As of Today, Best Practice for Releasing iOS and Android versions?

sarsasparillaj · 2024-08-09T20:56:21.213Z

Hi,

Wondering what the best practices are right now to release as iOS and Android apps.

I saw a native app release announcement talk topic in the Bubble Convention in NYC. Does that mean it’s available now, or they are going to launch it later, after Oct 9th?

Also… what screen size should I create the apps in so they work on mobile?

I already did a huge, very complicated app and when we tested it , the UX wasn’t right. It was getting cut off on a tester’s phone. What should the sizing be to fix that?

Thanks!

msgiblin · 2024-08-10T01:04:32.502Z

Hi there,

sarsasparillaj:

I saw a native app release announcement talk topic in the Bubble Convention in NYC. Does that mean it’s available now, or they are going to launch it later, after Oct 9th?

It is not yet released, and right now no direct indication of a release date. It’s currently in private alpha, but users can signup to be notified when it is ready: Mobile Apps | Bubble

sarsasparillaj:

Also… what screen size should I create the apps in so they work on mobile?

Definitely learn the responsive engine. Most common ‘best practices’ would say 320px width is the most common, but if your responsiveness can hold together to 280px or even 250px, you’re also preparing for users with slight misalignments, larger font libraries (for accessibility, etc. (and for a bit of margin of error!). But the best you can do to is really rely on that responsive engine to build something that degrades /resizes gracefully from full rez (laptop/iPad) down to small screen.

sarsasparillaj · 2024-08-19T18:49:02.788Z

Thank you! Tough decision. I have to redo my UX because it’s too cluttered and not so great.
I’m wondering if I should wait around for the truly native mobile deployment ability.
We are not to market yet and are just in testing.

sarsasparillaj · 2024-08-19T19:03:26.203Z

Also, does anyone know if the responsive design engine is going to be part of the native app product coming out? As in… will we still design in responsive design engine or will it be a new environment to design in? That will help me decide which path to take

msgiblin · 2024-08-19T19:14:20.690Z

I don’t know for sure if it’ll be the same design engine. I believe @georgecollier has been beta testing and may be able to speak about this with more experience.

georgecollier · 2024-08-19T22:11:42.600Z

We’re bound by NDAs for specifics but here’s my thoughts:

Mobile native is a lot better than I was expecting
Mobile native is being developed quickly (looks to be quicker than web!) I said to Bubble I wasn’t sure how they could outpace the competition e.g Flutterflow, but they seem confident that they can due to the technical differences between the platforms.
Backend workflows are shared between the mobile and web apps. Reuseable elements, UI, and front-end workflows are not. That favours our apps that are BE workflow heavy (we tend to build like that for maintainability).
Mobile native is truly mobile native (because it is). It feels like a mobile app, not a progressive web app (again, because it is React Native).

I don’t know what they’re announcing at BubbleCon, but probably lots more details, maybe showcases of real apps.

Right now, with mobile native in its beta stage, I feel comfortable encouraging clients to launch mobile companion apps (e.g if they have an AI app, creating a companion app that allows them to use the most popular features of the app).

However, if a client came to me looking to build a mobile-first social network, I’d still turn them away, because mobile native isn’t there yet (and why would it be - it’s in beta) and I’m not sure Bubble native would be the right tool for the job. In 6 months, that could well change.

Before being added to the beta, I was really indifferent to mobile native as I just never used Bubble for mobile first apps, and my client’s apps never really needed them. I’d never have recommended a PWA for my clients (whether you agree or disagree, that’s another story).

Now, I think it’s something that Bubble can genuinely support. If you’re considering developing a mobile app, I’d build the web mobile + desktop version as normal. Don’t bother with a PWA, then wait for mobile native, and build the native app when that’s released.

sarsasparillaj · 2024-08-20T14:04:46.866Z

Thank you very much for this response, @georgecollier. It’s exactly the kind of info I was looking for to decide how to proceed.
I used to do everything in Ionic framework before coming to Bubble.
I have the luxury of being able to kick the can down the road on this app so I may just give it that 6 months and see where things stand with the native Bubble product at that time.
Wouldn’t mind being included on the Beta, @fede.bubble. I could develop this app from scratch using it and then go live with it after the formal release of the Bubble product

fede.bubble · 2024-08-20T15:14:22.357Z

sarsasparillaj:

Wouldn’t mind being included on the Beta, @fede.bubble. I could develop this app from scratch using it and then go live with it after the formal release of the Bubble product

There’s a waitlist for the Mobile beta. Last I checked the team was planning on bringing users in waves to keep testing going. I know it isn’t much but here’s the link to join the waitlist

Bubble

Native Mobile Apps on Bubble

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