User Guide: Basic Controls
Now that you’ve mastered the BubbleBeats fundamentals, it’s time to learn some basic BubbleBeats controls. Learning these controls will enable you to take full advantage of the BubbleBeats app.
This section will teach you how to change a Bubble’s color, how to move a Bubble or the canvas, how to delete a Bubble, or undo an action if you regret a slip of the finger, and how to zoom in or out of the canvas. After you’ve mastered these basic controls, read the next section, Advanced Controls, to learn how BubbleBeats can help you discover music in new and unexpected ways.
Learn how to:
- Change a Bubble’s Color
- Move a Bubble on the Canvas
- Delete a Bubble
- Undo the Last Action
- Move the Canvas Around
- Zoom In or Out
Change a Bubble’s Color
All Bubbles are blue by default. Follow these steps to learn how to change a Bubble’s color.
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Step 1
Select the Bubble whose color you wish to change. Press and hold your finger on this Bubble for approximately 3 seconds and then release. A menu will appear. |
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Step 2 From this menu, tap the “Change Color” option. You will be presented with a new menu. |
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Step 3 When the “Pick a Color” menu is first presented, the current color of your Bubble is in the center circle, and the new color options for your Bubble appear on the outer color-gradient ring. |
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Step 4 To select your Bubble’s new color, either tap the color of your choice on the outer color gradient ring, or press and hold your finger on the outer ring, and then drag your finger around the color gradient. The center circle will change colors as you drag your finger around the color gradient. If you tapped on the outer color gradient ring, the color you selected will appear in the center circle. |
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Step 5 Once you have chosen your new color, tap the center circle to apply this color to your Bubble. An indicator ring will appear around your color choice to inform you that your choice has been selected. You will be returned to your Bubble and it will be wearing its new color. |
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Step 6 Your Bubble will be the new color you just chose. |
Move a Bubble on the Canvas
Bubbles don’t have to stay where they were first created. You can move Bubbles around the BubbleBeats canvas by following these instructions.
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Step 1
Choose the Bubble you wish to move. In this example, we want to move the dark pink Bubble to the place indicated by the faded pink circle in the figure to the left. |
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Step 2 Press and hold your finger on the Bubble you wish to move. While keeping your finger in contact with this Bubble, slide your finger to the place on the screen where you want the Bubble to now reside. |
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Step 3 Once you have moved your Bubble to its new location, simply release your finger from your phone’s screen. Bubbles can be moved anywhere on the BubbleBeats canvas, even overlapped with other Bubbles, like in this example. BB_Tip: Learn how to overlap Bubbles to create a Foam. |
Delete a Bubble
For whatever reason, you may want to delete a Bubble. Follow these steps to learn how.
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Step 1
Select the Bubble you want to delete. Press and hold your finger on this Bubble. In this example, we are going to delete the pink Bubble in the figure on the left. |
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Step 2 Always keep your finger in contact with the Bubble you want to delete. Using a flicking motion, slide your finger to any side of your phone’s screen. In the figure on the left, we are sliding our finger to the left side of the phone’s screen. |
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Step 3 Once you have flicked your finger off the screen, BubbleBeats will make a sound and the Bubble will be removed. |
Undo the Last Action
BubbleBeats allows you to undo three actions: Changing a Bubble’s color, moving a Bubble around the canvas, and deleting a Bubble. Here’s how.
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Step 1
To either undo a Bubble’s new color, to move a Bubble back to where you just moved it from, or to undelete a Bubble, start by pressing your phone’s “Menu” key. A menu will appear. |
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Step 2
From this menu, tap the “Undo” option; it’s the the icon with the arrow making a sideways “U”. |
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Step 3
Your last action will be undone. In this example, we’ve restored the pink Bubble we deleted in the last set of instructions. |
Move the Canvas Around
The BubbleBeats canvas is nearly limitless in any direction, but only a small fraction is viewable on your phone’s screen at any given time. You will need to move the canvas in order to discover new areas to create Bubbles and Foams. Learning to move the canvas is like learning to move a Bubble: You simply press, hold, and slide your finger.
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Step 1
Press and hold your finger on a blank area of the canvas currently viewable on your phone’s screen. |
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Step 2 While keeping your finger in contact with your phone’s screen, slide your finger in the direction you wish to move the canvas. The canvas will move with your finger and reveal the area of the canvas that is currently off-screen opposite the direction you are sliding your finger. In this example, we are going to move the canvas up. |
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Step 3 As you slide your finger along your phone’s screen, whatever was off-screen will be revealed. |
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Step 4 If you wish to keep moving the canvas in the same direction, release your finger, and then repeat Steps 1 through 3 until you have arrived at the area where you want to stop on the canvas. As long as your finger remains in contact with your phone’s screen, you can move the canvas in any direction. This trick is helpful if you want to explore the immediate area surrounding a Bubble, but don’t want to lose your current location. |
Zoom In or Out
Zooming in or out of the BubbleBeats canvas helps you to create and view your Foams. Follow these instructions to learn how.
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Step 1
Press your phone’s “Menu” key. A menu will appear. |
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Step 2
From this menu, tap the “Find” option; it’s the the icon of the magnifying glass. A new menu will appear. |
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Step 3 From the “Zoom” menu, tap the option that corresponds to whether you want to zoom in or out. In this example, we are going to tap “Zoom Out.” BubbleBeats will now automatically start zooming out from the canvas, making all Bubbles smaller and revealing more of the canvas at one time. |
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Step 4
When you have reached your desired level of magnification, tap the screen to stop BubbleBeats from zooming in or out, depending upon what you selected in Step 3. |
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Step 5 Because we selected “Zoom Out” in Step 3, more of the canvas is viewable to us now than was in Step 1. Selecting “Zoom In” would have had the opposite effect. |






















