Mark Zuckerberg wants you to try your hand at vibe coding. Hence, just as OpenClaw released a mobile app for the developer community, Meta quietly released an equivalent that’s as promising, if not more – it’s called Pocket and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
But what does Pocket do?
At this stage, Pocket is essentially an experimental app that takes Meta’s AI ambitions into a completely new territory – casual, prompt-based game development. It’s far different from what Google and Anthropic are doing.
Is Pocket just another image generator app?
No, Pocket is more than that.
Instead of generating email bodies or generating AI images, Pocket allows users to build and share fully functional, interactive mini-games and mini-apps using nothing but plain-text descriptions. This is essentially a vibe coding app meant to make it easy for everyone, especially for those who don’t know coding.
Hence, in essence, this app brings the power of vibe coding to everyone who doesn’t know how to code. And the best part is that it’s free to download and use.
What all does Meta Pocket do?
Meta says that Pocket is developed by the research and development team behind Atma Sciences Inc., the development lab it acquired earlier. This team had created a similar prompt-to-game platform called Gizmo, and now, Meta has taken that core technology and sort of offered it in a new form.
Here is everything that the Pocket app does.
Creating Gizmos, i.e., games:
The core feature of Pocket revolves around creating gizmos — Meta’s new term for AI-generated, interactive mini-experiences. For creating these mini-games, users no longer need to know Python, C#, Unity, or Unreal Engine. All they need to do now is use general language to describe their idea, and generative AI will create it for them. You just vibe code your way to fun new games.
Makes these games, apps run on your device:
Unlike basic text-based chatbots like Codex or Gemini, the games generated by Pocket can actively rely on your smartphone’s hardware. Depending on your prompt, the AI can program games to utilise touch controls (tapping, swiping, dragging), motion and tilt sensors (shaking or tilting the device), audio systems, and the phone’s built-in camera or photo library.
A social feed for other creations:
Since it comes from a social media behemoth, Pocket is structured like a social media network. When you open the app, you are greeted by a scrollable vertical feed filled with gizmos made by other creators around the world. You can play them instantly without needing to download individual files.
Borrowing from Instagram, Pocket also allows users to “remix” other people’s gizmos, i.e., you can edit someone’s game and create your own twist. If a creator enables remixing, you can take their base game, add your own spin to it, and republish it as a brand-new iteration.
Playlists and portfolios:
To keep the feed organised, Pocket features curated playlists around categories like Drawing, Photo, Games, and 3D Worlds. Furthermore, every user gets a personal profile that acts as a digital portfolio displaying all their created gizmos, received likes, and comments. It is just like Instagram for all your AI creations.
If you want to show a game to a friend who doesn’t have Pocket, the app lets you share a direct link. Your friends can play your creation directly inside a web browser without needing to download the app.
However, note that Pocket is currently in a limited testing phase and is only available to a few people in the US. We expect Meta to release it for other regions in the weeks to come, following successful testing.
How To Use Meta’s Pocket App For Vibe Coding
How to use Pocket for building games/apps
If Pocket is accessible in your region, or you use a VPN service to install, you can use it to go all creative. Pocket requires zero technical background, which is why navigating the app and building a game is incredibly straightforward.
Here is how to get started:
Getting set up
– Download Pocket from your device’s app store (where available).
– Sign in using an existing Meta account (Facebook/Instagram) or create a new one. Your age, profile picture, and username can be carried over to create your new Pocket profile.
Exploring and playing “Gizmos”
– Scroll through the main feed to see what others are creating.
– Tap on a gizmo to open it. Look at the on-screen instructions provided by the AI. You might be asked to tilt your phone to steer a spaceship, tap to jump, or grant camera access to overlay a virtual object onto your real world.
– You can like, comment, or save the gizmos into your favorites.
Making your own app or game
– Look at the bottom navigation bar of the app and tap the “Create” button.
– You will see a text box asking what you want to build. This is where the “vibe coding” begins. The key to a good gizmo is the prompt design. For example, if you want to generate a space game, you can enter something like:
“A retro 2D arcade game starring a pixel-art space cat. Asteroids fall from the top of the screen, and the player must tilt the phone left and right to dodge them. Tapping the screen shoots lasers to destroy the asteroids and score points.”
– To generate, tap Next. Pocket’s generative AI will process your text and automatically build the playable user interface, code the mechanics, and set up the graphics.
– Play your generated game to ensure it fits your vision.
– Before publishing, look at the Remix settings. Toggle this ON if you want other users to take your code and modify it with their prompts. Toggle it OFF if you want your creation to remain exactly as it is.
– Lastly, hit Post. Your gizmo will immediately drop onto your profile portfolio and enter the discovery feed for the world to play.