I'll get straight to the point. In this blog, I'll cover some of the most frequently asked questions by our users:

1. Where and how can I view my app on my mobile phone?

Seeing your mobile app go from a mere animation on your computer screen to a fully functional mobile app on your mobile phone can be one of the coolest and most magical experiences about Natively. Here's how to do it:

Download Expo Go and scan the QR code on the right side.
Toggle to the web version and scan the QR code there to reveal your app on web. However, the web version don't have all the functionalities.
Deploy the mobile app to App Store/ Google Play Store. However, deployment doesn't really work now.

2. What is Supabase and why is it necessary?

Supabase is a platform where you can store all your users’ inputs and data, and then later access the same data to output accordingly. Supabase is super important if you want to achieve a fully functional mobile app that can store information and output accordingly.

With backend (Supabase): Your app becomes a cloud-connected product capable of user accounts, data sync, real-time updates, and multi-device access.

Without backend (Supabase): Your app is a standalone tool on each user’s phone, with no online features or cross-user interaction.

To connect to Supabase, click on the green lightning icon and follow the instructions.

3. How should the process of building a mobile app with Natively look like?

Great question! We have created a whole separate block for this question.

4. Can you download your mobile app as a zip file?

Yes! You can download you project as a zip file by simply clicking on the download icon on the top right corner.

5. How can I share my mobile app with friends and family?

There are four ways you could do that:

Click on the "share your project" icon on the top left corner. Copy the URL and send it to friends and family.

Take a screenshot of the QR code under Expo Go or web. This way, the person that you sent the QR code to can simply scan it and log into your mobile app. Remember: if you send the QR code for Expo Go, the person you sent the QR code to needs to download the app Expo Go via App Store or Google Play Store. And if you send the QR code for web version, the person you sent the QR code to won't be able to access all the functionalities of your app.

Copy and paste the URL of your search bar when you are in Natively's building environment. If you choose to do it this way, the person you sent the QR code to will be able to read all your code and prompt history, but they won't be able to do any edits or prompt anything as you are the owner of the project. The URL should look something like https://natively.dev/project/51c92bc5-8b86-4622-ae61-d68655a29f2f.

Last but not least, you can upload your mobile app to iOS testflight (App Store's test environment, $99 annual fee) or Android SDK (Android's test environment, $25 registration fee) by clicking on the "deploy" icon on the top right corner and following the instructions. However, the deploy function is currently down, we'll try to fix it as soon as possible. Leave a message in customer support if you want us to reach out as soon as the deploy function is back up again.

6. How can I contact customer support?

Our customer support is open between 8AM - 8PM GMT. Our normal respond time should be within 30 minutes as we are getting lots of messages. However, we encourage you to contact customer support as we try to share valuable insights. Also, it's fun to chat and find out what our users are building!

In order to find the customer support, click on the chat icon on the bottom right corner.

7. What is Expo Go and why is it good to have?

Expo Go is a free mobile app provided by Expo, which allows you to run and preview React Native projects instantly on your iOS or Android device without needing to build a standalone app package. All you have to do is scan a QR code and you will have a fully functional mobile app on your phone unlike the QR code for web apps that don't have all the native functionalities that you want with your mobile app.