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Known issues

A few things work differently depending on where you run Nowa or your app, and a few editor actions need a workaround in this version. Here's what to expect, why it happens, and the quickest way around each one.

Firestore queries can't be tested on Windows​

In the Windows desktop app, the Test section of a Firestore query is switched off. It shows "Testing Firestore Queries isn't possible on Windows version", with the hint "Simply connect your query to the UI and test it by running the app on a simulator, or use Nowa web or MacOS version". The Windows version of Nowa can't run Firestore queries itself, so it can't try them out for you.

That doesn't stop you from building a Firebase app on Windows. Your queries still work in your app. You only check the results another way:

  1. Connect the query to your UI (see Use Cloud Firestore).
  2. Click Run to see real results in the Embedded preview, which runs the web version of your app. Or run it on an Android emulator or a phone (see Run on a device or emulator). Skip Windows in the Run on menu: Nowa connects Firebase for web, Android, iOS and macOS, not for Windows or Linux apps.

You can also try a query out before you build it:

  • In the Firebase console. Open your Firebase project, go to Databases & Storage → Firestore → Data and click the Query builder tab. Choose Collection and type the collection's name, click Add to query for each filter, then click Run. Once the results look right, build the same query in Nowa. Reads you make in the console count toward your Firestore usage. See Firebase's guide to querying data in the console.
  • In another version of Nowa, once the query editor works again. In Nowa 3.13 you can't pick a query in the Queries editor on any platform, so this route is closed for now: see Add collections and queries in Nowa 3.13. When that's fixed, open the same project in the web app or the macOS desktop app, where the Test section is on. For a local project, make a cloud copy first with Project Sync, test the query in that copy, then build the same query in your local project.

API tests fail in the web app but work elsewhere​

In the web app, Nowa sends test requests from your browser. Browsers follow a safety rule called CORS: a web page may only call an API that says it accepts calls from that page's address. If an API doesn't, the test fails in the web app, even though the same request works in the desktop app and in your built mobile app.

To test it anyway, use the desktop app. If you run the API yourself, for example on a backend service you set up, look in its settings for the list of allowed addresses (often called allowed origins or CORS) and add https://app.nowa.dev. Your published web app runs in a browser too, so allow its address as well. See Connect a REST API.

Continue with Apple is missing in the desktop app​

Continue with Apple appears only in the web app and on iOS. In the desktop app, sign in with email or Continue with Google. If you signed up with Apple, sign in from the web app or on iOS. See Create your account.

Google Maps shows a placeholder​

The Google Maps widget shows "Run to preview" on the board. In Play and in a shared preview it says "Run on a simulator/emulator or mobile device to preview". Neither draws a live map, so run your app to see the real one. See Add Google Maps.

Ads show test ads​

The Admob Banner widget and interstitial ads show Google's test ads (sample ads meant for testing) until you turn Show Test Ads off, and real ads run only on Android and iOS. See Show ads with AdMob.

Instant Play is close, not exact​

Play on the board runs your screens instantly, but it's an approximation. Its own tooltip says so: "In board preview is not 100% accurate, run the app to see the real output". Use Run whenever you need to know how the real app behaves. See Preview and test.

Linux: the preview opens in your browser and updates are manual​

The Linux desktop app has no in-app preview yet. When you run your app, the preview pane says "Your app is running" and offers Open in Browser. Click it to open your app in your browser. See Run your app.

The Linux app doesn't update itself either. When a new version is out, the update message offers Download v… and Skip. To update, download the new archive and run install.sh again, as you did to install it. See Install on Linux.

The code download keeps spinning in the web app​

After you click the zip in the Code download popup, its row keeps spinning and can't be clicked again. The download itself works, so check your browser's downloads. To download once more, close the popup and open it again. See Download your code.

A pending custom domain can't be removed​

The trash icon in Custom Domain (Remove custom domain) appears only after Nowa has verified your domain. While it's still pending, you can't remove or change it yourself, so double-check the spelling before you click Set. If you need to change a pending domain, ask the Nowa team with Chat with support. See Use your own domain.

Some letters don't type in the Variables list​

When you name a new variable, param or function in the Variables list, or double-click one to rename it, the letters t, r, v and f can trigger board shortcuts instead of typing, and the rename may stop. Select the item and type the name in Name in Details instead, which takes every letter. See Store data in variables.

Shift + drag can drop a widget out of its screen​

Holding Shift while you drag a widget keeps it on one axis, even when your pointer drifts off that line. If the pointer is outside the screen when you let go, the widget leaves the screen and becomes its own item on the board, even if it still looks inside. Keep the pointer inside the screen, or press Ctrl/Cmd + Z once to put the widget back. To nudge a widget in a Stack along one axis, select it and press Shift + an arrow key, 10 pixels per press. See Select, move and resize.

A / you type in Details doesn't appear​

In Nowa 3.13, a / you type in a field in Details is dropped. Fields in Circuit aren't affected. A route path (the address of a screen, such as /home) typed in Route Settings loses its slashes, and Problems reports "Top-level route path must start with a leading slash". Type route paths in the Router panel instead: select the route and type the path in Path, which keeps every /. For other text with a /, such as a web address, paste it into the field. See Give a screen a path.

Detach loses an instance's param values​

When you detach a component instance, its widgets still point at the component's params (the values each copy of the component gets, such as its title), and the values you gave that instance are lost. The board shows a red box such as "[title] is not found", while Problems lists nothing. Note the values before you detach. Afterwards, click each broken property's name, choose Detach... and type the value again, or link it to something else. See Build reusable components.

Double-clicking on the board doesn't work​

If you turned on the New UX experimental flag, double-clicking a widget on the board doesn't go one level deeper or start editing its text, and the board's usual toolbar at the bottom is hidden. Turn the flag off: open Settings (the gear in the top bar) → Project Details → Experimental flags → Edit, switch off New UX and click Apply. Nowa saves your project and reopens it with the usual board. See Experimental flags.

A widget dragged across the app bar keeps the app bar's size​

When you drag a widget in a screen over the screen's app bar, the app bar takes it in while your pointer is there. If you carry on and drop it in the body or on the board, it keeps the size it had in the app bar: a Container can land as a thin line with a height of 0, and a Text or a Button gets a fixed width and height. Press Ctrl/Cmd + Z to undo the drop, and keep the pointer off the app bar while you drag. See Where a dragged widget lands.

Reloading right after connecting Firebase loses the connection​

In Nowa 3.13, if you reload the page or close Nowa soon after Connect Apps, the connection can be lost before it's saved. Your app then can't start, because a Firebase settings file it needs is gone, and Settings → Integrations → Firebase asks for your project again. To avoid it, save first: press Ctrl/Cmd + S, or click the save icon in the status bar, then Save now. The icon shows a check mark once everything is saved. If it already happened, connect again: Nowa reuses the Firebase apps it created, so you don't end up with duplicates in Firebase. See Connect Firebase.

The status bar shows "Unsupported invalid type"​

After you turn on Firebase Authentication, the status bar can show a cut-off error that starts with "Unsupported operation: Unsupported invalid type InvalidType", while Problems says "No issues detected". Nothing has been found to stop working because of it, so you can carry on. See Sign users in with Firebase.

Supabase tables don't show up after connecting with keys​

If you connected Supabase with Use Keys, the Tables page can show "Error fetching tables: … Access to schema is forbidden", and Query Templates can stay on No Tables Found. Nowa asks for your list of tables with your anon key (the public key you pasted), and Supabase announced that from April 2026 it only shares that list with a full-access key. Authorize Nowa once: in the Supabase panel, click ⋮ → Change API Keys → Connect, then Select the same project. Your functions stay. See Connect with keys.

Stripe subscriptions can't be cancelled from your app​

In Nowa 3.13, the cancel function that Deploy Configuration adds to your Supabase project has an error, so cancelling a subscription from your app fails, even though deploying ends with "Deployed successfully!". Until a fix ships, cancel subscriptions in your Stripe Dashboard: on the Subscriptions page, open the subscription's overflow menu, choose Cancel subscription, pick when it ends and confirm. Your Stripe webhook then updates the subscription's record in Supabase, so your app sees the change. See Accept payments with Stripe and Stripe's guide to cancelling subscriptions.

Connecting Figma doesn't work right now​

When you click the Figma icon in the chat field, or Connect next to Figma in your account settings, Waiting for Authorization... appears but no browser window opens, so Figma can't be linked. Click Cancel. Linking fails for every account, so until it's fixed you can't turn on the Figma connector unless your account was already linked to Figma. See Connect Figma and Supabase to Nowa AI.

The AI chat shows a grey box in the playground​

In the playground, before you sign in, the toolbar under the chat field can show as a grey box, and the mode menu and Add context don't open. Nowa AI needs an account anyway, and you can still get there: type your message and press Enter, and Nowa asks you to sign in. See Try Nowa without an account.

The Redirect Logic row keeps showing +​

In the Router panel, after you click + next to Redirect Logic, Nowa adds the function at once, but the row can keep showing + for minutes. Don't click it again. Click <> in the top bar to open code mode, then <> again to come back: the row now shows the bolt button (Edit Function). The trip to code mode and back is only a way to refresh the panel. See Start on the login screen or the home screen.

The app shows an error when a screen loads data at start​

In Nowa 3.13, if you turn on await for a step in a screen's InitState Function (the logic that runs when the screen opens), the screen shows an error when you run your app, with a message that includes "initState() returned a Future". await makes the whole start-up function wait, and Flutter, the toolkit your app is built on, doesn't allow that. Put the waiting steps in a function of their own, with await inside it, and call that function from InitState Function with await off. Or ask Nowa AI in Agent mode, for example: "Load the products in a separate function and call it when the screen opens, without awaiting it." Then click Run to check that the error is gone. See Run logic when a screen opens or closes.

Next steps​

  • Troubleshooting: find a fix by the message you see.
  • Get help: chat with the Nowa team, report an issue or find the community.