Can I build an iOS app without a Mac?

Yes. Glassly generates, compiles and signs iPhone builds on its own machines, so you do not need a local Mac. Developers can also use cloud build services for existing app code. Installation and publishing accounts are separate requirements.

Can I build an iPhone app on Windows?

Yes. Glassly runs in a web browser on Windows, a Chromebook or a Mac, and builds and signs the iPhone app on its own servers. For iPhone installs you connect your own Apple Developer Program account ($99 a year).

Do I still need an Apple developer account?

For iPhone installs through Glassly, connect your own Apple Developer Program account ($99 a year). Android installation by link does not need a Play account; publishing on Google Play requires registration ($25 once).

Do I need Xcode or any developer tools with Glassly?

No. Glassly plans the app, writes every screen and the code, and compiles and signs real iOS and Android builds on its own machines. No local build tools or coding knowledge are required; source export is available if you want it.

What is the fastest way to get an app on my phone?

Pick a standard template, free, choose its colours, and press install. On Android you get an install page with a link and a QR code after the build is ready, subject to device permissions and verification. On iPhone you connect your Apple developer account once, then install the same way.

How to build an iPhone app without a Mac

Yes, you can build an iOS app without a Mac of your own. With Glassly, the app is generated, compiled and signed on our machines. Cloud build services also let developers build existing code remotely. The hardware you own and the developer account needed for distribution are separate questions.

Why iPhone apps want a Mac in the first place

Apple ships its build tools, Xcode, for macOS only. Turning code into an app your iPhone will run means compiling it with those tools and signing it with certificates that Apple issues. Glassly takes that part off your hands: your app is assembled and signed on our servers, so there is no Xcode and no Mac on your side. Android has no such rule: its tools run on Windows and Linux too, which is why the “no Mac” question is really an iPhone question.

The routes people take

Rent a Mac in the cloud and drive it yourself. It works, and it is exactly as much fun as it sounds: you still install Xcode, still manage certificates, still learn the tooling. It answers the hardware problem and none of the skill problem.
Use a cloud build service. If you already have app code, services such as Expo’s EAS or Codemagic compile it on their Macs. You still write the code, set up signing, and pay Apple for the developer account. Good for developers, not for someone with an idea and no code.
Use an app builder that does the whole chain for you. Describe the app, and the builder writes the code, compiles and signs it on its own machines, and hands you something to install. This route lets you work without a local Mac or developer tools. It is the route Glassly is built for.

What the Glassly installation route requires

For iPhone installs through Glassly, connect your own Apple developer account (standard fee $99/year, paid to Apple). Android installs from a link, subject to device permissions and developer verification. Publishing on Google Play needs your own developer account ($25 once, paid to Google). This describes Glassly's workflow. Other preview or personal testing routes can have different requirements: Apple documents limited personal-device testing through a free account in Xcode, and some tools offer companion-app previews. A companion preview is not your own standalone signed app.

How it works here

Glassly’s installation guide covers the account setup. Check the Apple Developer Program for its membership fee, and our pricing page for what the Glassly subscription includes.

Glassly is an iOS and Android app builder that installs on your phone without a Mac on your side of the build. You describe the app in plain English on any paid plan, or pick a free template that is already a finished app. We plan it, write every screen, wire up a backend with accounts and a database, then compile and sign iOS and Android builds on our machines. A live preview opens in your browser while it builds.

Android is one button: an install page with a link and a QR code. On iPhone the path asks you to connect your own Apple developer account, once, and then builds install from there. Our advice, the same as in the app: start on Android if you can, feel the thing on a phone, then decide whether the iPhone route is worth $99 a year to you.

Building an iPhone app on Windows or a Chromebook

The same answer holds if you build an iPhone app on Windows, or on a Chromebook. Glassly runs in the browser and the building and signing happen on our servers, so the computer in front of you only needs a web browser. The finished app still installs on a real iPhone, which is where Apple’s developer account comes in.

You can make an app without a Mac of your own. For Glassly's iPhone installs, you still supply the Apple developer account.

What it costs on our side

Standard templates are free: the whole finished app, yours to build on. A few premium ones cost credits at claim. New accounts receive 5 credits to try changes. Every message is priced by the work it takes: a simple app is ~15 credits, a bigger one ~50, and most fixes are a credit or two, though a stubborn bug costs more. Every plan puts your own name on the app; plans differ in how many credits they include, and every plan builds the same apps, the same way.