learn.aathan.in

Turn a Google Sheet Into a Phone App

Put your data in a spreadsheet, connect it to Glide, and get a real installable phone app — habit tracker, collection catalog, expense log — with zero code.

What you’ll build: a real, installable phone app backed by a Google Sheet — a habit tracker, a book/plant/sneaker collection, a shared expense log, a recipe box. You edit the spreadsheet, the app updates. Time: ~30 minutes. Cost: free to build and use (paid plans unlock more data/features).

If you can make a spreadsheet, you can make this app. That’s the whole pitch.

The tool: Glide

Glide reads a Google Sheet (or its own built-in tables) and instantly turns each row into a card in a polished, mobile-friendly app. You then customize the layout by clicking, not coding, and share it as a link people can install to their home screen.

Build it

1. Make your data as a Google Sheet. One row per thing, one column per attribute. For a habit tracker, for example:

| Habit        | Icon | Done today | Streak |
|--------------|------|------------|--------|
| Drink water  | 💧   | FALSE      | 4      |
| Read 10 pages| 📖   | FALSE      | 12     |
| Walk         | 🚶   | TRUE       | 7      |

Clear column headers matter — Glide uses them to build the app.

2. Create the app in Glide. Go to glideapps.com, sign in, choose New app, and connect your Google Sheet. Glide reads it and generates a working app in seconds.

3. Customize by clicking. In Glide’s editor you can:

  • Pick a layout for the list (cards, checklist, tiles).
  • Choose which columns show where, add an image column, add a checkbox or button.
  • Add a form so you (or others) can add new rows from inside the app.
  • Restyle colors and the app icon to taste.

4. Share / install it. Publish the app to get a link. Open it on your phone and use the browser’s Add to Home Screen — it now behaves like a real app, icon and all.

Make it yours

  • Collection catalog — books, plants, vinyl, board games — with photos.
  • Shared expenses for a trip or flatmates; everyone adds rows.
  • A simple CRM for a side hustle — contacts, status, notes.
  • Event/RSVP list you send to friends.
  • Recipe box with ingredients and a photo per dish.

Reality check

  • On the free/entry plans, a Google-Sheets-backed Glide app supports up to ~25,000 rows — vastly more than a personal tracker needs. Very large data or advanced features move you to paid plans.
  • Glide’s 2026 pricing meters “updates” (data changes/syncs); casual personal use stays comfortably within free limits, but it’s worth a glance before you build something high-traffic.
  • Because the Sheet is the database, you can always just edit the spreadsheet — a comforting escape hatch, and a nice way to bulk-edit.

Ready for an app with real logins and a proper database (not a spreadsheet)? The web-app-from-a-prompt project is your next step.