Prefabrik Alpha Demo

12-14-2023

Intro

Prefabrik is a new way to create your own apps using your iPhone. This demo shows how you can create, configure, and test apps using Prefabrik.

Creating a new app

To create a new app, simply select a template. Currently, there are two templates you can choose from: Social and Product Catalog. I’m creating a social app for this demo.

Next, give your new app an app icon and a unique name.

Now your app is ready! Open your app in preview mode and start using the functioning prototype right away.

Social app features

As you would expect with any social app, you can create posts, and use standard features like likes and saves, which end up on your profile.

Customizing your app

You can change the app configuration to customize your app. Here, I’m giving the home tab a new name and icon. I’m also renaming the saves list to Bookmarks, and then moving it from my profile to its own tab.

Launching your app using iOS shortcuts

This is where it gets really cool. Your apps are integrated with iOS shortcuts, so you can access your app directly from Spotlight search, and you can use the Shortcuts app to add a Home Screen icon that launches your app.

Deploying as a standalone app

If you want to deploy your prototype as a standalone app, you can do that as well! PrefabKit (opens in a new tab), which powers the app previews, is open source, so you can run your own copy of the app using Xcode. I’m still putting together the template repo and detailed instructions for how to do that, so please reach out to me if you’re interested in trying this out.

What's Next?

First, Prefabrik will be onboarding alpha testers early 2024. If you’re interested in joining the early access program, please fill out a short survey here (opens in a new tab).

Beyond that, more templates, features, and configuration options! Both Prefabrik and PrefabKit are in early development, so please send me your ideas and feature requests.

Closing

That's it for this demo! I hope this gives you a good overview of how Prefabrik works. Please reach out to me with your thoughts, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would share this demo with anyone that may be interested in trying out Prefabrik. Thank you!