Guide

How to make your own iPhone app just for you (no App Store, no developer account)

Build an app only you use in Borel, put it on your home screen with a free Apple ID, and change it whenever you like. Step by step.

Updated 18 October 2026

In short

An app just for you lives on your own iPhone, with no App Store and no paid developer account.
Build it in Borel, and Borel Companion on your Mac or Windows PC puts it on your home screen with your free Apple ID.
Change it whenever you like: describe the change, and the new version lands on your iPhone.

An app that's just yours

A lot of apps are a list, a tracker or a timer with one twist you’d want done your way: the chores your household actually has, a training log with your own exercises, a shopping list sorted the way your shop is laid out. Apps like that are small enough to describe in a few sentences.

So instead of paying for an app that almost fits, make one that does exactly what you need, and change it whenever your needs change. Building and each change run on Borel credits (Pricing); the Apple side, for an app only you use, is free.

From idea to your home screen

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Step 1: Describe it in Borel
Say what the app does and who it’s for: you. Borel writes it in Swift, builds it on its own Mac, and you try it in the preview.
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Step 2: Get Borel Companion
Download it for your Mac, or your Windows 10 or 11 PC, from borel.one/companion, and sign in with your Apple ID. A free one is all you need, and your password stays on your computer.
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Step 3: Plug in your iPhone once
Unlock it and tap Trust. In Borel, press Run on your device, then Download this app to your iPhone.
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Step 4: Turn on Developer Mode
The first time, in Settings, Privacy & Security, turn on Developer Mode, restart, and confirm with your passcode. If iOS asks, trust your Apple ID in Settings, General, VPN & Device Management.
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Step 5: It's on your home screen
Open it like any other app. Room for up to 3 of your own apps on one iPhone.

Changing it any time

Ask for the change in Borel’s chat, in plain words. When the new version is ready, Update on your iPhone in Borel installs it.
After the first install, Companion installs over your Wi-Fi while it's open, with your computer and iPhone on the same network, so the cable can stay in the drawer.
Each install runs for 7 days. Companion signs your app again by itself when fewer than 2 days are left, while it’s open, and Reinstall does it with one click.

When you want more

Push notifications, iCloud, Sign in with Apple and In-App Purchase come with Apple’s Developer Program, and so does sharing the app through TestFlight or the App Store. See Free Apple ID vs the Developer Program and publishing from Windows.

More ideas

See what people make for themselves on personal apps.

And how the whole thing works in how Borel works.

Make your iPhone app in Borel

Describe it in your own words. Borel writes it in Swift, builds it on its own Mac and puts it on your iPhone.

Start building How it works

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