On Dec 19, 2017, App Inventor has made an announcement to provide support for the publishing to iOS. There won’t be a separate platform for it rather, apps designed and programmed in MIT App Inventor 2 can be published to both Android and iOS.
Users will need to participate in the Apple Developer Program to publish apps on the App Store, similar to joining the Google Play Store Developer Program. This will allow anyone building apps with App Inventor to run their app on both Android and iOS. App Inventor for iOS will also be available for free just as the current android platform.
Where to check the progress of MIT App Inventor for IOS
http://doesappinventorrunonios.com/ – At the following link, you will get the information about the progress of the iOS publishing feature.
Apple privacy restrictions are preventing implementation of some App Inventor features for iOS. These items are indicated by a red strikethrough, i.e., like this.
ON February 15, 2019, The MIT App Inventor has reached a major milestone. Apple accepted MIT App Inventor for iOS into the TestFlight beta testing program this week. Hence, beta testing with small groups of users s going on. If you are interested in beta testing MIT App Inventor for ios in future testing rounds then, fill this form
The recent development is version 0.9.5. You can get the complete details about those developments here.
Is it Free?
Yes, it is free! It has been possible because of crowdfunding. But, Unfortunately, the crowdfunding project has ended. You can get more info about the crowdfunding here.
Why is it taking so much time to roll this feature?
What we have got to know from one of the App Inventor community member is that a very small team of highly motivated, talented individuals are working on this project. And it is funded only by grant money and donations, not by MIT itself.
Also, MIT has to fit in with Apple’s requirements and schedules. Each time Apple see something they don’t like, MIT has to deliver a different solution and then wait for Apple to decide if it complies with their expectations. It’s a “long-winded” process and only Apple gets to decide what happens next.
We need to also consider the fact that there exist extraordinary differences between Android and iOS. Moreover, the original App Inventor was developed by Google, not by the current team working on the project.
An alternative
Thunkable which started as a similar platform to App Inventor has come up with a new platform called Thunkable X. Thunkable X is completely unrelated to App Inventor but, the process of working is the same. It supports publishing to iOS and also to the Web. Its User interface is different and blocks are also different. But, if you are good at App Inventor then, understanding this platform will only take a short time.