AppNative › Blog › Base44 to Mobile App
Updated October 2026 · Complete guide for Base44 builders
.ipa) and Android (.aab) container, keeps your Base44 entities, auth, and backend functions untouched, adds push notifications, Face ID, widgets, and StoreKit in-app purchases, and uploads directly to TestFlight and Google Play.Every Base44 app is a React + Vite web application connected to Base44's backend-as-a-service (entities, Row-Level Security, authentication, backend functions, and AI agents). The Apple App Store and Google Play Store do not accept web URLs or PWAs directly — they require a signed native binary (.ipa for iOS and .aab for Android). Here are the two paths builders use:
Deploy your Base44 app to its live URL or custom domain and sync its repository to GitHub, then plug it into a native wrapper service such as AppNative, Median.co, or Despia. These platforms package your Base44 web app inside a native iOS and Android container, bridge native device APIs (push notifications, biometric Face ID/Touch ID, camera, haptics, and in-app purchases) into your JavaScript, and package the signed binaries for the App Store and Google Play.
Why Base44 builders choose AppNative: AppNative is purpose-built for Base44 and Lovable apps. It automatically preserves Base44 login sessions across cold app restarts, lets you send native iOS and Android push notifications straight from a Base44 backend function, compiles real Apple extensions (WidgetKit home-screen widgets, ActivityKit Live Activities / Dynamic Island, rich push notifications, and StoreKit 2 native paywalls that sync entitlements back to your Base44 entities), and runs the entire Xcode signing and TestFlight upload pipeline in the cloud — with no Mac required and one-time pricing starting at $149.
Enable GitHub 2-way sync in your Base44 workspace, clone the React + Vite project locally into VS Code, and install Capacitor (@capacitor/core, @capacitor/ios, @capacitor/android). From there, you open the generated project in Xcode (requires a Mac) and Android Studio, configure Apple signing certificates and provisioning profiles manually, wire native plugins by hand, and upload builds through Xcode Organizer and Google Play Console.
Trade-offs: You need a Mac with Xcode for iOS, you manage certificates and native Swift/Kotlin plugin code yourself, and static Capacitor bundles don't automatically include Base44's server-side session persistence or compiled WidgetKit / StoreKit 2 extensions unless you write the native Swift and Kotlin targets yourself.
In your Base44 workspace, connect your GitHub account and enable repository sync. Base44 pushes your React + Vite frontend, entity schemas, and backend functions to your GitHub repo and keeps it updated as you build.
Sign up at appnative.io and click New App. Select your Base44 GitHub repository and branch, and enter your published Base44 URL (or connected custom domain). AppNative scans your Base44 routes, entities, and theme tokens to pre-configure your mobile wrapper.
Upload a 1024×1024 app icon and splash image. AppNative generates every required iOS and Android icon resolution, strips alpha channels for Apple compliance, and configures adaptive safe-area colors so your Base44 UI looks seamless around the iPhone Dynamic Island, notch, and home indicator in both light and dark mode.
Apple's App Store Review Guideline 4.2 rejects apps that are "just a repackaged website." In AppNative, toggle real native capabilities that integrate directly with your Base44 app:
User or subscription entity while keeping Stripe for web users.Enter your Apple Developer API key ($99/year account) and Google Play service account ($25 one-time account). AppNative automatically registers your Bundle ID, generates your iOS distribution certificate and provisioning profiles (including extension profiles for widgets and rich notifications), and creates your App Store Connect record.
Click Build. AppNative compiles your signed iOS .ipa on hosted macOS runners and your Android .aab bundle in the cloud, then uploads the iOS build directly to TestFlight and the Android bundle to your chosen Google Play track. Every future edit you publish in Base44 goes live in the mobile app immediately without waiting for a new App Store review.
| Feature | AppNative.io | Median.co | Despia | Capacitor (DIY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose-built for Base44 apps | Yes — repo-aware Base44 integration | General web wrapper | General web wrapper | Manual CLI setup |
| Base44 Entities, RLS & Functions work as-is | Yes, zero changes | Yes | Yes | Requires CORS/auth setup |
| Persistent Base44 login across restarts | Built-in native token & cookie sync | Standard WebView | Standard WebView | Manual plugin setup |
| Push notifications from Base44 functions | 1-call REST API by user email + AI setup | OneSignal / third-party | Third-party setup | Manual APNs/FCM code |
| WidgetKit home-screen widgets | Yes, AI-designed SwiftUI extension | No | No | Write Swift manually |
| iOS Live Activities & Dynamic Island | Yes, compiled ActivityKit extension | No | No | Write Swift manually |
| StoreKit 2 & Play Billing IAP | Auto-creates store products + syncs to Base44 | Paid enterprise plugin | Basic bridge | Manual native coding |
| Cloud iOS build (no Mac or Xcode needed) | Yes — automated TestFlight upload | Yes | Yes | No (requires Mac + Xcode) |
| One-time pricing option | Yes, from $149 (or monthly plans) | Subscription only | Subscription only | Free OSS (DIY labor) |
Base44 builds full-stack web applications (React, Tailwind CSS, Base44 entities, auth, and serverless functions). Because the Apple App Store and Google Play require signed native binaries (.ipa and .aab), you pair Base44 with a native wrapper like AppNative to package your Base44 app for the stores without rewriting it.
Yes, 100%. The native mobile app renders your live Base44 application and communicates with your existing Base44 backend. Every entity read/write, RLS rule, authentication method, workflow, and backend function works identically on iOS and Android.
Whenever you publish a UI, database, or backend function update in Base44, your iOS and Android users see the update immediately the next time they open the app — no App Store or Google Play resubmission required. You only trigger a new native build in AppNative if you change the app icon, splash screen, bundle ID, or compiled native extensions.
Yes. If you don't want to touch Apple certificates, StoreKit configuration, or App Review yourself, AppNative offers a done-for-you Base44 mobile app service where our team wraps your Base44 app, wires push notifications and in-app purchases, creates the store screenshots, and gets it approved on the App Store and Google Play under your own developer accounts.