diff --git a/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/app.js b/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/app.js
index 3b727e61283..8db159563ff 100644
--- a/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/app.js
+++ b/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/app.js
@@ -41,14 +41,17 @@ type BundlerOptions = {
   outputBundle: string,
   cwd: string,
 
-  target: 'hermes' | 'jsc',
+  jsvm: 'hermes' | 'jsc',
   hermes?: HermesConfig,
 
   ...Bundler,
 };
 
 type HermesConfig = {
-  // iOS: Pods/hermes-engine/destroot/bin/hermesc
+  // Path where hermes is is installed
+  // iOS: Pods/hermes-engine
+  path: string,
+  // iOS: <hermes.path>/destroot/bin/hermesc
   hermesc: string,
 };
 
@@ -124,7 +127,7 @@ const bundleApp = (
   // to then be converted to bytecode in the outputBundle. Otherwise just write to
   // the outputBundle directly.
   let output =
-    options.target === 'hermes' ? options.outputJsBundle : options.outputBundle;
+    options.jsvm === 'hermes' ? options.outputJsBundle : options.outputBundle;
 
   // TODO: Fix this by not using Metro CLI, which appends a .js extension
   if (output === options.outputJsBundle && !output.endsWith('.js')) {
@@ -146,7 +149,7 @@ const bundleApp = (
         '--out',
         output,
       ];
-      if (options.target === 'hermes' && !options.dev) {
+      if (options.jsvm === 'hermes' && !options.dev) {
         // Hermes doesn't require JS minification
         args.push('--minify', 'false');
       } else {
@@ -159,12 +162,25 @@ const bundleApp = (
     }),
   };
 
-  if (options.target === 'jsc') {
+  if (options.jsvm === 'jsc') {
     return bundle;
   }
 
-  // $FlowIgnore[incompatible-use] We know it's a Hermes config
-  const hermesc: string = options.hermes.hermesc;
+  if (options.hermes?.path == null || options.hermes?.hermesc == null) {
+    throw new Error('If jsvm == "hermes", hermes config must be provided.');
+  }
+
+  const hermes: HermesConfig = options.hermes;
+
+  const isHermesInstalled: boolean = fs.existsSync(hermes.path);
+  if (!isHermesInstalled) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'Hermes Pod must be installed before bundling.\n' +
+        'Did you forget to bootstrap?',
+    );
+  }
+
+  const hermesc: string = path.join(hermes.path, hermes.hermesc);
 
   /*
    * Hermes only tasks:
diff --git a/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/apple.js b/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/apple.js
index b4ca9e60b0d..c6a41b74370 100644
--- a/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/apple.js
+++ b/packages/core-cli-utils/src/private/apple.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ type AppleBuildOptions = {
   name: string,
   mode: AppleBuildMode,
   scheme?: string,
-  destination?: string, // Device or Simulator or UUID
+  destination: 'device' | 'simulator' | string,
   ...AppleOptions,
 };
 
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ type AppleBootstrapOption = {
   // Enabled by default
   hermes: boolean,
   newArchitecture: boolean,
+  frameworks?: 'static' | 'dynamic',
   ...AppleOptions,
 };
 
@@ -51,6 +52,23 @@ type AppleOptions = {
   env?: {[key: string]: string | void, ...},
 };
 
+function checkPodfileInSyncWithManifest(
+  lockfilePath: string,
+  manifestLockfilePath: string,
+) {
+  try {
+    const expected = fs.readFileSync(lockfilePath, 'utf8');
+    const found = fs.readFileSync(manifestLockfilePath, 'utf8');
+    if (expected !== found) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'Please run: yarn bootstrap ios, Podfile.lock and Pods/Manifest.lock are out of sync',
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (e) {
+    throw new Error('Please run: yarn run boostrap ios: ' + e.message);
+  }
+}
+
 const FIRST = 1,
   SECOND = 2,
   THIRD = 3;
@@ -79,8 +97,12 @@ export const tasks = {
     installDependencies: task(THIRD, 'Install CocoaPods dependencies', () => {
       const env = {
         RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED: options.newArchitecture ? '1' : '0',
-        HERMES: options.hermes ? '1' : '0',
+        USE_FRAMEWORKS: options.frameworks,
+        USE_HERMES: options.hermes ? '1' : '0',
       };
+      if (options.frameworks == null) {
+        delete env.USE_FRAMEWORKS;
+      }
       return execa('bundle', ['exec', 'pod', 'install'], {
         cwd: options.cwd,
         env,
@@ -112,22 +134,38 @@ export const tasks = {
             /* eslint-disable-next-line no-bitwise */
             fs.constants.F_OK | fs.constants.R_OK,
           );
-        } catch {
-          throw new Error('Please run: yarn run boostrap ios');
+        } catch (e) {
+          throw new Error('Please run: yarn run boostrap ios: ' + e.message);
         }
       }
+      checkPodfileInSyncWithManifest(
+        path.join(options.cwd, 'Podfile.lock'),
+        path.join(options.cwd, 'Pods/Manifest.lock'),
+      );
     }),
     build: task(SECOND, 'build an app artifact', () => {
       const _args = [
         options.isWorkspace ? '-workspace' : '-project',
         options.name,
+        '-configuration',
+        options.mode,
       ];
       if (options.scheme != null) {
         _args.push('-scheme', options.scheme);
       }
       if (options.destination != null) {
-        _args.push('-destination', options.destination);
+        // The user doesn't want a generic target, they know better.
+        switch (options.destination) {
+          case 'simulator':
+            _args.push('-sdk', 'iphonesimulator');
+            break;
+          case 'device':
+          default:
+            _args.push('-destination', options.destination);
+            break;
+        }
       }
+
       _args.push(...args);
       return execa('xcodebuild', _args, {cwd: options.cwd, env: options.env});
     }),
diff --git a/packages/helloworld/cli.flow.js b/packages/helloworld/cli.flow.js
index adaeb9d5d43..e3b1ccfaf62 100644
--- a/packages/helloworld/cli.flow.js
+++ b/packages/helloworld/cli.flow.js
@@ -148,16 +148,10 @@ build
           outputSourceMap: settings.bundleResourceDir,
           outputBundle: binaryBundlePath,
           dev: true,
-          target: 'hermes',
+          jsvm: 'hermes',
           hermes: {
-            hermesc: path.join(
-              cwd.ios,
-              'Pods',
-              'hermes-engine',
-              'build_host_hermesc',
-              'bin',
-              'hermesc',
-            ),
+            path: path.join(cwd.ios, 'Pods/hermes-engine'),
+            hermesc: 'build_host_hermesc/bin/hermesc',
           },
         }),
       );