Google launches Opal, an AI tool that builds apps from text prompts

Google has unveiled Opal, an experimental AI-powered tool that allows developers to create apps using natural language prompts and interactive visual aids, without requiring any coding knowledge. The Google Labs release positions the company to compete in the rapidly growing no-code development market, offering an alternative to traditional programming that could democratize app creation for non-technical users.

What you should know: Opal harnesses multiple Google AI models to streamline the entire app development process through conversational interfaces.

• Gemini 2.5 assists with written content creation, while Veo 3 generates videos with audio and Imagen 4 creates accompanying images.
• Users can choose from a gallery of premade templates tailored to different creative needs, including immersive virtual games and video ad generators.
• The platform converts natural language instructions into illustrated workflows, showing inputs, generation steps, and final outputs in separate clickable boxes.

How it works: The tool transforms app development into a visual, step-by-step process that users can monitor and customize.

• Developers start by describing their desired app functionality in a simple prompt window using natural language.
• Instructions are automatically converted into an organized workflow showing exactly what the AI models are doing at each stage.
• Users can click on individual workflow boxes to see specific actions being taken or add their own direct edits.
• A “Share app” feature allows creators to toggle between private and public settings and distribute URLs to anyone with a Google account.

Competitive landscape: Opal’s launch comes just one day after Microsoft-owned GitHub released Spark, a similar app-building platform in public preview.

• Both tools represent the broader tech industry trend toward “low-code” and “no-code” development platforms.
• These systems use AI to automate many key steps in the software development process, reducing barriers to entry for app creation.

What they’re saying: “We want to deliver a product that gives users more control and transparency over combining all the capabilities of Google models, without having to code,” explained Elle Zadina, a product manager with Google, in an online demo video.

Availability: Opal is currently available in public beta for US users and can be accessed at opal.google.com.