Guide
How to make an Android app without coding
7 steps · an afternoon, free
An app puts your business on your customers’ home screens — your menu, prices, opening hours and a one-tap call or WhatsApp button. You don’t need to code: you build the screens from ready-made blocks, and the builder makes a real native Android app for you. This guide walks you through it with the free Owlvix mobile app builder.
Before you start
- What your app is for: showing your menu, booking, contact, news — one main job.
- Your logo as a square image for the app icon.
- Your content: prices, photos, opening hours, phone and WhatsApp number.
- An Android phone to test on. For Google Play, a developer account (a one-time $25 fee to Google).
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1Decide what your app does
Pick the few things customers will open it for — your menu and prices, opening hours, ordering by WhatsApp, booking. An app that does three things well gets used; one that copies your whole website doesn’t.
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2Plan your tabs
Apps have tabs along the bottom. Plan up to five, such as Home, Menu, Gallery and Contact. A tab can also show a page of your own website, such as a shop or booking page.
Tip: put the thing people open the app for most in the first tab.
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3Build your screens from blocks
In the free app builder, add native blocks to each screen: banners, text, pictures, buttons, menu and price lists, galleries, contact buttons, opening hours and YouTube videos.
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4Add your name, icon, splash screen and colours
Upload a square logo for the icon, set your app’s name (keep it short so it fits under the icon), pick your colours and the splash screen shown while it opens.
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5Build and test on your phone
Press Build. In a few minutes you get an APK file to install on your own Android phone. Tap through every screen, button and link.
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6Publish on Google Play
Create a Google Play developer account (a one-time $25 fee), create an app, fill in the store listing with screenshots and a description, then upload the AAB file the builder makes for you. Google reviews new apps before they appear.
Tip: screenshots sell your app on Google Play — take them from your test phone with your best screens showing.
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7Keep it up to date
When you change screens, tabs or colours and save, phones that already have your app show the changes within a minute — no new build needed. Build again only to change the name, icon or splash screen.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Copying your whole website. Pick the few things people need on their phone.
- Too many tabs. Five at most. Fewer is easier.
- Skipping the phone test. Always try the APK yourself before uploading to Google Play.
- A long app name. Long names get cut off under the icon. Keep it to one or two words.
Need an iPhone app too, or logins, payments and push notifications? Talk to us about a custom app.
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Good to know
Making an app, explained
Can I really make an app for free?
Yes. Design your app and build it for Android free — up to 3 apps and 5 builds a day. The only cost is Google’s one-time $25 fee if you publish on Google Play.
Is it a real app or just a website?
A real native app: every screen is built from native Android parts. You can add a tab that shows a page of your website if you want to.
What’s the difference between APK and AAB?
The APK is for installing on your own phone to test. The AAB is the file Google Play asks for when you publish.
Can I put my app on the iPhone App Store?
Apple only accepts apps sent from the owner’s own Apple developer account ($99 a year), built on a Mac. We can do this for you as a paid service.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. The app keeps a copy of your screens, so it opens and works without internet. Tabs that show a web page need a connection.
How long does Google Play take to approve an app?
Often a few days for a new app, sometimes longer. Updates are usually quicker. New personal developer accounts may need to test with a small group first, as Google’s rules require.
More free tools: see all free tools.