FAQs

We believe no question is silly. By now you will have many questions in your mind regarding RubyMotion. We have tried to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to topics covered so far in this section. Here are a few of them:

Q1. Are the applications created by RubyMotion in keeping with Apple guidelines?

Answer. Yes, RubyMotion strongly follows the review guidelines provided by Apple. Many applications created using RubyMotion are already available at the App Store.

Q2. Will my RubyMotion application work on a Blackberry, Android, or Windows phone?

Answer. No, applications created using RubyMotion are only for iOS devices; it is an alternative to programming in Objective-C. For a single-source multi-device application, we would recommend hybrid frameworks such as Rhomobile, Phonegap, and Titanium. For android development using Ruby, you can try Rubuto.

Q3. Can I share an application with someone?

Answer. Yes and no. With the Apple Developer Program membership, you can share your application only for testing purposes with a maximum of 100 devices, where each device has to be registered individually with Apple. Also, you cannot distribute your application on the App Store for testing. Once you have finished developing your application and are ready to ship, you can submit it to Apple for an App Store review.

Q4. Can I use Ruby gems?

Answer. Yes and no. No because we can't use normal Ruby gems, which you generally use in your Ruby on Rails projects; and yes because you can use gems that are specifically developed for RubyMotion, and there are already many such gems.

Q5. Will my application work on iPad and iPod Touch?

Answer. Absolutely, your application will work on any iOS devices, namely iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Q6 Is Ruby allowed on the App Store?

Answer. The App Store can't distinguish between applications made using Objective-C and those made using RubyMotion. So, no worries, our RubyMotion applications are fit for the App Store.

Q7. Can I use third-party Objective-C libraries?

Answer. Certainly. Third-party Objective-C libraries can be used in your project. RubyMotion provides integration with the CocoaPods dependency manager, which helps in reducing the hassle. You also can use C/C++ code provided that you wrap it into the Objective-C classes and methods.

Q8. Is RubyMotion open source?

Answer. RubyMotion as a toolchain is open source (available at GitHub). The closed source part is the Ruby runtime, which is, however, very similar to MacRuby runtime (which is open source).