Learn the idea
Short cards explain one idea at a time, with examples and, in the code lessons, real code.
A free course for iPhone and iPad
Learn how apps are built.
16 short lessons on how mobile apps work, a knowledge check in every lesson, and a practice app with six exercises. Then read and change the code of your own projects.
- 16lessons
- 4units
- 6hands-on exercises
- Freeno purchases
How a lesson works
One idea at a time, then you try it.
Check your understanding
Every lesson ends with questions, and each answer comes with an explanation.
Try it yourself
Practice in the built-in practice app, or in a project you made in the Fastshot editor.
The course
Four units, from screens to release.
Unit 1
How apps work
Screens, state, navigation and data: the parts every app is made of.
- Screens and componentsWhat an app is made of
- State: how apps rememberData that changes while you use it
- Moving between screensTabs, stacks and Back
- Where data livesOn the phone or in the cloud
Unit 2
Plan what to build
Goals, boundaries and checks that turn an idea into a clear plan.
- Set a clear goalA person, an action, an outcome
- Set useful boundariesWhat must stay true
- Describe a passing resultTurn an idea into a check
- Make a useful follow-upWhat happened → what should
Unit 3
Read the code
Find your way around a project’s source, then change it yourself.
- Read a screen’s codeComponents, tags and nesting
- Props pass informationThe inputs of a component
- Styles and layoutColor, spacing and flexbox
- Your first code experimentPredict, change, run, compare
Unit 4
Test and debug
Review a plan, read errors, test on a real phone and get ready to release.
- Review a planPlans and assumptions
- Read an error messageWhat broke, and where
- Test on a real phoneCamera, location and permissions
- From prototype to releaseWhat a release needs
Practice app
Learn by changing real code.
Six lessons come with an exercise in the practice app, a small reading-list app whose source you can open in Code. Predict what a change will do, run it and compare. Reset edits brings back the original.
Your projects
Then read the code of what you made.
Every lesson ends with a step to try in your own project. Sign in to open the projects you make in the Fastshot editor, read and edit their code, and run your changes.
State: how apps remember · Practice in your project
Run your project, open Code, find a useState and change its starting value. Run your change and compare the result with what you expected.
- Sign in to Fastshot
- Open a project from Projects
- Change a value in Code and run it
Questions
Good to know.
Is Fastshot Learn free?
Yes. Fastshot Learn is free, with no in-app purchases.
Do I need an account?
No. The lessons and the practice app work without one. Sign in only to open your Fastshot projects.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The course starts with what an app is made of, and code comes in one small piece at a time.
Where is my progress saved?
On your device. See the privacy policy.
What do I need?
An iPhone or iPad with iOS 16.4 or later.