Who this is for
You have an idea and a Mac, and you've never shipped an iPhone app.
Built from a real twenty-one-day build of a real app, stretched to a month and paced so a person with a job can do it. The AI writes the first draft of everything; you learn the part it can't do, which is deciding, cutting, and shipping.
It works whether you've never written a line of code or you've shipped ten apps and want to see how fast this is now. That's the first question it asks you.
How it works
Install Homework and pick this challenge
It's in the list under “Take on a 30-day challenge”.
Answer eleven questions
What you're building, where you're starting, your kit, how much time you've actually got, and when in the day.
See your 30 days, then lock it in
Every day with its step. Swap anything you don't like before you commit. Seven days free.
Day one. Right now.
One step, one short clip as proof, hand it in. One take, no do-overs.
The thirty days
Five stretches, in the order they go. Your month is dealt from thirty-five steps to fit your time, your level and your kit.
Week 1
Get the idea out of your head
Paper before prompts.
e.g.Write the half-baked idea on one page
Week 2
Design it, then make it compile
Pick the screen that is the app, and get something running.
e.g.Make it build, then click through every screen
Week 3
Make it real
Wire one thing end to end, then give it a backend.
e.g.Run the app on your actual phone
Week 4
Ship it
Off your laptop and into someone else's hands.
e.g.Push your first beta build
The last days
Press submit
Polish, price, and be judged for it.
e.g.Fill in the listing and press submit
One example from each stretch. The rest are dealt to you after the quiz, sized to the time you actually have.
Seven days free. Homework is an iPhone app.
Do it with people
One code gets everybody in
Your challenge is your own month. A group is the other half of Homework: you set each other short jobs, everybody films theirs, and nobody gets to quietly skip one.
Wherever you're starting from
- I've never really written code — I'll lean on AI the whole way
- I can code a bit, but I've never shipped anything to users
- I've shipped web or backend software, never an iOS app
- I've shipped an iOS app; I want to see how fast AI makes it
What you need
- Mac, iPhone, a paid Apple Developer account, and an LLM Subscription (Claude, OpenAI, etc.)
The Developer account matters in the last week — TestFlight and Submit need it. Until then, a Mac.
Questions
I've never written code. Is this for me?
Yes. It's the first level you can pick — “I've never really written code — I'll lean on AI the whole way” — and day one starts there.
Which AI tool do I need?
Any of them. The steps say “your AI tool” on purpose: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, whatever you already pay for.
How much time, honestly?
You say how long you've actually got each day, and the plan is built to fit it. The early steps are short — a page of writing, a sketch, a sentence. Building, deploying and submitting are the long ones, so give yourself more room in the last two weeks.
What's the clip for?
Proof. Film your screen, your hands, or yourself — your call. One take, no do-overs; there is no delete. By day 30 you have a build diary and, more or less by accident, a launch video.
What if I miss a day?
Pick five, six or seven days a week up front. Most steps have an easier version for a bad day, missed days can be made up, and there's a two-tap check-in on day 3 and at the end of each week.
Will my app be on the App Store on day 30?
The last step is pressing Submit, so on day 30 your app is in Apple's review queue. Review is their clock, not ours — usually a day or two.
What does it cost?
Seven days free, then a monthly subscription. The price is shown in the app, in your currency, before you commit. You get a notification the day before the trial ends, and you can cancel any time in Settings.
Do I pay before I see my plan?
No. Answer the questions, see all thirty days, change what you like, then lock it in.
Android?
Homework is an iPhone app, and this challenge builds one.
Written by
Kirk Kaiser
This challenge is a real build, restructured: an app taken from a half-baked idea to the App Store in twenty-one days with an AI tool doing the typing, then spread across a month a person with a job can actually do.
Day one is one page of writing. Start it this week.
Seven days free. Install Homework, pick this challenge, answer eleven questions, and your month is on your phone in a few minutes.
Homework is an iPhone app. Install it, tap Take on a 30-day challenge, and this one is in the list.