How to make an AI companion app for iOS

What an AI companion app needs

• A character with a name, personality, and a stable system prompt
• Persistent memory so the companion recalls past conversations
• A warm chat interface with streamed, in-character replies
• Optional voice or avatar elements for presence
• Content moderation on both user input and model output
• An age rating and content that honestly match the experience
• A backend that holds the API key and the memory store

Continuity is the whole point. If the companion forgets the user between sessions, it stops feeling like a companion and becomes a generic chatbot.

How to make it with AppFlight

Describe it in plain English, for example: "An AI companion app with a named character that has a consistent personality, remembers what we talked about before, replies in character with streamed text, and has a calm, friendly visual style." AppFlight plans the screens, generates native SwiftUI, and launches it in a live simulator so you can chat and see the personality come through. AppFlight connects OpenAI and keeps the key as a backend secret in your own Supabase, where the conversation memory can also live, so the app calls your backend rather than embedding the key. You iterate in plain language, for example adding multiple personas, a memory summary, or a daily check-in.

Monetization for an AI companion app

Companion apps monetize through engagement. The common model is a limited free tier with a subscription for unlimited messages, premium personas, and extras like voice. Add a RevenueCat paywall to manage subscriptions, and use Superwall to test paywall timing and offers without shipping an update. Each message carries a real model cost, so set your price to cover heavy daily use rather than the average user.

Shipping it to the App Store

When the app is ready, AppFlight signs the build, uploads to TestFlight, then submits to the App Store with metadata and screenshots from the simulator. If Apple rejects the build, AppFlight reads the reason, works on the fix, and resubmits. This category draws careful review: moderate generated content, set an honest age rating, disclose third-party AI use, and get consent where required. Apple reviews every app, so a submission is not the same as an approval, but the whole pipeline runs without you opening Xcode.