Building an iPad PDF Reader with AI: What I Learned Beyond Generating Code

Описание и применение

Автор создал iPad‑приложение для чтения PDF, которое корректно обрабатывает чтение справа налево, обложки и двухстраничные развертки, улучшил качество рендеринга и внедрил повторяемый процесс разработки с помощью AI.

Задача

The author needed a PDF reader that correctly handled right‑to‑left reading, cover pages, and two‑page spreads on an iPad, but existing free viewers did not meet these requirements.

Результат

The author successfully built a custom iPad PDF reader that met specific layout and reading‑direction requirements, improved rendering quality, and established a repeatable development and testing workflow using AI tools.

Рабочий процесс

• Describe desired behavior to AI
• Generate or modify code with Gemma/ChatGPT
• Build the app in Xcode
• Run on Simulator and iPad
• Observe output and note issues
• Refine AI prompts with specific conditions and expected results
• Repeat build‑test‑observe cycle
• Add automated tests with shareable PDFs
• Prepare submission build with privacy policy and manifest
• Submit to App Store and monitor review status

Доказательства

I read books I have scanned myself. I wanted a more comfortable way to read those PDFs on my iPad.

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My main frustration was how PDF readers handled right-to-left reading and cover pages.

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I began development in July 2026. My initial workflow involved two computers: On Windows, I used Cline with a local Gemma model running through LM Studio to generate and modify code. On a Mac, I built the app in Xcode and checked it in the Simulator and on a physical iPad.

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In an early version, the pages overlapped. I reported the problem and received a response saying it had been fixed. When I ran the app again, the pages were still misaligned, but in a different way.

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The app does that, but while reading, I found the changing text size distracting. I reconsidered the interface layout.

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I prepared shareable PDFs with known properties: Reading-direction and page-layout settings. Search terms with known occurrence counts. Large file sizes and high page counts.

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Review status checked on November 3, 2026 (Japan Standard Time): App Store Connect still showed version 1.0.4 (build 10) as “In Review.”

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