From my perspective, a good idea only truly “becomes” something when it is packaged as a complete product — something that can stand on its own, be used, and delivered to others.
That’s why I built StarK — a mobile app to help groups of people split expenses and manage shared spending together. Today, StarK is officially live on the App Store, with Google Play currently in Closed Beta.
Before, building a mobile app felt like something reserved for specialists — people who had spent years studying it. But in recent times, the entry barrier has dropped dramatically.
I work primarily with web, not mobile. Yet with AI as a copilot, I was able to navigate React Native, Expo, Xcode, and the App Store submission process — domains I had never touched before — and actually ship a real product.
AI didn’t just answer questions — it helped me reason through problems, draft code, troubleshoot errors, and keep momentum going when I would have otherwise gotten stuck.
It started with a familiar frustration: splitting bills in a group is messy. Messages pile up, debts get forgotten, and someone always ends up doing the mental math. I wanted something cleaner.
I’ve lived with housemates, gone on group trips, shared utilities. Every time, the “who paid what” problem surfaces. That recurring pain point was the seed for StarK.
StarK was designed around groups — not individuals. You create a group, add members, log expenses, and the app calculates who owes whom. Clean, simple, and visual.
I also wanted features that made it feel personal: a memories section for trip photos, QR code payments, and a group chat thread inside each group.
The early versions were rough. I released on Google Play and Apple TestFlight early — real users, real feedback. I fixed, iterated, and repeated.
My rule: if I build something, it has to be done properly. Not a side project running on a local server — a real, packaged, downloadable product.
That meant handling everything from A to Z: app name, icon, branding, backend infrastructure, App Store review, privacy policy, metadata — and coding was just one piece of the puzzle.
Even for a first app, I wanted it to be truly publishable — not just something that runs locally. Publishing to both platforms involved a lot of trial, error, and learning.
After about a week from final submission, the App Store officially approved StarK. That moment made the whole journey feel real.
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StarK officially approved on the App Store
This wasn’t a long journey, but it certainly wasn’t short on luck, timing, and support. I couldn’t have shipped this without all of those elements falling into place.
This is definitely not the end for StarK — I’ll keep improving and adding features in upcoming updates. 🥐
Special thanks to ĐBo, TAn, Truong, and Hung for their invaluable advice and support!
