$ cat building-handld.mdx

Building Handld: An AI Phone Call App

2026-03-20 · #handld #ai #startup #react-native

The problem

If you’ve ever tried to make a business call in a foreign language, you know the pain. Language barriers kill deals. Translation apps help with text, but phone calls? You’re on your own.

That’s why I built Handld.

What is Handld?

Handld is an AI-powered phone call app that handles international business communication. You tell it what you need, and it makes the call for you — in the right language, with the right context.

The tech

The app is built with:

  • React Native + Expo — cross-platform mobile development
  • Supabase — auth, database, edge functions
  • ElevenLabs — AI voice generation
  • OpenAI — conversation intelligence
// Edge function that initiates an AI call
const createCall = async (params: CallParams) => {
  const { phoneNumber, language, context } = params;

  // Generate the AI conversation script
  const script = await generateScript(context, language);

  // Initiate the call via our telephony provider
  const call = await initiateCall(phoneNumber, script);

  return { callId: call.id, status: "initiated" };
};

Lessons learned

  1. Start small — I launched with 14 countries and 6 categories. Not 200 countries and every use case.
  2. Apple IAP is painful — but it’s the only payment method on iOS. No shortcuts.
  3. Users want simple — the wizard went from 4 steps to 2. Less is more.

What’s next

Handld is live on the App Store. I’m iterating based on user feedback and building in public.

Follow the journey on X and TikTok.

$ cd ../