First App.
Your learning space A little progress, every day
CHAPTER 02Lesson 6 of 36

Keep your first version small

A finished small app teaches you more than an unfinished giant one.

In this guide4 min read & do
By the end of this lesson

Choose up to three starting features and a clear stopping point.

Let’s do this

  1. 1
    In this guide

    Choose one job that really works

    Use the main job from your worksheet. Pick the smallest action that makes it useful, such as adding and remembering a single kind of item.

  2. 2
    In this guide

    Fill the three feature boxes

    Open Your app idea. Add up to three short features. For example: add a plant, see plants, mark a plant as watered. These are examples; keep the features relevant to your own app.

  3. 3
    In this guide

    Write a “later” list

    Sharing, accounts, payments, AI, notifications and fancy animations may be useful later. Keep them out of the first build unless the main job truly cannot work without them. If essential, ask Codex to explain the extra setup before starting.

  4. 4
    In this guide

    Define what done means

    Write a short check: “I can add an item, find it again after closing the app, and change it.” Change the check to match your app. You will use it when testing.

The First App worksheet filled with a sample gardening app idea and three small features.View larger
This guide’s worksheet with a made-up gardening example. Use your own app idea; you can change it later. Captured 7 September 2026.Screenshot source (opens a new tab)

A message for Codex

The first features of my first iPhone app are: [choose up to three small features]. Its job is [describe the problem my app should solve] for the people I want to help. Reduce this to the smallest useful first version. Separate essential features from later ideas. Give me three simple checks that will show it works. Explain any feature that needs an account, online storage or extra cost. Do not build yet.

Make this message fit your idea.

What you should see

Your worksheet has a small first version, and you can tell what you will test when it is finished.

If you get stuck

Go at your own pace. There is no test to pass.

Checked 7 September 2026. Screens can change; the official guides below have the latest steps.

Official Codex setupApple’s App Review Guidelines