple and Google will likely reject or that users will hate
- The real path is to rebuild your app idea using a native mobile framework like React Native
What Blink.new Actually Builds
Blink.new is an AI-powered app builder that lets you describe what you want in plain English and generates a full-stack web application. It handles the database, authentication, hosting, and deployment automatically — which is genuinely impressive for getting a web product off the ground quickly.
The output, however, is a web application. Blink generates React-based frontends with JavaScript and TypeScript, backed by server-side infrastructure. The result runs in a browser. It's deployed to a URL with a custom domain. It's a website.
Web Apps vs. Native Mobile Apps
This is where the confusion starts. A web app runs in Safari, Chrome, or any other browser. It's built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A native mobile app is compiled code that runs directly on the device using the operating system's own frameworks — UIKit or SwiftUI on iOS, Android SDK on Android. These are fundamentally different things.
What About Blink's Mobile Claims?
Blink's marketing mentions "mobile applications" and their FAQ references React Native support. In practice, what Blink generates today are responsive web apps — they look fine on a phone screen in a browser, but they're not native mobile apps. Independent reviews confirm that native mobile app generation (via React Native or similar) is a planned future feature, not a current capability.
Responsive Web Is Not the Same as Native
A responsive web app that looks good on a phone screen is still a web app. It still runs in the browser. It can't access native APIs like push notifications through APNs or FCM, Face ID, the camera in the way native apps can, background processing, offline storage, or any of the platform-specific features that make mobile apps feel like mobile apps. Your users will notice the difference immediately.
Why You Can't Just Convert It
I want to be straightforward here because there's a lot of misleading advice floating around. There is no tool, plugin, or service that can take a Blink.new web project and convert it into a native iOS or Android app. Here's why:
Different Rendering Engines
A Blink.new React app renders through a browser engine. A native iOS app renders through UIKit or SwiftUI. A native Android app renders through the Android View system or Jetpack Compose. These are completely different rendering pipelines. Your React components, your CSS styles, your web-based routing — none of that translates to native mobile components.
Different Navigation Patterns
Web apps navigate between URLs. Mobile apps navigate between screens using a navigation stack with native gestures — swipe back on iOS, the back button on Android, modal presentations, tab bars. These are deeply ingrained in how each platform works. Users expect them. Web navigation in a mobile shell feels immediately wrong.
No Access to Device APIs
Even if the UI somehow looked right, a web app running in a mobile browser can't properly access native device features. Push notifications, background app refresh, Siri shortcuts, Android widgets, NFC, Bluetooth, health data — these all require native code that talks directly to the operating system.
What About PWAs?
Progressive Web Apps are a step above regular web apps — they can work offline and be added to the home screen. But they still run in a browser context with limited device access. iOS heavily restricts PWA capabilities (no push notifications until recently, limited background processing, no Bluetooth access). And critically, PWAs don't go through the App Store or Google Play, which means you miss out on the primary discovery channel for mobile users.
Why Wrapping Your Blink.new App Won't Work
The next idea people try is wrapping. Tools like Capacitor, Cordova, or plain WebView containers let you package a web app inside a native shell. You get an app icon, and you can technically submit to the app stores. But here's what actually happens:
Two paths to the App Store
Wrapped Web App vs. Native App
React / JavaScript / Web
WebView Wrapper
Capacitor / Cordova
App Store / Google Play
NativelyDescribe your app idea with AI
Real Native Code
React Native + Expo → .ipa / .apk
App Store / Google PlayUser Experience Problems
- ✗Scrolling feels off — rubber banding, momentum, and inertia don't match native behavior
- ✗Transitions and animations look janky compared to native apps
- ✗Input fields and keyboards behave differently than users expect
- ✗No native gestures — swipe-to-go-back, long press menus, haptic feedback
App Store Problems
- ✗Apple's guideline 4.2 rejects apps that are just repackaged websites
- ✗App Store reviewers specifically test for WebView-only apps
- ✗Even if it slips through, users leave poor reviews about the experience
- ✗Google Play also flags low-quality WebView apps in reviews
Apple's Guideline 4.2 — Minimum Functionality
Apple explicitly states: "Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website." Apps that are essentially a web view wrapping a website are routinely rejected. This applies directly to wrapping a Blink.new project in Capacitor or a similar tool and submitting it.
For a deeper look at why this distinction matters, read our native apps vs web apps vs PWAs comparison.
Want Your App Idea on the App Store and Google Play?
Instead of trying to convert a web app, build a real native iOS and Android app with Natively. Describe your idea, and our AI generates production-ready React Native code — the same technology powering Instagram, Shopify, and Discord.
The Right Way: Build a Native App From Your Idea
If you have a Blink.new project and you want it on the App Store or Google Play, the path forward is to build a native mobile app separately. This doesn't mean your Blink.new work was wasted — you've already validated your idea, figured out the features, and possibly built a working backend. That's all valuable.
What you need now is a tool that builds native mobile apps, not web apps. That's what Natively does.
How Natively Works
Natively works similarly to Blink in that you describe what you want and AI builds it. The critical difference is the output: Natively generates React Native + Expo apps that compile to actual native iOS and Android code. It's not a web app in disguise — it's real native code that uses native UI components, native navigation, and has full access to device APIs.
From Blink.new Idea to the App Store
- 1Use your Blink.new project as a reference
You've already figured out the features, screens, and user flows. Use that as your blueprint when describing the app.
- 2Describe your app in Natively
Tell the AI what your app does. Reference your Blink.new project's features, screens, and behavior — be as detailed as you like.
- 3Get a real native app generated
Natively creates a React Native + Expo project with native UI components, proper mobile navigation, and full device API access.
- 4Test on your actual phone
Preview the app instantly on your iPhone or Android device using Expo Go — scan a QR code and see it running natively.
- 5Deploy to the App Store and Google Play
Build your iOS and Android apps and submit them to the stores. You own 100% of the source code with zero vendor lock-in.
What You Can Carry Over
Building native doesn't mean starting from zero. Here's what transfers from your Blink.new project:
Your Idea and Product Thinking
The most valuable thing you built in Blink.new isn't the code — it's the understanding of what your app should do, how users navigate it, and which features matter. All of that carries over directly to your prompt in Natively.
Your Backend and Data
If your Blink.new project has a backend with a database, authentication, and APIs, your native app can connect to the same backend. Natively includes its own backend (Liquid Backend) with a database, auth, and storage out of the box, but it also supports Supabase and can connect to any REST or GraphQL API. You have options.
Running Both a Web App and a Mobile App
You don't have to choose one or the other. Many products have both a web app and a native mobile app. Your Blink.new project can stay live as your web version while your Natively app serves mobile users. Same product, optimized for each platform.
Coming from a different tool? We have similar guides for Bolt.new, Lovable, and v0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I directly convert my Blink.new project to a mobile app?
No. Blink.new generates web applications using React and JavaScript. These are fundamentally different from native mobile apps. There is no converter or export tool that can transform web code into native mobile code.
Doesn't Blink.new say it builds mobile apps?
Blink's marketing mentions mobile applications and React Native, but independent reviews confirm that the current output is responsive web apps — not native mobile apps. React Native support appears to be a planned future feature. The web apps Blink produces work in mobile browsers, but that's not the same as a native app.
Can I wrap my Blink.new app to put it on the stores?
You can try wrapping it with Capacitor or similar tools, but the result will be a web app inside a native shell — not a real native app. The experience will suffer, and Apple commonly rejects these under App Store guideline 4.2. Google Play has similar quality standards. For anything intended for real users, wrapping is not a viable path.
Do I have to rebuild everything from scratch?
Not entirely. Your product concept, features, user flows, and backend all carry over. You're rebuilding the frontend in a native framework, not reinventing your product. With AI tools like Natively, you describe what you want and the app gets generated — so the process is fast.
What is React Native, and is it really "native"?
React Native is a framework created by Meta that compiles to actual native iOS and Android UI components. It's not a web view — it renders real native elements. It powers production apps at Instagram, Shopify, Discord, Coinbase, and thousands of others. Natively uses React Native + Expo to generate your apps.
Can I keep my Blink.new web app and have a mobile app too?
Yes. Many products run both a web app and a native mobile app side by side. They can share the same backend and database. Your Blink.new project stays live as your web version while Natively powers the mobile experience.