Launch HN: ASim (YC S21) – Mobile app that generates mobile apps
90 pointsby dli12316 days ago19 comments
  • zkid1816 days ago
    love it. but that makes me think that development is no longer the bottleneck —distribution and positioning are. and my bet that the ASim fucntionality will find it place in the current media platfrom.

    say, if tiktok launches an ai app store, it won’t be for complex software—it’ll start with low-friction, high-retention apps: ai-powered video enhancements (think face-swaps, lip sync, object replacement) or micro-utilities, something like ASim does.

    for platforms, it’s obvious—more engagement, higher monetization, and a new vertical.

    for creators, it’s a no-brainer—why funnel traffic to some app store when you can keep users inside tiktok, get them to install, and even monetize directly?

    even the infamous 30% app store cut could be creatively sidestepped—imagine launching your own meme coin for in-app purchases instead.

    • dli12316 days ago
      thanks for the kind words! yep, this is exactly how we're thinking about this space as well! we think as software dev costs compress, it'll become a new modality of expression, similar to how we've seen images and video platforms take off as creation costs start to really compress.
      • zkid1816 days ago
        cool! happy to connect with you folks! my twitter: kidrulit
    • qoez16 days ago
      This reply would be a lot easier to read with some capitalization after punctuation.
      • kridsdale116 days ago
        There at least 2 capital letters in that post.
    • gtr32x16 days ago
      The embedded mini-app ecosystem is a real model in China. Wechat being the most popular platform. Douyin also has a good share of it. You even see such ecosystem in payment apps like Alipay. I'm also certain there are special deals with Apple structured around this concept.
      • dli12316 days ago
        ya - i think the replication of the wechat super-app has been attempted so many times in the west at this point, but maybe agi coding solves this...?
        • zkid1815 days ago
          the playbook works relatively well outside west hemisphere. grab, gojek, gozem, yassir scaled well beyond services to fintech.
    • deadbabe16 days ago
      Development hasn’t been the bottleneck for a long time people are just lazy
      • dartos15 days ago
        It’s only the bottleneck for orgs that don’t know how to keep focus and bloated orgs with too many teams/managers/engineers.

        And scrappy startups made by businesses school dropouts (and grads)

  • ncr10015 days ago
    [Answered]

    Does it play sound at this stage? or other media (eg video, beyond still images and text and UI?)

    EDIT Thank you for making and sharing this -- it is pushing the future closer to today (euphemisms are my superpower lol jk)!

    EDIT 2: I see the "Enable Sound API/Access" toggle in the Gear icon, below my generation. Exploring this now.

    EDIT 3: Behold the HORROR (Works in Desktop Browser) English -> Morse code with "Sound": http://asim.sh/s/160375

    - tip: beware of playing long morse code sequences, there is no stopping it.

    • dli12315 days ago
      hahahaha i love it!!

      sound and video generation are very very primitive compared to image gen. definitely something we want to beef up though!

      • ncr10014 days ago
        :-) I was surprised when it spoke aloud, myself!
  • aaurelions16 days ago
    Cool, aSim - it's a0.dev + Expo?
    • dli12316 days ago
      yep, you could describe it like that!
  • realprimoh16 days ago
    Looks awesome! How do you plan to monetize down the road?
    • dli12316 days ago
      we're currently planning on adding the ability for app creators to charge users, similar to Roblox/Robux if you're familiar, and that revenue will be shared between us and the app creator
  • bambax15 days ago
    I tried and keep stuck in a loop between "Oops! Simulation failed" and "Try Fixing".

    It's always the same error but it's not displayed in full: "Error: 297:3:invalid statement encou..." ('encountered' probably? but where? how? why not show the full error?)

    Also, what are 'Agent' and 'Genius'? (two different app candidates?)

    • dli12315 days ago
      will take a look at this loop.

      yep, agent and genius are 2 distinct pipelines we're testing.

      • bambax15 days ago
        user id is 'bambax' just like here
  • ddxv16 days ago
    So where do the 'apps' you generate live? On my Google Play account or just inside of Asim?
    • dli12316 days ago
      currently they only live inside of aSim, but we are playing around with the idea of being able to export apps. the Android APK export is definitely doable, but the iOS side is definitely more challenging, so unsure if we will commit to it.
      • ddxv16 days ago
        What about monetization? Do you think integrating ad networks or IAP and then sharing ad monetization revenue or IAP revenue with developers is a good way to go?
        • dartos15 days ago
          I’d say this is more a tool for prototypes.

          You could secure angel funding off a simple prototype.

          You could also make something funny and share it with friends, if it doesn’t need to be monetized.

          I wouldn’t use tools like this for long lived products though.

  • leonhard16 days ago
    Would like to try it out but I’m not receiving the verification code on my UK number.
    • dli12316 days ago
      we're definitely under heavy load right now - might be hitting some rate limits. can you try again now? if it still doesn't work, hit me up at dli@asim.sh or on our discord https://www.asim.sh/discord and i'll get you sorted!
  • pzo16 days ago
    Looks like many of those mobile app generators these days:

    https://asim.sh/

    https://bolt.new/

    https://replit.com/

    https://a0.dev/

    https://www.create.xyz/

    https://www.tempo.new/

    Seems like most (all?) are making react native apps using expo.

    • dli12316 days ago
      We’re a bit different than these since our apps are instantly deployed, not deployed through expo. So right after generation, you tap on your app and it loads and is usable, kinda like a webpage.

      React native definitely seems to work the best! I think the current generation LLMs have just seen so much js/ts they can just about do anything in those languages.

      • kridsdale116 days ago
        This all feels like Dreamweaver + 25 years, to me.
        • dli12316 days ago
          wow I haven't heard someone bring up dreamweaver in probably a decade. brings back memories of coding on my cow colored gateway laptop :')
    • ddxv16 days ago
      I think you're missing some too. I've been vaguely following and have seen very few that actually seem to have any apps on the app store and those that I found were basic examples.
    • Apocryphon16 days ago
      We need a generator for mobile app generators.
      • dli12316 days ago
        i think i've seen this prompt at least 5 times today in the logs lol
  • swyx16 days ago
    congrats on launching. how are you handling backend needs? firebase? supabse? whats good/whats missing?
    • dli12316 days ago
      thanks! we just use good old fashioned postgres running on azure, paired with a node server and blob storage in r2. i like how simple it is, and logs show up in places i'd expect without having to remember how to navigate some ui. queuing was something that took a bit to figure out correctly, but pg-boss ended up being the most straighfoward/easy to deploy on our infra.
      • swyx16 days ago
        oh man sorry i didnt mean YOUR backend, i mean the backend of the apps that you make. in the demo video you showed something about Yikyak clone. whats the backend of that?
        • dli12315 days ago
          haha oh, these kinds of clones are mostly just built on basic KV stores that we store in our postgres db! there's a couple different types of KV stores we give the app generations, but it's mostly just differing auth types (global, private, shared w/ friends).
          • swyx15 days ago
            decent solution for now. curious the tradeoffs of storing the kv in postgres vs a dedicated db. doesnt matter til the apps take off i guess!
  • purple-leafy16 days ago
    While that’s interesting, what I’m really after these days is a Mobile App that generates Mobile Apps that generate Mobile Apps

    You can never have too many mobile app generators

    • dli12316 days ago
      will be taking a note of this and putting into consideration for our next venture!
      • econ15 days ago
        Think endless currying
    • Rendello16 days ago
      Perhaps you could loop it back and make a quine, too.
      • dli12316 days ago
        hmm, kinda like a... y combinator?
  • asim16 days ago
    Ironic that I end up competing with an AI app generator for work...
    • dli12316 days ago
      haha i think it's been a great namesake!
  • sirjaz15 days ago
    I'd love to see this adapted for desktop apps. Any plans on doing that?
  • lukaskf16 days ago
    This is so wild. Definitely one of the cooler uses of AI I have seen, especially for a consumer/app/game.
    • dli12316 days ago
      thank you! we've definitely had a blast building it, hope you enjoy it!
  • compootr15 days ago
    nice april fools joke!
  • 15 days ago
    undefined
  • dostick16 days ago
    [flagged]
    • dli12316 days ago
      haha no (at least not to my knowledge)! just following in gmail's footsteps of launching on april fools
  • 99990000099916 days ago
    Have to provide a number just to try someone else's app, hard pass.
    • dli12316 days ago
      Thx for the feedback - didnt have a chance to implement email otps (will start that now!) and even less didn’t want to figure out sign in with google/apple
      • 99990000099916 days ago
        Why do I need to sign in at all to view ?
        • dli12316 days ago
          unfortunately we've already been targeted by a small scale DOS attack (or wallet attack?), and account creation on our most expensive model was the only way we could solve the problem for now :/
          • OsrsNeedsf2P16 days ago
            I've worked in the anti-bot space for a while. Friction to real users is a huge cost. I strongly recommend a better solution.
            • Apocryphon16 days ago
              We need an AI app that generates and manages throwaway sign-ups with a single click so we can use AI apps that generate mobile apps.
      • prawn15 days ago
        Wouldn't adding either of those be quite straightforward leaning on AI?
  • hashmelons16 days ago
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