Sunstone Apps Blog https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/ Field notes from Sunstone Apps about mobile games, app publishing, Google Play, and calm product engineering. en-US Why an Expo app needs an analytics layer before adding Amplitude https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-web-ga4-firebase-analytics/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-web-ga4-firebase-analytics/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Analytics Build one analytics contract for an Expo app, keep Firebase and GA4 working, add Amplitude without rewriting product code, and gain independent rollout, failure isolation, and better product decisions. How to track Google Play installs from website UTM parameters https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/track-google-play-installs-from-website-utm/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/track-google-play-installs-from-website-utm/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Mobile App Analytics Pass one UTM campaign from an institutional site to an app landing page, Google Play, and Android's Install Referrer without joining people across analytics projects. How to use the Google Analytics MCP in OpenCode to query GA4 https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-analytics-mcp-opencode/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-analytics-mcp-opencode/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT OpenCode and Analytics Configure Google's official Analytics MCP in OpenCode, authorize ADC access, and turn repeated GA4 questions into reproducible reports. How to keep canonical assets in a React Native monorepo https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/canonical-assets-react-native-monorepo/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/canonical-assets-react-native-monorepo/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Monorepo architecture A practical asset-library pattern for React Native apps, static sites, store exports, and shared audio without losing the editable original. How to create Android and iOS app icons in Expo without Android cropping them https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-android-ios-app-icons-without-cropping/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-android-ios-app-icons-without-cropping/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Expo native builds Use one editable icon source, an opaque iOS raster, and a transparent Android adaptive foreground so launcher masks do not crop your artwork. How to export a responsive Astro campaign as a PNG with a custom aspect ratio https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/export-responsive-png-from-astro-page/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/export-responsive-png-from-astro-page/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:15:00 GMT Frontend Engineering Build a browser-side PNG export button with an editable aspect ratio, a visible capture boundary, loaded fonts and images, and dimensions that match the downloaded file. How to launch an app on Reddit with organic engagement and honest measurement https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/reddit-app-launch-organic-engagement/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/reddit-app-launch-organic-engagement/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:30:00 GMT Product Marketing Prepare a community-specific app showcase with a native creative, compliant direct store links, readable QR codes, optional campaign metadata, and measurement that does not overclaim attribution. How to run FLUX 2, Z-Image and OmniSVG locally on Windows with ComfyUI https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/run-flux-locally-windows-comfyui-opencode/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/run-flux-locally-windows-comfyui-opencode/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Local AI Run FLUX 2 for raster work, Z-Image-Turbo for short readable text, and OmniSVG for native vectors on an AMD Windows PC with ComfyUI. How to use RustDesk over your local network with Direct IP access https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/rustdesk-direct-ip-lan/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/rustdesk-direct-ip-lan/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Remote access Configure RustDesk Direct IP access to control the existing desktop session over a LAN, verify the connection, and diagnose firewall or Wi-Fi isolation failures. How to model board completion events for game feedback in React Native https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-game-completion-events/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-game-completion-events/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Game Architecture A practical event model for distinguishing a completed row, column, or block from the ninth correct placement of one digit, then routing both through sound and haptic feedback. How to build a global line of independent logic puzzle games https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/building-independent-logic-puzzle-games/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/building-independent-logic-puzzle-games/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Game development A practical strategy for launching Sudoku, Nonogram, Hashi, and other logic puzzles as independent products before connecting them in a shared collection. How to connect Playwright MCP to Chrome through Remote Debugging https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/connect-playwright-mcp-to-chrome-remote-debugging/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/connect-playwright-mcp-to-chrome-remote-debugging/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Playwright and browser automation A practical guide to enabling Chrome Remote Debugging, finding its dynamic CDP port, changing the Playwright MCP endpoint, and diagnosing 403 and ECONNREFUSED errors. How to evaluate mobile app and game ideas before writing the MVP https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/how-to-evaluate-mobile-app-game-ideas/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/how-to-evaluate-mobile-app-game-ideas/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Product strategy A practical method for comparing mobile product ideas using competitors, monetization, distribution, personal fit, and evidence instead of category size alone. How to audit OpenCode AI gateways for model identity, silent fallbacks, and real cost https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/opencode-ai-gateway-audit/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/opencode-ai-gateway-audit/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI engineering A repeatable OpenCode workflow for checking whether an AI gateway routes the requested model, comparing billing with upstream prices, and testing image generation endpoints. How to run your first iOS build of an Expo app in a pnpm monorepo https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/first-ios-build-expo-react-native-pnpm-monorepo/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/first-ios-build-expo-react-native-pnpm-monorepo/ Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Expo and React Native iOS Step by step how I ran the first iOS build of an Expo app (Sudoku) that already built on Android, in a pnpm monorepo: prebuild, pod install, xcodebuild Release, simulator. Includes the three traps that block the build (babel, Hermes prebuilt, Firebase mock) and how to fix each one in versioned source files. How to embed Godot in a React Native app and measure the real cost https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/godot-engine-react-native-native-view-integration/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/godot-engine-react-native-native-view-integration/ Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Game Development An Expo POC hosts Godot in a native Android View, fixes the RN↔GDScript bridge, and replaces thousands of nodes with batched drawing; on iOS, the diagnosis shows why a build and bootstrap do not prove Simulator rendering. How to build a VS Code extension: I read the OpenCode one and wrote my own https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/opencode-vscode-extension-send-selection/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/opencode-vscode-extension-send-selection/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT VS Code and AI tooling A practical tutorial on how to build a VS Code extension from scratch. I read the minified source of the official OpenCode extension, found the internal HTTP endpoint, and built one that sends any selection — including from unsaved files. Drawing an entire Sudoku board in one SkPicture (and why the declarative Canvas stuttered) https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-imperative-renderer-picture-recorder/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-imperative-renderer-picture-recorder/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:00:00 GMT React Native Skia Why the declarative Skia renderer with 81 React components per cell struggled on low-end devices, and how reimplementing the board with Skia.PictureRecorder + <Picture> removes the reconciler from the render hot path. When astro check says a dependency is missing but the real bug is a pnpm override https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/astro-check-vscode-languageserver-protocol-override/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/astro-check-vscode-languageserver-protocol-override/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 01:00:00 GMT Astro and pnpm How a global vscode-languageserver-protocol override broke @astrojs/check with ERR_PACKAGE_PATH_NOT_EXPORTED, and why removing the override fixed typechecking across Astro sites. What changed when our institutional site started using analytics https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/institutional-site-privacy-analytics-chrome/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/institutional-site-privacy-analytics-chrome/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Studio operations A practical note on adding GA4 and Cloudflare Web Analytics to a small studio site without turning legal pages, sitemap rules, and header/footer links into copy-paste drift. Choosing mobile layout targets from production logs instead of device guesses https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/production-logs-mobile-aspect-ratio-react-native-layout/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/production-logs-mobile-aspect-ratio-react-native-layout/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT Engineering process How we used Loki user-agent logs, iPhone model usage data, and mobile screen-resolution stats to choose practical aspect-ratio targets for a React Native game layout. How we reorganized app documentation before it became unmaintainable https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/app-documentation-release-notes-structure/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/app-documentation-release-notes-structure/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 01:00:00 GMT Studio process A practical structure for app documentation: living plans, dated history, versioned release notes, product references, store copy, and release gates without turning one Markdown file into a junk drawer. Running a heuristic UX critique on my own app — and actually fixing what it found https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/ux-heuristic-critique-react-native-mobile-game/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/ux-heuristic-critique-react-native-mobile-game/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT UX and product A solo developer walks through a Nielsen-based heuristic evaluation of a published React Native game, prioritizes the findings, and measures the score change after fixing them. Practical process for indie devs without a UX team. Rebuilding the Daily Sudoku landing page after the Play Store launch https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/app-landing-page-after-launch-play-store/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/app-landing-page-after-launch-play-store/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Landing pages and conversion The app was already published, but the website still talked like a pre-launch teaser. Here is what we changed — with AI assistants and an automated design critique — to turn it into a real conversion surface. Blog dates off by one day: the timezone bug that affects every Astro site https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/astro-blog-date-off-by-one-timezone/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/astro-blog-date-off-by-one-timezone/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Astro and Cloudflare Pages Every blog post on our Astro site showed the wrong date — one day earlier than the frontmatter value. The root cause was simple, but the complete fix touched frontmatter, formatting, sorting, and the content schema. Version, versionCode, and generated config: three numbers an Android release must align https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-android-release-semver-config-generated/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-android-release-semver-config-generated/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Expo Android release After nine Play uploads on versionName 0.1.0, lint overwriting production config, and ambiguous build script names, we documented SemVer rules, dev/prd commands, and why lint must not regenerate config. How to validate Firebase DebugView events in a React Native release build https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-ga4-screen-view-firebase-debug/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-ga4-screen-view-firebase-debug/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Analytics Validate Firebase Analytics in a production React Native APK by combining local debug logs with the realtime response behind GA4 DebugView, even when its device counter says zero. AdMob UMP in React Native: privacy messages are not just console setup https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-admob-ump-privacy-messages/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-admob-ump-privacy-messages/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Ads A practical release checklist for AdMob UMP in an Expo/React Native Android app, covering GDPR messages, US state privacy messages, app store linking, and the SDK gate before ads can request. Your React Native confetti renders behind the cards: sibling order, zIndex, and elevation https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-overlay-zindex-elevation-confetti/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-overlay-zindex-elevation-confetti/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native A win-screen celebration overlay fell behind the result cards and dropped too fast. The cause was React Native's sibling paint order, not a missing z-index. Here is why zIndex alone is not enough on Android and how we fixed both bugs. When helpful validation becomes a cheat: Sudoku notes that leaked the answer https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/sudoku-notes-candidate-filter-exploit/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/sudoku-notes-candidate-filter-exploit/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Game Design Our Sudoku blocked pencil marks that conflicted with the row, column, or box. It felt like a safety check. It was actually a free solver that told players which numbers were still possible. Here is the fix and the principle behind it. A hidden TextInput can't capture a hardware keyboard on React Native's New Architecture https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-hardware-keyboard-android-new-architecture/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-hardware-keyboard-android-new-architecture/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native We wanted physical-keyboard input in a React Native game on Android. The classic hidden TextInput trick failed under Fabric because showSoftInputOnFocus is ignored. adb proved it, and a config plugin fixed it for good. The rounded border that pushed every Sudoku digit off-center https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-text-centering-border-clip/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-text-centering-border-clip/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Skia A border on an overflow-hidden container silently shifted our Skia board and un-centered every digit. Here is how screenshots, not eyeballs, found the real cause in a React Native game. Why __DEV__ is false in release builds, and how we gated dev tools by config instead https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-dev-tools-config-vs-dev-flag/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-dev-tools-config-vs-dev-flag/ Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native tooling A developer shortcut hidden behind __DEV__ disappeared exactly when we needed it in a release build. Here is why that happens in React Native and how we moved the gate to runtime config. Design tokens as one source of truth: giving a Sudoku app a real art direction https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-design-tokens-sudoku-art-direction/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-design-tokens-sudoku-art-direction/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Design systems How we gave a template-looking Sudoku a bold art direction by changing the theme tokens first, sharing them with our website, and staying inside a low-end performance budget. Adding Expo haptics to a React Native game without making vibration a sound setting https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-haptics-react-native-game-settings/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-haptics-react-native-game-settings/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Haptics How Daily Sudoku added a persisted vibration toggle, reused gameplay feedback events, and kept Web bundling safe while using expo-haptics on native. Playing the same WAV files in Expo Web and a React Native app https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-react-native-web-audio-wav-assets/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-react-native-web-audio-wav-assets/ Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Web How we reduced the gap between Web and app in an Expo/React Native game by replacing synthetic tones with bundled WAV assets and configurable audio logs. How to keep Playwright E2E useful when React Native Skia renders a canvas https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-e2e-github-actions-pnpm/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-skia-e2e-github-actions-pnpm/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Testing A field note on testing a React Native Skia canvas board with Playwright, replacing DOM-only selectors with a narrow test bridge, and keeping persistence deterministic. Google indexing checklist for Astro sites on Cloudflare Pages https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-indexing-astro-cloudflare-pages/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-indexing-astro-cloudflare-pages/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Technical SEO A field checklist for proving that Astro sites on Cloudflare Pages are crawlable, submitted in Search Console, and actually indexed by Google. Disabling Android touch sounds in React Native without fighting Switch https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-android-touch-sound-toggle/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-android-touch-sound-toggle/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native Android How one React Native sound setting ended up owning gameplay effects, Android tap feedback, and a double-toggle bug in a nested Switch. Measuring perceived latency in React Native when frame metrics are not enough https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-perceived-latency-probe/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-perceived-latency-probe/ Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native performance How we measured React Native response time from tap handler to state update and paint when frame stats did not explain what players felt. Moving a React Native Sudoku board to Skia without deleting the old renderer https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-sudoku-skia-renderer/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-sudoku-skia-renderer/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native performance How we tested a Skia Sudoku board behind config without deleting the React Native renderer, accessibility layer, or rollback path. When an Expo upgrade turns your splash screen into a white screen https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-splash-screen-sdk-upgrade/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-splash-screen-sdk-upgrade/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Expo Native Builds A practical field note on fixing a missing native splash after an Expo SDK upgrade by moving from the legacy splash block to the expo-splash-screen plugin. How to validate a Google Play test purchase with RevenueCat https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/validar-compra-teste-google-play-revenuecat/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/validar-compra-teste-google-play-revenuecat/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Android monetization A field checklist for tying one Google Play test purchase to RevenueCat credentials, the Play Console order, sandbox data, SDK identity, and Sentry. An honest checklist before expanding an Android internal test https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/checklist-teste-interno-android-google-play/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/checklist-teste-interno-android-google-play/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Quality before beta How to separate what a Google Play build has proven from SDK, billing, ads, and observability gaps before inviting more testers. Publishing an Expo/React Native app to Google Play with a local AAB https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-react-native-google-play-aab-local/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/expo-react-native-google-play-aab-local/ Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native on Google Play How to build a local Expo/React Native AAB for Google Play and still validate signing, Firebase, Sentry, AdMob, RevenueCat, and Play delivery like a real release. When versionCode changes but JavaScript does not: a React Native release trap https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-versioncode-bundle-js-cacheado/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/react-native-versioncode-bundle-js-cacheado/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT React Native release debugging A release bug where Google Play installed a new Android versionCode while the React Native JavaScript bundle still reported the old Sentry release. When does RevenueCat make sense instead of direct Google Play Billing? https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/revenuecat-vs-google-play-billing-app-indie/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/revenuecat-vs-google-play-billing-app-indie/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Mobile monetization A margin and operations breakdown for deciding whether an indie app should pay RevenueCat or own Google Play Billing support itself. How to prepare a Google Play Console account for publishing an Android app in Brazil https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-play-console-app-android-brasil/ https://sunstoneapps.com/blog/google-play-console-app-android-brasil/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Google Play in Brazil A practical order for getting developer identity, payments, public profile, account groups, signing keys, and legal pages ready before a first Google Play upload.