General Questions
What is miniAppMaker?
It is the easiest tool to build native mobile apps for iOS (and soon Android) without coding by using Airtable as the backend.
How does miniAppMaker work?
1. Design your app in Airtable
2. Add your Airtable IDs (API, base, tables, fields) to miniAppMaker
3. Test your app. Wa-lah!
Who is miniAppMaker made for?
Anyone, from students to stay-at-home moms to business owners.
Why would someone need miniAppMaker?
Because app creation nowadays is limited to a small subset of people. When someone has an app idea, it requires a lot of skill/money, so it’s hard to make it a reality. miniAppMaker helps people build apps that solve real world/business problems, or just for fun!
How long does it take to make an app?
Realistically, you can make a simple app in 30 minutes. But you can spend another few hours to add all kinds of features to it.
What kind of apps can be made with miniAppMaker?
Examples of apps that can be made:
– Internal business tools: operations manager for workflows, processes, tasks, inventory, delivery tracking…etc.
– Appointment/event management: classes, workshops, RSVPs or employee scheduling. For salons, spas, gyms, clinics, catering, tourism, photography…etc.
– Catalog/directory: a community-curated list of restaurants, recipes, apps, events…etc.
– Marketplace: for anything where there is supply and demand. Airbnb for X!
And many more!
What makes miniAppMaker special?
Easy! as simple as making a spreadsheet.
Speed! make an entire app in 30 minutes.
Customization! Airtable is ridiculously customizable.
What do I need to know to use it? How experienced do I have to be?
No prior experience is required. Basic computer knowledge is enough. Although, experience in Excel may help you work faster.
Can miniAppMaker build complex apps or just MVPs?
miniAppMaker is a quick and easy way to make an app. It is good for both: building a solid real app, or for just testing an idea. Airtable allows you to make a sophisticated app that includes a tremendous amount of features in a short time.
Where can I publish my finished app?
Apple’s App Store, and soon Google’s Play Store.
Would you help me submit my app to the App Store?
We offer this service for a fee. Contact us.
How much does miniAppMaker cost?
miniAppMaker is for FREE.
Technical Questions
Does miniAppMaker make native mobile apps?
Yes, exported apps are built using React Native.
What are miniAppMaker’s limits?
miniAppMaker relies on Airtable, therefor it’s limited by your account limits on Airtable (example: 50k records per base). Also, Airtable limits API usage to 5 requests per second, per base.
How many users can use my app simultaneously?
Airtable limits API usage to 5 requests per second. We designed miniAppMaker in a way that makes as few API calls as possible. Your app will be able to handle thousands of active users (you can still have millions of downloads!). However, if you expect millions of active users, then miniAppMaker is not a good fit for you.
How many records can be displayed per view?
Currently, it is limited to 200 records for performance reasons. If your view has more records, we suggest that you break it down into multiple views.
Would created apps work offline?
We cache any data that the user accesses in your app while online. Cached data can be viewed while offline. Updating records while offline is not supported
Does miniAppMaker support push notifications?
Yes!
Can my app have in-app purchases?
We don’t support in-app purchases currently.
Does miniAppMaker support Web apps?
Not yet, but coming soon!
I’m trying to test my app on my phone, but I just have a constant loading symbol. it never loads!
The loading symbol gets stuck in the app previewer if it’s unable to load correctly. It seems like there’s something wrong in the app settings. Best advice to is to restart making your app again from scratch. And keep testing it on every step. So please go to Project settings and click “clear project”. This time only enter the required fields first and test it on your phone (without adding any element).
Then after that, every time you add a new element, “Restart your app” by shaking your iOS device. This way you can tell if the change you just made had caused an issue in your app.
