Mobile app (iOS)

The Multica iOS client is not on the App Store yet. You can build a Release version from the open-source repository on a Mac and install it on your own iPhone. There is no Android client yet.

The installed app connects to Multica Cloud by default; sign in with your existing account. Workspaces, issues, comments, and run history all live on the server — nothing needs to be synced manually from web or Desktop.

Prerequisites

You need:

• a Mac with Xcode installed;
• an Apple ID signed in under Xcode → Settings → Accounts;
• an iPhone connected via USB;
• Developer Mode enabled on the iPhone under Settings → Privacy & Security;
• Node.js, pnpm, and Git.

If Xcode or the on-device development environment isn't set up yet, complete Expo's iOS device environment setup first.

Installing to your iPhone

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/multica-ai/multica.git
cd multica
pnpm install

Then run from the repo root:

pnpm ios:mobile:device:prod:release

This builds a Release version with no Metro dependency and installs it on the connected iPhone. The first build downloads iOS dependencies and compiles React Native; later builds reuse Xcode's cache.

If the iPhone blocks the app from opening, trust the developer certificate under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.

7-day limit of free signing

Apps signed with a free Apple ID only work for 7 days. When that expires, reconnect the iPhone to your Mac and re-run the same build command to re-sign.

Builds signed with an Apple Developer Program account stay valid longer and can also be used for TestFlight and regular distribution. With either kind of signing, server-side data is never lost by reinstalling or re-signing.

Signing failures

If Xcode reports No matching provisioning profiles found, the default bundle identifier may not belong to your Apple ID. Switch to a reverse-domain name you control and rebuild:

export EXPO_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER_PROD=com.yourname.multica
pnpm ios:mobile:device:prod:release

The value only needs to be available in your Apple Developer team; it does not affect your Multica account or workspaces.

Updating

The self-installed iOS build does not auto-update. Pull the latest code, update dependencies, and rebuild:

git pull --ff-only
pnpm install
pnpm ios:mobile:device:prod:release

Connecting to a self-hosted instance

Release builds bake the API address into the app. To connect to a self-hosted instance, edit apps/mobile/.env.production first:

EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.example.com
EXPO_PUBLIC_WEB_URL=https://app.example.com

EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL is required. EXPO_PUBLIC_WEB_URL is optional and powers entries like "Copy link" and "Open on web"; when it's unset, those menu items are hidden.

Re-run the build command after editing. The iPhone must be able to reach the API address; when using a LAN address, don't write localhost — on the iPhone it points at the phone itself.

For mobile development, using the Simulator, or connecting to staging, see apps/mobile/README.md in the repository.

Next steps

• Quickstart — complete your first run.
• Desktop app — desktop tabs and the built-in daemon.
• Troubleshooting — diagnosing connection and run issues.