# I Built 3 iOS Apps in (Basically) One Long Night From Slack

*By Kodie Critzer · February 7, 2026 · https://brcg.co/blog/three-ios-apps-from-slack*

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## I Built 3 iOS Apps in (Basically) One Long Night From Slack

Six months ago, building these would have been **$50–100k+ in engineering hours** and a **multi-month timeline**.

This week, after the kids went down, I shipped **three feature-rich iOS apps in (basically) one long night**.

Not perfect. Not pixel-finished. But real.

They are fully wired:

- **Supabase auth + backend**
- real data, real flows
- real builds
- a real pipeline: Slack → local AI coding → Xcode/Expo → App Store Connect → TestFlight → shipping

I also operationalized the workflow so I can **text a keyword** and kick off a dev process on my machine from wherever I am. The shift is simple: requirements do not sit in a doc, they become a build.

## The workflow (what I actually operationalized)

This is the boring part that makes everything else possible:

1. **Capture**: a message in Slack (or an SMS keyword) becomes a concrete change request.
1. **Build loop**: AI codes locally (Codex) with me steering, reviewing, and tightening.
1. **Ship loop**:

- **Expo/EAS** for React Native apps

- **Xcode** for native iOS apps

1. **Distribution**: App Store Connect → TestFlight → beta → review → production.

It is not magic. It is a system.

And the system compounds.

## The three apps

### 1) Pancrass (1v1 personal)

I built **Pancrass** for my cousin **Will Eppard** after his recent discovery of Type 1 diabetes.

It is a **1v1 personal application** and fully functional on iOS. It is also intentionally not “clinical.”

The tone is **vulgar “Borat meets Trailer Park Boys”** because why not.

It turns out humor is a usability feature. When you are dealing with a life change, sterile UI can feel like homework. A sidekick that talks like a human gets used.

### 2) PantryIQ (household management)

We waste so much shit.

**PantryIQ** is a household command center for:

- what we already have
- what we should eat
- what we actually need to buy

The goal is simple: fewer duplicate purchases, less food thrown away, less chaos at dinner time.

### 3) Vestry (closet management)

**Vestry** is closet management for the same reason: we forget what we own.

It is about remembering and actually using everything in the closet.

Also: **Lauren Critzer** is a closet entrepreneur now. So naturally she has her own app business. She can do whatever she wants with it.

## What this means (why I can’t unsee it now)

Here is the real takeaway:

**This is how you become AI-native.**

Not by talking about AI.

By building an operating system where ideas → execution happens fast, locally, with real guardrails, and ships into production.

That is how we are evolving **BRCG** too: strategy + lifecycle + ops, plus the ability to ship the product layer when it matters.

If one person can ship three feature-rich iOS apps in one long night, imagine what a team can build when the workflow is institutionalized.

## Want to try them?

I will share TestFlight links as they are ready. If you want access, DM me.

*Shoutout to Lauren Critzer for the patience with my excitement, and to Will Eppard for being the reason Pancrass exists.*

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Source: Blue Ridge Consulting Group (BRCG) — https://brcg.co