I developed a college management mobile application using Flutter and Firebase that’s currently in production. Now I’m facing an interesting situation where one customer wants a completely customized version with their own branding, app name, icons, and separate store listings on both Google Play and Apple App Store.
The app integrates several Firebase features like push notifications through FCM, Analytics tracking, and Deep Linking functionality (though I know Deep Linking is deprecated and needs updating).
While handling this for a single customer seems straightforward, I’m worried this could become a common request. What if 20, 75, or even 100+ customers want their own branded versions?
My planned approach includes:
Implementing Flutter build variants to handle client-specific branding elements like app names, logos, and visual assets
Using --dart-define parameters with a centralized ConfigManager class for environment variables such as API endpoints and app identifiers
Creating individual Firebase projects for each white-label customer, complete with separate configuration files
Setting up automated deployment pipelines with CI/CD tools - probably AWS CodeBuild since we’re already using Amazon services
Has anyone successfully scaled this type of white-label Flutter Firebase setup?
I’m particularly interested in:
Practical experiences from developers who’ve done this
Strategies for handling app store submissions across multiple branded apps
Common pitfalls and challenges you encountered
Recommended automation tools and workflows
Best practices for managing Firebase projects at scale
Been there with a fintech app that scaled to 80+ white label versions. The CI/CD part you mentioned is absolutely critical - don’t underestimate it.
We started with CodeBuild but switched to GitHub Actions because Firebase CLI integration was smoother. Real game changer was creating template repositories for each customer variant. This way we could push core updates to all versions simultaneously while keeping their custom configs intact.
One thing nobody talks about - version management becomes hell. When you have 100 apps and need to push a security update, coordinating releases across different app store review timelines is brutal. Some customers want to delay updates, others need them immediately.
For Firebase scaling, use a single project with proper data partitioning by customer ID rather than separate projects. We learned this the hard way when Firebase pricing hit us with multiple project fees.
Your automated deployment pipeline needs to handle certificate management, signing, and store uploads automatically. Manual intervention kills you at scale.
This talk covers some solid CI/CD strategies for white labeling that saved us tons of headaches.
Also prep your customers early about app store requirements. Apple will reject apps that are too similar, so each version needs genuine differentiation beyond just colors and logos.
I dealt with this exact situation two years ago when our healthcare app grew to 40+ white-label versions. The Firebase-per-customer approach works at first, but it becomes a maintenance nightmare fast. What blindsided us was managing push notification certificates - tracking different APNS certs and FCM keys across dozens of projects got insanely complex. We saved ourselves by consolidating Firebase services. Instead of completely separate projects, we used Firebase’s multi-tenancy features and implemented tenant-based data isolation within single projects. This cut our operational overhead way down while keeping data properly separated. For app store submissions, brace yourself for rejections. Apple’s brutal about apps that look too similar, even with different branding. We had to make sure each version had genuinely unique features and value props, clearly documented in submissions. Google Play’s more forgiving but still catches obvious duplicates. The build variant approach you mentioned works initially, but I’d recommend a dynamic config system that pulls branding assets and settings remotely. This saved us from rebuilding and redeploying every time clients wanted minor branding tweaks.
Honestly, the biggest headache isn’t the tech - it’s app store politics. Google flagged 15 of our white label apps as “spam” even though they were legit different customers. Took months to get them back up. Also, watch out for Firebase quotas - they’ll hit you hard when you scale. Maybe try a hybrid approach where you share some Firebase resources but keep customer data separate?
I’m doing something similar - 12 white-label versions and growing. Your Firebase separation strategy works, but watch the costs. Each project has separate billing, and Analytics exports add up fast across dozens of apps.
Deep linking caught me off guard. Universal Links and App Links need unique domains for each branded app, so you’ll need solid domain management. We went with wildcard SSL and dynamic subdomain routing.
For CI/CD, automate iOS provisioning profiles. Handling signing certificates across multiple bundle IDs is a pain without automation. We wrote scripts that generate and refresh certificates through Apple’s API.
ConfigManager’s good, but add feature flags too. Different customers want different features on/off, and rebuilding apps for tiny toggles is wasteful. Firebase remote config handles this nicely and keeps your code unified.
