FAQs

Why React Native?

React Native allows you to create cross-platform applications with JavaScript, eliminating the need to deal with separate codebases for Web, iOS, and Android.

React Native lets you build mobile apps using JavaScript — but, unlike other JavaScript app building frameworks, a React Native app is a real mobile app using real iOS and Android native components. The tooling and ecosystem around React Native are the best of both worlds — the proven, efficient developer experience of working with React, and the user experience of the native mobile platforms.

Before React Native, it was a requirement to know languages like Swift and Java (generally considered to be more difficult) to build mobile applications. Now, with React Native, it's easier than ever to get started in mobile app development thanks to the amount of resources available and size of the developer community.

If you've developed web applications with React already, cool! React Native is very similar. If you haven't used React before, that's okay too! You don't need to write a single line of code to build a screen in Draftbit so don't be afraid to jump in and start learning.

For further reading, check out the React Native Documentation.

Why Expo?

Expo is a free and open source toolchain built around React Native to help you build native iOS and Android projects using JavaScript and React. Expo is a layer on top of React Native that allows us to do things like easily work with the native APIs of the phone's operating system like the camera, GPS, photo library and more, live preview Draftbit apps during development, publish apps over the air in real time, and much more.

Expo CLI

In order to continue working on your project outside of the Draftbit builder, you'll need to set up Expo CLI on your computer. All you have to do is open up your terminal and run yarn global add expo-cli or npm install -g expo-cli.

Why doesn't my app in the browser (Web Preview) match my app in Live Preview?

Web Preview is what your app will look like when run in a browser, whereas the iOS and Android Previews will render your app as a native app. The two are very similar, but due to differences in the environments there will be differences between web and native previews. There can also be differences between iOS and Android previews because each of these platforms also have their own way of interpreting styling.

It's generally better to preview the most on whichever environment (web or native) you intend to launch your app on. Native previews will give let you preview the native experience and web preview the web experience.

Some components have specific props for different platforms. There's also some helpers that let you identify which platform the app is being used on so that you can conditionally apply styling based on that.

Here are some things you may encounter when viewing your app between the two:

Small visual discrepancies
Properties like fonts, line heights, can be calculated differently between Live Preview and Web Preview.
Certain components will not appear in the browser
You will be alerted to the components and prompted to view them in Live Preview

If you are experiencing Web Preview/Live Preview issues that fall outside of the ones listed above, please feel free to reach out to our team for assistance.

Can I put my app on the App Store/Google Play Store?

Yes, you're able to deploy apps you build in Draftbit to the App Store/Google Play Store directly through our Builder OR by exporting your app code and building/publishing manually.

Check out our documentation on publishing your app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for more on automated publishing.

For self-publishing, take a look at the docs on Exporting Your Project and self-publishing to app Google Play and Apple App.

How do I request a feature?

Are we missing a critical capability or feature for you? If so, please head over to the Roadmap and see if it's already been requested.

If it has, please upvote the topic and add a comment to let us know any additional thoughts or clarifications that are specific to you.

If it hasn't, create a new request and let us know what you're looking for and any background or details.

How do I report a bug or issue?

Sorry to hear you've found a bug or issue. The easiest way to report a bug to us is to head over to the Help category of our Community and create a topic with your bug/issue.

By creating a topic, you'll get notified as we address these issues automatically.

If the issue is more complex, or you're not sure how to describe it, just shoot us an email [email protected] and we'll be happy to take a look!

How much does Draftbit cost?

Please visit your account's pricing page for pricing information.

How do I cancel my account?

Please visit your account page to upgrade or downgrade your plan.

If you wish to delete your account entirely, fill out this Account Deletion Form. Once we've received the results, we'll process your request and confirm your account and/or apps have been deleted. This could take up to 72 hours.

Can I share my Draftbit app with others?

If you want to share a visual preview of the screen you're working on now, you can share your progress and changes live to as many people as you want through our Live Preview. Using the QR code generated for each project, you can have as many people as you want to follow along as you build.

You can also share your project by publishing your project on the web. Doing so generates a unique URL that you can send to collaborators, clients, and friends that will allow them to view your project on an Android/iOS simulator.

I didn't mean to delete my app. Can I get it back?

Yes, it is possible for us to recover deleted applications. We retain deleted apps for 14 days from the time it was initially deleted. Please contact us within this time and we will be able to help you.