We present Aptly, an extension of the MIT App Inventor platform enabling
mobile app development via natural language powered by code-generating large
language models (LLMs). Aptly complements App Inventor's block language with a
text language designed to allow visual code generation via text-based LLMs. We
detail the technical aspects of how the Aptly server integrates LLMs with a
realtime collaboration function to facilitate the automated creation and
editing of mobile apps given user instructions. The paper concludes with
insights from a study of a pilot implementation involving high school students,
which examines Aptly's practicality and user experience. The findings
underscore Aptly's potential as a tool that democratizes app development and
fosters technological creativity.

Aptly 是一种扩展了 MIT App Inventor 平台的工具，通过代码生成的大型语言模型实现自然语言驱动的移动应用开发；Aptly 通过文本语言与 App Inventor 的块语言相结合，允许通过文本模型实现可视化代码生成；论文详细介绍了 Aptly 服务器如何集成语言模型，以实时协作的方式自动创建和编辑用户指令下的移动应用；最后，通过对涉及高中学生的试点实验的研究结果，论文强调了 Aptly 作为一个工具的潜力，它民主化了应用程序开发并促进了技术创造力。