If I am using Airtable or Google Sheet as an external database, can I update the database in realtime, without the need to republishing and updating the apps to the Play Store, so users get the most current data - example Live Sports Update?
Not in real-time but you can produce logic that checks for updates using a recursive function. Then if there are updates in the DB, the app updates too.
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Hi @isazaly,
you can store your data in an external database and display it in your app, without changing it in the stores. The question is how does your app know that there is new data:
- thunkable has no event for airtable or google sheets. That means your app has to look at regular intervals (depends on your app: in minutes? hours? days?) if something has changed
- but if you store your data in firebase then there is an event (see in blocks: “variables -> when … initializes or changes”). You need an account in firebase and then you enter the firebase API key and firebase data URL in your apps settings. Then your cloud-type variables in thunkable trigger an event when they change, in realtime.
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Thank you Michael. I will look into Firebase, although I am still a newbie 
I use the screen start event. Every time the app opens, I check if it is online, then reload the data.
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That works! Thanks @drted!!!
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