Multica / Reference

Mobile App (iOS)

Self-build the open source version of the Multica iOS app on your iPhone - it is not yet available on the App Store.

Overview

The Multica iOS client is open source and is placed in the main repository together with the web, desktop, and backend. It is not currently on the App Store - until then, people who want to use it can build a copy from the source code themselves. The first build takes about 10-20 minutes, and each subsequent build takes about 2 minutes. It is connected to the same backend of multica.ai, so you can log in directly with your existing account.

This page is for individual users. If you want to develop this app, please take a look at apps/mobile/README.md in the repository - it covers the dev/staging variants and the complete script table.

you need

If any of the above items are missing, first go to Expo's Set up your environment (select Development build → iOS Device) - it is the official guide for all environment preparation except repository pulling.

A Mac with Xcode installed (Xcode is available as a free download from the App Store).
A free Apple ID, add it in Xcode → Settings → Accounts. A paid Apple Developer Program account is optional - only extends the 7-day signing period to 1 year, see [7-Day Signing Limit] (#7-Day Signing Limit) below.
An iPhone connected via USB cable, and turn on Developer Mode (Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode).

Multica source code has been cloned:

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

Build

One command:

pnpm ios:mobile:device:prod:release

Xcode will sign with the "Personal Team" automatically held by your Apple ID - this team is created silently the first time you log in to Xcode with any Apple ID, so even if you don't remember "when", it's already there. This is a Release build: does not rely on Metro, launch screen → app, the same experience as installing from the App Store.

The first build downloads CocoaPods + compiles React Native from source - about 10–20 minutes. The build will be much faster after that, Xcode caches the native compilation products.

This is the typical path. If the signature fails, please see Troubleshooting below.

7 day signing limit

Builds signed with a free Apple ID are only valid for 7 days. After expiration, the app refuses to start on the iPhone, prompting "untrusted developer". Plug it back into your Mac and rerun the same command to sign again - the data will not be lost because the data is in the backend, not in the app.

The only way to extend is with an Apple Developer Program account ($99/year, register at developer.apple.com). It is signed once and is valid for 1 year (until renewal), and can be distributed to other devices through TestFlight.

update

There is currently no automatic update. As the Multica codebase progresses, you pull and rebuild:

git pull
pnpm install
pnpm ios:mobile:device:prod:release

Subsequent builds are fast because Xcode caches native compilation products.

Why isn’t it on the App Store yet?

iOS apps are still iterating rapidly - the team currently prefers "release first and change later" rather than the App Store review cycle. The next step is probably TestFlight internal testing, and then it will be officially launched. Until then, the self-service build above is the only way to use Multica on iOS.

If you want to know as soon as possible that TestFlight is open, watch GitHub repository.

Troubleshooting

"No matching provisioning profiles found" - Xcode refuses to sign the default ai.multica.mobile with your Apple ID. It is relatively rare and will appear if someone registers this prefix in the Apple Developer Portal. Change a reverse domain name that you control (com.yourname.multica is enough), export and rerun:

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

The ID itself is meaningless. Apple only requires that it is not registered by other teams.

"Unable to launch <app>" / "Untrusted developer" - Either the 7-day validity period has passed (rerun the build), or you need to manually trust the developer certificate on iPhone: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → Click your Apple ID → Trust.

Build is stuck in Pod install or compilation takes a long time - The first build takes 10-20 minutes. CocoaPods needs to download dependencies and Xcode needs to compile React Native from source code. The follow-up will be much faster.

App cannot connect to the backend - Confirm that apps/mobile/.env.production has not been touched (default value EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.multica.ai). If you changed it, use git checkout apps/mobile/.env.production to restore it.