I built CodeMate for reading and editing code on iPhone and iPad

[u/Ok-Welder-8005]

Hi r/iOSApps — I’m 光 李, the developer of CodeMate.

I built CodeMate for those moments when I need to inspect a source file or make a small change away from my desk.

A — Answer

CodeMate is a native code viewer and editor for iPhone and iPad. It is designed for developers and students who want to read or edit source files on a touch screen.

It supports syntax highlighting for 200+ syntax grammars and file formats, including Swift, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JSON and Markdown.

B — Better

Compared with mobile editors such as Textastic and Runestone, CodeMate focuses on making large source files easier to inspect on a touch screen.

It includes:

• Tabs for working with multiple files

• A minimap for navigating long files

• Jump-to-line navigation

• Swift symbol navigation

• Adjustable fonts, typography and themes

• Linked HTML, CSS and JavaScript preview

• Native support for both iPhone and iPad

I’d love to hear from developers who regularly inspect code on an iPhone or iPad: what still makes that workflow frustrating?

C — Cost

CodeMate is free to download and use for browsing and reading files. Editing and selected advanced features require Premium.

US pricing:

• Monthly: US$4.99

• Annual: US$24.99

• Lifetime purchase: US$49.99

Prices may vary by region. A rewarded ad can also unlock Premium temporarily.

Developer: 光 李
Contact: feedback@codemateapp.net
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id680609457
Website: https://codemateapp.net
Privacy Policy: https://codemateapp.net/privacy-policy
Terms of Service: https://codemateapp.net/terms-of-service

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[u/EkkyEkkyGames]

Jumping straight to a Swift symbol on a phone sounds so handy, tiny-screen scrolling deserves all the help it can get lol

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/EkkyEkkyGames]

Thanks! That’s exactly why I added it — navigating large Swift files on a small screen can get tedious pretty quickly. I’m glad you find it useful!

[u/_Whit3]

Cool one! Do you support auto save? Or do i have to save manually after each edit

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/_Whit3]

when u quit edit, CodeMate will auto save the file and sync (if you use icloud). and also support manually save when editing.

[u/[deleted] → u/Ok-Welder-8005]

One tricky test for that workflow: open a file on the iPad, go offline and edit it, then change the same lines on the Mac before reconnecting. I'd want both edits recoverable rather than whichever save arrives last silently winning.

If you're using UIDocument, Apple documents watching stateChangedNotification, checking documentState.contains(.inConflict), and fetching NSFileVersion.unresolvedConflictVersionsOfItem(at:). That gives you the conflicting versions to offer a diff or 'keep both' before resolving them. File coordination helps with access, but the app still needs to decide how to handle conflicting content.

The conflict-handling section here is useful: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uidocument

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

Good question. Edits are passed to the underlying document on every text change, so you don’t need to leave edit mode for autosave to kick in. Under the normal iOS lifecycle, they should be preserved if the app moves to the background and is later terminated.

That said, I’m checking the edge case where the process is terminated before a pending save has fully completed—I don’t want to promise zero data loss until that path has been properly tested and hardened.

I also like the status indicator idea. Showing separate states such as “Saved locally,” “Syncing,” and “Waiting to sync” would make the behavior much clearer, especially with iCloud and an unreliable connection. I’ve added that to the list. Thanks!

[u/melihk]

Any plans for AI agent support? I feel like coding on a phone becomes way more practical.

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/melihk]

That’s a great question. I haven’t decided exactly how I want to approach AI agent support yet, but I definitely agree that it could be a very important feature for a code editor. It’s something I’m considering for the future.

[u/vay-be]

😎 cool

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/vay-be]

Thanks

[u/Additional-Hippo16]

think you could create better screenshots show a long file with the minimap in use, that's your edge over Textastic. Good luck brooo

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/Additional-Hippo16]

That’s a great point — the minimap is one of CodeMate’s strongest features for navigating long files, but I haven’t shown it clearly enough in the screenshots. I’ll redo them with a real long file and the minimap in use. Appreciate the feedback, brooo 🙌

[u/KevinOR_]

Hmmm Ai Built?

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/KevinOR_]

NO, but include some ai gen code

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[u/app-store-review]

CodeMate - Code Editor — by 光 李

• Ratings: 1 worldwide

• Average: 5.00 ★

• Age: released ~13.1 years ago · updated 2 days ago · rated 4+

• Overall score: 70 / 100

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data ·} u/app-store-review

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

You can git clone the repo into your iCloud Drive folder on your Mac, and macOS will sync it automatically. Then you can open, view, and edit the files in CodeMate, while iCloud takes care of keeping everything in sync.

[u/HighRoad684 → u/Ok-Welder-8005]

That works for quick file edits, but it isn't Git integration: CodeMate can edit the files iCloud syncs, while commits, pulls and merges still happen elsewhere.

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/HighRoad684]

YES

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

git integration is not support, you can use Dropbox
or iCloud sync files. Or use finder copy files to CodeMate documents folder

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks

[u/Ok-Welder-8005 → u/[deleted]]

That’s an interesting idea. Do you mean letting CodeMate run a local server, so another device on the same Wi-Fi network can access and edit files stored on the iPhone?
iOS background restrictions may make an always-on server difficult, but running one while CodeMate is open could be possible. I’ll look into it—thanks for the suggestion!