FAQs

Until version 76 Mabui relied completely on access to each user’s Google Drive storage and API services to create a new kind of very low cost, scalable app platform. Version 77 marks the end of that approach, at least for now.

All future apps will use the new Mabui platform automatically. Migration refers to existing app data that must be moved, or ‘migrated’, from Google Drive to the Mabui platform.

The reason Google Drive was selected was for access to an almost unlimited amount of free shared file storage, and built-in functions enabling synchronisation controlled solely from users’ devices. This enabled us to build and provide a global app platform at a very low cost.

This approach has proved to be very problematic for 2 reasons:

1. Users don’t like being asked for permission to access their Google account details (with Contacts permission), or to give access to their Google Drive folders. This is completely understandable and must be changed. There have also been many failed installations connected with the Google Drive setup process.

2. Reliability of Google Drive. There have been numerous instances of unexplained events where app file sharing settings are removed, disabling the app in question. Mabui adds sharing to files, but never removes sharing, so this appears to be an issue with Google Drive. It is both unacceptable, and probably out of our control to fix.

For these reasons we have extended the Mabui platform to replace all essential Google Drive access. This will provide a much better user experience and make app building accessible to many more people.

As soon as Mabui v77 is available on the Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.catalistapp.mab).

This is expected to be 24th September 2019.

If you are an existing Mabui user this change will affect you if you have either:
– Published an app of any type
– Installed an app or used a template app published by somebody else

Yes, but we have made it as easy as possible. Just get the Play Store update and follow the simple on-screen instructions. It only takes a few moments to migrate a Mabui app.

The main difference is that users will no longer be required to give Mabui access to their Google account details (through Contacts permission). Your shareable app files, and any new media files you attach will now be uploaded to the Mabui server instead of your Google Drive folders.

We also expect the new version to be faster and more reliable.

Yes, although in future there may be some limitations on the free version with the option of an unlimited paid version. Existing apps will not be affected.

When you open Mabui 77 for the first time you will be taken to a screen for migrating your studio. There are two stages:

1. First the normal Google Drive studio sync process will occur – this prompts you to download your latest studio if available (if you use Mabui on more than one device).

2. Then the studio data on your device will be automatically uploaded to the Mabui platform. Future studio synchronisations or backups on that device will use the Mabui platform.

Yes – when you open Mabui 77 for the first time on a second device you will need to go through the studio migration screen as before. The process is the same but this time you may be prompted to download the migrated studio that was uploaded from your first device to the Mabui platform.

To ensure that your studio continues to be synchronised correctly on multiple devices you must ensure that each device is updated to Mabui 77 as soon as possible. If you only upgrade one device then the two devices will be checking against different backup copies of your studio and they will no longer be synchronised correctly.

Once you have updated to Mabui 77 and migrated your studio, go to “My Apps”. Apps that you own will be highlighted in bright red to indicate that they need to be migrated. You will also see a message asking you to migrate your apps.

Just tap on a highlighted app to migrate it. You should then see the message “Thank you – this app has now been successfully migrated to the new platform.” and the red highlight will be removed. You can then use and update your app as before.

Once you have updated to Mabui 77 go to “Studio”. Template apps that you have published will be highlighted in bright blue to indicate that they need to be migrated. You will also see a message asking you to migrate your template apps.

Just tap on a highlighted template app, and you will be taken directly to the publishing screen. Use the “Start pre-migration checks” button followed by “Go to publishing” then “Migrate app”. You should then see the message “Thank you – this app has now been successfully migrated to the new platform.” and the blue highlight will be removed from studio. You can then update your template app from studio as before.

New users will require Mabui 77 in order to use the migrated template.

After you have migrated your app, existing users will not be able to open it until they have updated to Mabui 77. They will be prompted to do this, with a link to the Play Store.

After you have migrated your template, existing Mabui users will not be able to use it until they have updated to Mabui 77. They will be prompted to do this, with a link to the Play Store.

Before you migrate your app, new users of Mabui 77 will only be able to install or run your app if they give Mabui permission to access their Google Drive account. The description of your app that is shown to these users in the “Install apps” screen includes some text to indicate that the app has not been migrated and requires additional permission to access.

For this reason you should migrate your app as soon as possible.

Yes, but after the owner has migrated the app you will need the Mabui 77 update to access it.

Future Mabui users will probably deny permission to access their account details and Google Drive, so it will become difficult for your app to gain any users.

Once you have installed Mabui 77 on all your devices the folder is not required. However we recommend that you leave the folder in place for now. It will act as a backup of your app as it was when you migrated. In the unlikely event of a migration problem we will be able to restore your app from this file.

Yes, but you will not be able to open other people’s apps that have not been migrated unless you give the accounts permission again.
Also, you will not be able to automatically share Google Drive folders and files, for example when adding Google Drive folder modules such as “Drive folder image gallery”.

Yes, but if you have not given contacts permission Mabui will not be able to set the Google Drive sharing that allows other users to access the attachment.

However, you can turn link sharing on yourself through the Google Drive app or a browser.
By default this will use “Anyone with the link can view” (if you are collaborating on a Mabui drawing with other users you will have to set link sharing to “Anyone with the link can edit”).

Yes, but to set up these modules in your app you will need to give the accounts permission so that the selected folder and files can be automatically shared.

Alternatively you can withhold permission and update the file sharing settings with the Google Drive app or browser.

Be careful as without link sharing these modules will not work.

Yes, as long as the folder and files you want to include are shared on Google Drive. See the previous answer.

No. All local media files added to apps in Mabui 77 will be uploaded to the Mabui server, not Google Drive.

In a future release we plan to offer users the choice, but the Google Drive upload and sharing may still require contacts permission, as it does now.