Sketchbug is coming to your phone, Android first

Sketchbug started in the browser. You open sketchbug.art, draw, save to your library, and pick it back up on any device with a screen and a keyboard. That still works great. But a lot of sketching happens away from a desk: on the couch, on a commute, in a coffee shop, or anywhere you have a thought and only your phone in your pocket.

We are building a Sketchbug mobile app so you can capture those moments without opening a laptop.

Android first

We are starting with Android. That is a deliberate choice, and the main reason is price.

Sketchbug is still a small project. Every dollar we spend on getting mobile out the door is a dollar we are not spending on the editor, Brush Hub, Font Hub, or keeping the site running. Android is the cheaper path to a real app in people's hands: a one-time Google Play developer fee instead of Apple's yearly program, and no requirement to buy Mac hardware just to build and test an iOS build. For a solo project on a tight budget, that difference matters.

Starting on Android lets us ship something real without stretching costs across two platforms at once. Once the app is out, earning its keep, and teaching us what mobile Sketchbug needs to be, we can put real money behind an iPhone and iPad version with more confidence.

The mobile app will carry over what you already love about Sketchbug: a focused drawing canvas, your personal library, and the creative tools you rely on in the browser. The goal is not a stripped-down companion app. It is Sketchbug in your pocket, tuned for touch, smaller screens, and sketching with your thumb when that is all you have.

On Android we are working through the fundamentals first:

• Touch-first drawing that feels natural on a phone screen
• Signing in with your existing Sketchbug account and seeing the same library
• Opening sketches you started on the web and continuing them on mobile
• Saving work back to the cloud so nothing gets stuck on one device

We want the first Android release to feel complete enough that you would actually reach for it instead of the browser. Once that bar is met, we will keep improving based on what you tell us.

iPhone and iPad are next

iPhone and iPad support is planned. We are not treating iOS as an afterthought. We are sequencing the work because launching on both stores at once would double the cost before we know whether the mobile app is worth the investment.

Building for iOS means Apple's annual developer fee, the tooling and hardware that go with it, a separate design and testing pass across phone and tablet screen sizes, and App Store requirements on top of everything we already build for Android. That is real money for a project our size. Shipping Android first keeps the upfront bill smaller, lets the app start paying for itself, and gives us a clearer picture of what to build before we commit to those iOS costs.

If you are on iPhone or iPad today, Sketchbug in the browser is still the best way to draw with us. Save the site to your home screen if you want something that feels a little more app-like while we build the native version.

What stays the same

Your account, your library, and your creative work do not split into a "web version" and a "phone version." The mobile app connects to the same Sketchbug you already use. A sketch you start on your laptop should be waiting on your phone. A doodle you make on the bus should show up when you open sketchbug.art later.

Brush Hub, Font Hub, and live sketch are part of the long-term picture for mobile too. We will not promise every Pro feature on day one of the Android beta, but the direction is clear: one Sketchbug, wherever you open it.

Where we are now

The mobile app is in active development. Screens are taking shape, touch controls are being tuned, and we are working through the unglamorous parts: auth, sync, performance on mid-range phones, and making sure autosave behaves the way you expect when you switch apps or lose signal.

We will share more as we get closer to a testable Android build. If you want to hear about betas and launch timing first, keep an eye on this blog and the updates we post from sketchbug.art.

What we would love from you

While we build, it helps to know how you would use Sketchbug on your phone:

• Would you sketch from scratch on mobile, or mostly open things you started on desktop?
• What screen size do you use most?
• Are there tools from the web editor you need on day one, or can some wait?

Use the Give feedback link in the site footer. We read everything, and mobile feedback will shape what we prioritize before the first Android release and before we start on iPhone and iPad.

For now: sketchbug.art still works everywhere you have a browser.

Draw it. Keep it. Soon, in your pocket too.