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Want to use Bubble to build a mobile app? You're in the right place. This article will walk you through exactly how to convert a Bubble app into mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Bubble is one of the most popular no-code app builders on the market today, but while it lets you make your app look and run well on mobile browsers, it doesn't let you build true native mobile apps.
If you want to maximize the value you provide to mobile users, you'll want to turn your app into a proper mobile app, for which you'll need a native app wrapper tool like MobiLoud.
MobiLoud lets you convert any website or app, from any platform, to native iPhone and Android apps. Keep reading to learn how (and why) to make your Bubble app into a native mobile app, or check out the video below for all the key points you need to know.
Bubble is a platform for building for the web. Though you can build impressively complex and powerful web applications, you can't use it to build native mobile applications for iOS and Android.
Though this may be in their long-term roadmap, it's a long way off for now. Currently, Bubble focuses exclusively on the web. There's no "out of the box" functionality to build mobile apps using Bubble, only mobile-optimized web apps (which still need to be accessed through the browser).
According to Bubble experts Coaching No Code Apps:
"While you can build the back-end of your mobile app on Bubble, you’ll need to use some outside resources to create a full package that’s acceptable for app stores."
Long story short, if you want to use Bubble to build a native app, which users can download from the App Store and Google Play, you'll need a third-party tool like MobiLoud.
To build a native Android or iOS app with Bubble, you have two choices:
The second option is the best fit in most cases. However, we’ll run through how each works so you can choose for yourself.
The first option, rebuild, is the harder of the two.
You need to rebuild the features and functionality of your Bubble app from scratch using native code – a painstaking process that is going to cost high five figures and take months.
It will likely be impossible to really recreate everything from your Bubble web app, especially if it is complex and has extended functionality through plugins.
You’ll need to compromise. Making the apps play well with your existing Bubble backend will be a tough technical challenge too.
A straight up conversion process is the best way to go from Bubble app to mobile apps.
Instead of the costly and time consuming process of rebuilding what you already have, you can get just as good a result by ‘wrapping’ what you already have. In the process you’ll save tens of thousands and get to market in weeks rather than 6+ months. Perfect for an MVP.
How is this accomplished?
Through a technology commonly known as a “webview”, which is like a dedicated browser for your web app that can be published on the App Stores, installed on the user’s device, and generally behaves just like a native app.
The best wrapper on the market for converting a Bubble app into iOS and Android apps is MobiLoud.
Using MobiLoud, you can turn a Bubble web app into mobile apps in under two weeks, and you can recreate the functionality of your Bubble app entirely, and save thousands of dollars in the process.
Let’s take a look at how the process works.
MobiLoud is MobiLoud’s platform for converting any website or web app into iOS and Android apps. It’s used by over two thousand startups and established businesses across dozens of industries.
Unlike Bubble, MobiLoud is not “just” a SAAS platform. It’s also a service. We don’t just sell you software and leave you to figure things out, our team works with you through the whole process to get the best possible result.
When you sign up with MobiLoud, the process of converting your Bubble app to mobile apps is as follows:
The whole process won’t take more than a few weeks, and there won’t be any tricky or fiddly work for you to do. Like Bubble, MobiLoud is also “no code”. Unlike Bubble, there’s no learning curve – anyone capable of building a Bubble web app will find MobiLoud very easy to use!
You can easily preview your Bubble app as a mobile app using our free Preview Tool. To learn more about why this is the best way to use Bubble for mobile apps, keep reading.
So you know now that it's possible to turn your Bubble app into a proper mobile app, by rebuilding it or, better, by using MobiLoud.
But is that even necessary? How about simply making sure your web app is perfectly responsive and optimized for mobile, and leaving it at that?
Mobile optimization is par for the course today. With more than half of internet traffic coming on mobile, your website or web app needs to work great on mobile. But that's still not enough to give mobile users the perfect experience when using your app on their smartphone.
Here are a few of the reasons why launching a mobile app is the best course of action.
A Bubble web app is great, and should be the core of your operation. Alone though, it risks looking like a side project or getting lost in the vast sea of up and coming apps on the web.
Even in the MVP stage, startups and digital brands are expected to have a presence on the App Store and Google Play and give users the option to engage through the mobile app format.
Consider the fact that around 90% of smartphone time is spent in apps – mobile app usage is a strong habit in modern users that isn’t going anywhere. A certain portion of your potential users will have a preference for interacting with you through apps. By converting your bubble app to mobile apps you can give them what they want.
How do users access your Bubble web app now?
Chances are they pull up their browser, and either load it from their bookmarks or manually type the URL. Then they wait for it to load, perhaps login, and generally wait around.
When they are finally in – they use the clunky browser navigation to get around.
None of this is optimal. One of the reasons why native apps became so dominant is that they provide a much better mobile UX. From one simple tap on the home screen everything loads, they (generally) don’t need to log in again, then the native tab bar navigation makes getting around the app a breeze.
Converting a Bubble app into mobile apps lets you provide the optimal mobile UX, removing friction for core users and providing a more immersive and convenient experience!
When you convert a Bubble app to mobile apps, you’re building a “home” for your core user base – the most important users who will give you feedback for improvement, drive the most revenue, and give you free promotion by telling their friends and Tweeting about you.
Apps self select for these core users.
Your existing Bubble web app is great for desktop, as a storefront for first time / casual users, and for providing the back-end that ties everything together.
When you stack mobile apps on top of that you start to build a ‘funnel’ that deepens the potential for engagement. Over time, the mobile app users will come to represent your core fans. Having them all in one place – in a UI more favorable to retention – is a great opportunity to understand and engage these valuable users on a deeper level.
You can see this strategy in action from a lot of top brands. Reddit, Quora and many others are always pushing web users to download/open the apps because they know they know that an app user is more valuable.
How do you communicate with users? Your options are probably now limited to social channels, email, and in-app notifications.
These all have their place – but they aren’t optimal. Email rarely gets read, social posts have limited reach, and in-app notifications are only relevant when the user is in the app.
There’s a better communication channel – push notifications.
You can already send web push notifications with Bubble. Web notifications are limited though, and you can only really use them on Android.
By converting a Bubble app into mobile apps, you can send mobile push notifications to all users, on Android and iOS, whenever you see fit. This ‘direct line’ to your core users is valuable for driving traffic, engagement and usage.
Convinced that you should convert your Bubble web app to mobile apps? Good.
Now let's explain more about the benefits of doing it with MobiLoud, as opposed to rebuilding it or using any other app development solution out there.
As mentioned above, it’ll be hard or impossible to recreate your Bubble web app’s features and functionality with other methods. With MobiLoud, it’s easy.
Your iOS and Android apps will mirror your Bubble app exactly. All the features, plugins and workflows you build with Bubble will work just the same in MobiLoud mobile apps.
There’s no need to rebuild or recreate anything. You put the hard work in already building for the web, now MobiLoud lets you leverage that onto the App Stores.
The mobile apps will also sync 100% with your Bubble app, so there’s no need to worry about managing another platform or adding to your existing workflow. The apps will update in real time with any changes or updates you make for the web, so the mobile apps will practically run themselves from your perspective.
When you convert a Bubble app to mobile apps with MobiLoud, you get all the features you need.
You’ll have the power to send push notifications to all your users whenever you like, and automate them however you see fit.
You’ll be able to use location services, analytics, ratings prompts and many more features too!
Other tools that Bubble users sometimes use to build mobile apps just give you access to their software and that’s it – they won’t help you out or even refund you if your apps get rejected by Apple or Google.
That’s not the case with MobiLoud. Not only do we guarantee approval and a successful launch – we’ll refund you if you aren’t happy with the apps for any reason within 60 days.
This is rare though and unlikely to happen, as we work hard with every customer to make their apps a success. You’ll know our team members by name, and will be able to email us or even get on a call whenever you need. We’ll help you to overcome any problems or challenges that crop up.
We also handle ongoing updates and maintenance. This costs most companies thousands of dollars every year, and is a necessity to keep the apps working properly. We handle everything for the lifetime of the apps so you’ll never need to worry about it!
MobiLoud isn’t just a wrapper. We added all the elements that make up well designed, high quality native mobile apps to the package.
From the native tab menu and navigation, to customizable splash screens and loading indicators – MobiLoud apps are optimized for a great, modern user experience that will please your users and keep them coming back to the apps again and again!
We’ve added all the small but important details – like custom icons for push notifications – so you can be confident that it will look smooth and impress your users.
Bubble pride themselves on “letting you build and host web applications without having to write code or hire a team of engineers”.
We do the same thing, but for mobile apps.
Bubble and MobiLoud is the perfect “no code stack” to get a winning presence on the web and the App Stores.
Want to learn more? Take a look through the main points on our product page and have a browse of the FAQ section to learn the ins and outs of our service. Also check out our 5 top reasons to convert a web app to mobile apps for some extra inspiration.
When you’re ready to start building Bubble mobile apps – get in touch with our team for a demo call and we’ll go over the whole process in detail and show you all the possibilities.
We’re looking forward to getting you on the App Stores – book a free demo call today!
