From No-Code Developer to "Professional Error Solver": My Journey of Building an Android App -#1

As someone with zero coding knowledge, I never imagined I’d be troubleshooting build errors or tinkering with developer tools. But here I am, sharing the story of how a no-code experiment turned into a crash course in app development (and creative problem-solving).

?? The Spark: It All Seemed So Simple

It started innocently enough. I saw a video of someone building an Android app using a tool that was supposedly free (well, kind of). It looked so easy that I thought, “Hey, I’ve got an app idea. How hard can this be?”

Famous.

Last.

Words.

I jumped into the tool—its called IDX—used an AI Code generator (Cline) which is amazing - and started building. It was smooth sailing at first. I created screens, added features, authentication, firestore database, and even tested the app on my phone. Everything worked!

The key feature (audio reminders) wasn’t built yet, but I thought, “How hard could that be?”

?? The Drama: A Beta Tool with Beta Problems

And then came the real challenges.

The core feature of my app was supposed to send specific audio reminders. Simple, right? Nope.

For three days, I tested, tweaked, and Googled.

Still no sound.

Then i used ChatGPT search and tried to go through different forums to try and figure out why there is no sound in the IDX environment and That’s when I discovered two painful truths:

1?? IDX didn’t support audio functionality. (It was still in beta!)

2?? I couldn’t download the full app files to my local machine.

I was stuck. My options?

• Start over with a completely new tool.
• Salvage what I had built and continue elsewhere.

I chose Option 2.

???? The Solution: Starting Over, Smarter

I turned to my trusty AI coding assistant (aka ChatGPT) and asked for help.

The plan was as follows:

• Move the project to Visual Studio Code.
• Learn Flutter for app development. (well not "learn" learn, just know what it is and how to download it because the AI coding tool that i use can work with all extensions within Visual Studio [i think !!!])
• Set up a virtual Android emulator for testing.

Here’s what I did next:

? Uploaded the project’s incomplete code to GitHub and downloaded it locally.

? Installed Flutter, Android SDK, and all the necessary dependencies in VS Code.

? Followed step-by-step instructions to create a virtual Android emulator (thank you, Android Studio).

It felt like I was starting from scratch, but I had more confidence—and a lot more determination.

?? The Struggle: Building and Breaking

Now came the fun part: trying to run my app in the new setup.

Spoiler: It didn’t work.

Every time I hit run, something broke:

• Dependencies didn’t match.
• Build errors popped up.
• The emulator didn’t cooperate.

Each error tested my patience, but every fix taught me something new. Slowly, I started piecing it all together. While the app still hasn’t run on the virtual emulator, I know I’m getting closer.

? Lessons Learned

• No-code tools can be amazing, but they have limitations.
• When one tool fails, there’s always another way—if you’re willing to learn.
• Breaking things isn’t failure; it’s part of the process.

?? The Journey Continues

Am I frustrated? Yes.

Am I giving up? Absolutely not.

I’ve discovered how to mess up code in 17 different ways—and fix it 16 of those times.

Each error is another step forward.

If you’re a no-code developer or someone curious about app development, remember this: It’s okay to struggle. Every mistake is a chance to learn.

Stay tuned. My app-building adventure isn’t over yet. ??

#NoCode #AppDevelopment #LearningJourney #FlutterBeginner #AIForCoding