Question 1

What is the Preview Mode and how do I use it

Accepted Answer

What is the Preview Mode

Preview lets you see your own bubble app running as a native app on your own phone, before you buy your own app build from us. It's free, and it runs in our BDK Preview app.

You can even build the native workflows and test them before ordering your app build. Just install the Native apps (bdk) plugin from the bubble plugin store ($3 one-time, prices as of 19 October 2026).

That's awesome. How do I preview my bubble app

First, install the free BDK Preview app on your phone. On Android it's on Google Play. On iPhone it installs through TestFlight, and the page shows you the two taps.
Then, on thebdk.com, paste your bubble app's link to make a preview. You can create an account for free.

Provide Your Webpage link

Enter your bubble site url (not the bubble editor url). Just like you would in a web browser to visit the page.
For example https://yourapp.bubbleapps.io/pagename or https://yourappdomain.com/pagename (if your bubble app is linked to domain)
It must be a published address of your app. If it isn't, we'll tell you and suggest the right link
No need to enter the app domain anymore. We work it out from your link

Open it on your phone

Tap Launch on thebdk.com. You'll get an 8-character code and a QR code
Enter the code in BDK Preview (or scan the QR code), and your ap

Question 2

How do I test the changes to my bubble app in native environment before deploying it to live

Accepted Answer

It's super easy to test your bubble app changes with BDK Native.

If you have purchased & received a build from us:

Please use this guide, and you'll be ready within a minute!

If you have not purchased a build yet:

You can make a free preview with your testing environment (i.e. version-test) link as the preview link, and open it in the BDK Preview app on your phone.

Question 3

I received a message about Google Play's target API level requirements. How does this affect my android app

Accepted Answer

Google's Message on Android App Requirements

Received a Google email about your Android app? If it says your app targets an old Android version (API level) or uses an old Billing library version, and gives you a deadline, here's the breakdown.

Breaking it Down

Every year, Google refines the standards for Android apps using 'API levels'. These are crucial indicators of how your app interacts with different Android versions. They're split into:

Minimum API Level: The oldest Android version your app can run on.
Target API Level: The Android version your app is best suited for.

The email you've received is focusing on the Target API Level. Google raises it every year, and your message names the exact level and deadline that apply to your app. (In 2025, for example, every new app or update submitted from August 31, 2025 had to target at least API Level 35 and billing library 7.0.0.)

Message only about the Billing library? See this article.

Implications for Your Existing App

✅ Google doesn't pull your live app just because a deadline passed. It stays discoverable as long as it isn't too far behind. Your message tells you if yours is.
The rule matters when you publish a new app or an update: from Google's deadline, your new build has to meet the new level.
Your Google message (and your Play Console) tells you ex

Question 4

Understanding In-app Purchases

Accepted Answer

| While the below content talks about Apple's In-app purchases, pretty much everything applies in the same manner to Google's In-app billing for Android

What are In-app purchases

When you want to sell something to your native app users, you have to use one of the two payment platforms :

This screenshot shows an example of In app purchase (pay via FaceID)

You are probably already familiar with Stripe, since it is the most popular way of processing payments on bubble apps. You can broadly think of In-app purchases as Apple's own version of stripe, but much more restrictive and limited. Further, Apple and Google take a commission on every sale, which is much higher than Stripe's card fees. Check their current rates before you set your prices.

In addition, you can't set dynamic prices, create dynamic products, cancel subscriptions at any time, generate payment analytics and dashboard etc. using In-app purchases. These interfaces are all limited to what Apple provides on its Appstore connect portal (i.e. Apple developer portal).

Why would anyone use In-app purchases

Because Apple requires you to use in-app purchases for certain types of services / content sold. In a nutshell, when you want to sell someth

Question 5

Understanding Dynamic Links (i.e. Programmable Deeplinks)

Accepted Answer

| This article used to be about Firebase Dynamic Links, which shut down on August 25, 2025. Our alternatives are Branch and ChottuLink. If your app used Firebase Dynamic Links, read this article.

What's a deep link

A deep link is a link that opens your app at one exact page: a product, a booking, a post, an invite. (Firebase called these 'dynamic links'.) It behaves differently based on the platform it is opened on.

With deep links, your users get the best available experience for the platform they open your link on. If a user opens the link on iOS or Android, they can be taken directly to the linked content in your native app. If a user opens the same link in a desktop browser, they can be taken to the equivalent content on your website.

Your link provider (Branch or ChottuLink) can also help with users who don't have your app yet, by sending them to install it. What each provider offers depends on its plan, so check their docs.

Can you explain using an example

Let's say we want to share an event page of our bubble app, like /event/123, with our friend Superman.
Instead of the plain link, we create a deep link for that page (see the plugin documentation linked below).
We share the deep link with Superman (maybe via email, social media or text message).

What happens when superman

Question 6

Do I need a rebuild every time I make changes to my bubble app?

Accepted Answer

No.

You do not need a rebuild for any changes made to your bubble app.

Changes to your bubble app flow directly inside your native app, just like they do on a web browser
Infact, your app users won't even require to update their app from appstore / playstore to see these bubble changes. Its' just like in the mobile browser

A rebuild is required only when

You want to change some information that you've submitted in the BDK Native Project form, such as your App Icon. Note: Some information such as app launch link, default status bar color and push prompt timing (when your app asks for notification permission) can be changed using tools provided in 'additional tools' tab of your bdk project page, without a rebuild. Prompt timing needs a build from Android v2.21 / iOS v2.16 or later. It kicks in on the next app launch, for people who haven't been asked yet.
You want to upgrade your app's bdk native engine version, to take advantage of some new features we released after your app was built
Apple / Google require you to publish a new version of the app to comply with their updated requirements or policies. Got a message from Google or Apple?

What does a rebuild cost

It comes out of your banked rebuilds. Every build purchase comes with 4, valid for 12 months from payment
None left? An extra rebuild is $19 (prices as of 19 October 2026)
Find them in your projec

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