diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index 4feb0411f..9ee5b969a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
     "@react-native-community/cli-platform-ios": "^2.0.0-alpha.17",
     "@react-native-community/cli-tools": "^2.0.0-alpha.17",
     "chalk": "^1.1.1",
+    "command-exists": "^1.2.8",
     "commander": "^2.19.0",
     "compression": "^1.7.1",
     "connect": "^3.6.5",
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
index c88d4fddf..288214046 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import os from 'os';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import Ora from 'ora';
 import minimist from 'minimist';
 import semver from 'semver';
 import type {ConfigT} from 'types';
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 } from './template';
 import {changePlaceholderInTemplate} from './editTemplate';
 import * as PackageManager from '../../tools/packageManager';
+import installPods from '../../tools/installPods';
 import {processTemplateName} from './templateName';
 import banner from './banner';
 import {getLoader} from '../../tools/loader';
@@ -93,9 +95,7 @@ async function createFromTemplate({
       loader.succeed();
     }
 
-    loader.start('Installing all required dependencies');
-    await PackageManager.installAll({preferYarn: !npm, silent: true});
-    loader.succeed();
+    await installDependencies({projectName, npm, loader});
   } catch (e) {
     loader.fail();
     throw new Error(e);
@@ -104,6 +104,29 @@ async function createFromTemplate({
   }
 }
 
+async function installDependencies({
+  projectName,
+  npm,
+  loader,
+}: {
+  projectName: string,
+  npm?: boolean,
+  loader: typeof Ora,
+}) {
+  loader.start('Installing all required dependencies');
+
+  await PackageManager.installAll({
+    preferYarn: !npm,
+    silent: true,
+  });
+
+  if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
+    await installPods({projectName, loader});
+  }
+
+  loader.succeed();
+}
+
 function createProject(projectName: string, options: Options, version: string) {
   fs.mkdirSync(projectName);
   process.chdir(projectName);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/printRunInstructions.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/printRunInstructions.js
index 220c146fe..43258c85a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/printRunInstructions.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/printRunInstructions.js
@@ -9,19 +9,22 @@
  */
 
 import path from 'path';
+import fs from 'fs';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import {logger} from '@react-native-community/cli-tools';
 
 function printRunInstructions(projectDir: string, projectName: string) {
   const absoluteProjectDir = path.resolve(projectDir);
-  const xcodeProjectPath = `${path.resolve(
-    projectDir,
-    'ios',
-    projectName,
-  )}.xcodeproj`;
+  const iosProjectDir = path.resolve(projectDir, 'ios');
+
+  const iosPodsFile = path.resolve(iosProjectDir, `${projectName}.xcworkspace`);
+  const isUsingPods = fs.existsSync(iosPodsFile);
+
   const relativeXcodeProjectPath = path.relative(
     process.cwd(),
-    xcodeProjectPath,
+    isUsingPods
+      ? iosPodsFile
+      : path.resolve(iosProjectDir, `${projectName}.xcodeproj`),
   );
 
   logger.log(`
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js b/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d59b7781e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+// @flow
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import execa from 'execa';
+import chalk from 'chalk';
+import Ora from 'ora';
+import inquirer from 'inquirer';
+import commandExists from 'command-exists';
+import {logger} from '@react-native-community/cli-tools';
+
+async function installPods({
+  projectName,
+  loader,
+}: {
+  projectName: string,
+  loader: typeof Ora,
+}) {
+  try {
+    process.chdir('ios');
+
+    const hasPods = await fs.pathExists('Podfile');
+
+    if (!hasPods) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      await commandExists('pod');
+    } catch (e) {
+      loader.stop();
+
+      const {shouldInstallCocoaPods} = await inquirer.prompt([
+        {
+          type: 'confirm',
+          name: 'shouldInstallCocoaPods',
+          message: 'CocoaPods is not installed, do you want to install it?',
+        },
+      ]);
+
+      if (shouldInstallCocoaPods) {
+        try {
+          // First attempt to install `cocoapods`
+          await execa('gem', ['install', 'cocoapods']);
+        } catch (_error) {
+          try {
+            // If that doesn't work then try with sudo
+            await execa('sudo', ['gem', 'install', 'cocoapods']);
+          } catch (error) {
+            logger.log(error.stderr);
+
+            throw new Error(
+              `Error occured while trying to install CocoaPods, which is required by this template.\nPlease try again manually: "sudo gem install cocoapods".\nCocoaPods documentation: ${chalk.dim.underline(
+                'https://cocoapods.org/',
+              )}`,
+            );
+          }
+        }
+
+        // This only shows when `CocoaPods` is automatically installed,
+        // if it's already installed then we just show the `Installing dependencies` step
+        loader.start('Installing CocoaPods dependencies');
+      }
+    }
+
+    try {
+      await execa('pod', ['install']);
+    } catch (error) {
+      // "pod" command outputs errors to stdout (at least some of them)
+      logger.log(error.stderr || error.stdout);
+
+      throw new Error(
+        `Failed to install CocoaPods dependencies for iOS project, which is required by this template.\nPlease try again manually: "cd ./${projectName}/ios && pod install".\nCocoaPods documentation: ${chalk.dim.underline(
+          'https://cocoapods.org/',
+        )}`,
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw error;
+  } finally {
+    process.chdir('..');
+  }
+}
+
+export default installPods;
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index c3750962c..2b6b68669 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2787,6 +2787,11 @@ combined-stream@^1.0.6, combined-stream@~1.0.6:
   dependencies:
     delayed-stream "~1.0.0"
 
+command-exists@^1.2.8:
+  version "1.2.8"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/command-exists/-/command-exists-1.2.8.tgz#715acefdd1223b9c9b37110a149c6392c2852291"
+  integrity sha512-PM54PkseWbiiD/mMsbvW351/u+dafwTJ0ye2qB60G1aGQP9j3xK2gmMDc+R34L3nDtx4qMCitXT75mkbkGJDLw==
+
 commander@^2.19.0, commander@~2.19.0:
   version "2.19.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/commander/-/commander-2.19.0.tgz#f6198aa84e5b83c46054b94ddedbfed5ee9ff12a"