روبیکا (Rubika)
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
روبیکا (Rubika) is an Iranian super-app in which a messenger with chats and channels sits alongside a social network, a video service, a wallet and a shop. The platform calls itself the first Iranian super-app, launched in Farvardin 1397 of the solar calendar — that is, the spring of 2018 by the Gregorian one.
The platform lists its own components: a messenger with voice and video calls, file transfer and live broadcasts; the روبینو (Rubino) social network for photo and video; a films and series service; a wallet; a children's section; polls. The same page mentions a feature that matters a great deal in Iran: many of the messenger's capabilities come with free data from the Hamrah-e Aval and Irancell carriers.
For working with an audience there are three things here that most platforms of this size do not have: a payout programme of its own for the authors of channels and pages, an open Bot API, and an algorithmic recommendation showcase. All of it is documented on official pages, in Persian.
Who's here
The platform states that the Rubika super-app has more than 37 million users. This is the platform's claim about itself, not an independent measurement.
The geography is Iran, and that follows from more than the language. Support runs on the short number 99977, around the clock, every day of the week; two-factor protection is reset with the USSD command *999#, and holders of SIM cards other than Irancell and Hamrah-e Aval are told to call support. The terms of use require compliance with the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The language of the site and the documentation is Persian.
A separate detail worth planning around: the app is not distributed through the usual stores. The platform suggests downloading the Android version from the site, while iOS users are told to take builds from the Iranian catalogues Sib App, Sibche, Sib Irani, Apstar and iapps; a web version works too.
Getting started
Registration is by mobile phone number with a code from SMS: install the app, enter your number, enter the code you receive — and you can start using it. The age threshold named in the terms is 13; below that, parents or a guardian must give consent. One person may hold up to 3 accounts at the same time.
There is no separate business account with document checks at the door. Public work begins with an ordinary channel or a Rubino page. A channel is created inside the app, and the link and the public identifier can be changed only by the owner. A Rubino page has name requirements: Latin characters only, no fewer than 7 characters, it may not begin with a digit, and the period, at sign, slash, asterisk, hash, equals sign and question mark are forbidden; the underscore is allowed except at the beginning and the end.
Verification
The "blue check" is issued to official organisations, recognised brands, and also well-known legal entities and individuals. The procedure is informal: if you fall into these categories, the platform suggests calling support on 99977.
Commercial page
A Rubino page can be switched to commercial mode: users who sell goods or services submit a request through a form; the first Rubino page cannot be a commercial one.
What you can publish
Messenger formats: chats, channels, groups, voice and video calls, photo and video sharing, stories, live broadcasts and voice rooms in channels and groups. A live broadcast can be started both from the messenger — from a conversation, a group or a channel where you are an administrator — and from Rubino; comments on a broadcast can be closed, and then earlier messages also stop being shown.
Rubino has stories and "highlights": up to 100 highlights can be created on a single page.
What is prohibited is framed in the terms through the platform's rights. Rubika reserves the right to remove content and accounts that publish material it considers unlawful, violent, false, threatening, abusive, defamatory or sexually arousing, as well as material infringing intellectual property rights. The same document states that the platform may delete any content for any reason and without warning, and keeps what has been deleted, restoring it only on a valid court order.
One more clause matters when you publish someone else's material: by posting anything, you grant the platform a non-exclusive, entirely free-of-charge and worldwide licence to use, modify, delete, supplement, publicly perform, reproduce and translate the content without limits in any format and channel. This does not extend to non-public (private) material.
How to grow
The showcase and the algorithm
Rubino is built around the ویترین (Vitrin, "showcase") feed, and the platform describes the selection principle outright: posts are chosen by artificial intelligence on various criteria — how appealing the content is to the audience, how useful it is, and especially the constant daily activity of pages. The phrase "especially daily activity" is a rare case of a platform naming its main ranking factor itself.
Hashtag search works with a caveat: if a query consists of several words, an underscore is placed between them, and it is better not to exceed three words.
The messenger has a selection of popular channels and recommendations: the "Home" section offers popular channels, and similar channels are suggested by artificial intelligence.
Advertising
The terms of use confirm that some services are supported by advertising revenue and may display advertising and promotions, including next to your content, and that the volume, form and type of that advertising may change without warning. A separate advertising console exists at ads.rubika.ir; its page is served by a script and cannot be read without a browser.
Statistics
The front page lists channel statistics among the messenger's capabilities.
Path to monetization
Rubika pays its authors — and that is its main difference from most Iranian messengers. The entry condition is simple: it is enough to have a channel in the messenger or a Rubino page and to publish interesting material.
The accrual mechanics are described on the front page: income is counted by the number of active users and the volume of traffic consumed by users in the channel, or by the popularity of the Rubino page — that is, the platform shares not advertising revenue but money for traffic. The same page promises the ability to withdraw what you earn and an income chart.
The thresholds are named in figures. The earnings console opens once income reaches 2,000,000 rials; at that point the "identity details" section requires the details of the number's owner — that is, you go through identification. The minimum sum for transfer to an account is 200 thousand tomans. Note: 2,000,000 rials and 200 thousand tomans are one and the same amount, and the platform names it in two different units on the same page. The separate "rules of earning in Rubika" that the FAQ refers to live, judging by the text, inside the app — in the earnings service's channel.
A separate practical point: when a channel is transferred to another owner, the linked Rubino page and any unwithdrawn income go with it.
There is also a caveat about the wallet: funds in the Rubika wallet cannot currently be withdrawn — they are spent inside the app on tickets, food, purchases and topping up internet access.
Tools and automation
The platform offers developers an open Bot API. The procedure is described in three steps: create a bot through @BotFather inside Rubika, save the token you receive and send POST requests to an address of the form botapi.rubika.ir/v3/{token}/{method}. There is no moderation of applications.
A bot receives events in two ways. Long polling — periodic calls to getUpdates with the start_id parameter; the platform warns that events arrive with a delay this way. A webhook — the address is set with the updateBotEndpoint method, and a server with a public domain and HTTPS support is required, because the platform connects only to secure addresses; on errors, or in the absence of a correct response, the sending of events may be temporarily halted. For production projects the platform recommends the webhook specifically.
Separate addresses are set for different types of events: receiveUpdate — for messages and presses of the lower chat buttons, receiveInlineMessage — for presses of the buttons under messages.
Limits and rules
- Age. From 13; younger, with parental consent.
- Accounts. Up to 3 at once.
- Content rights. The platform does not claim ownership, but receives a broad, free licence to use and modify what has been published.
- Deletion. Rubika may delete any content without warning; restoration only on a court order.
- Refusal of service. The platform reserves the right, at any time and for any reason, to refuse service to any person, and also to delete inactive usernames and the usernames of violators.
- Traffic. Free data does not apply everywhere: Rubino traffic is charged at full price by the Hamrah-e Aval and Irancell carriers.
- Emergency services. Not available through Rubika.
- Law. Iranian law applies; the platform may delete the usernames of those who break Iranian laws.
Who it's for
It suits projects working with an Iranian audience that have a steady flow of material. The payout formula is tied to daily activity and traffic, and the Rubino showcase, by the platform's own admission, lifts pages that publish every day. The entry threshold for income is low: a few hundred thousand rials, not thousands of followers.
It suits developers: the Bot API is open, the token is issued by a bot with no application review, and both the webhook and polling are supported.
It does not suit foreign brands without an Iranian presence: the site, support and documentation are Persian-only, identification for payouts is tied to the owner of the phone number, and the app is distributed through Iranian catalogues. It does not suit you if you need transparent advertising rates: the console cannot be read without a browser. And it does not suit projects that are sensitive about content rights: the licence you grant the platform is very broad.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the platform describes itself as the first Iranian super-app, launched in Farvardin 1397 (spring 2018)
source, checked 2026-07-28
a messenger with voice and video calls, the Rubino (روبینو) social network for photo and video, a films and series service, a wallet, a children's section, live broadcasts, polls
Some of the capabilities come with free data from the Hamrah-e Aval and Irancell carriers
source, checked 2026-07-28
Who's here
the platform reports more than 37 million users of the super-app
The platform's claim about itself; no date and no definition of a "user" are given
source, checked 2026-07-28
Getting started
registration by mobile phone number with a code from SMS; up to 3 accounts can be held at the same time
The questions section
source, checked 2026-07-28
the Android version is downloaded from the site; iOS users are pointed to the Iranian catalogues Sib App, Sibche, Sib Irani, Apstar and iapps; a web version works
The usual Google Play and App Store are not mentioned
source, checked 2026-07-28
Account and access
the "blue check" is issued to official organisations, recognised brands and well-known legal entities and individuals; applicants are told to call the support number 99977
There is no list of documents and no review times on the public pages
source, checked 2026-07-28
Promotion
posts in the "showcase" (ویترین) feed are selected by artificial intelligence according to the appeal of the content, its usefulness and especially the constant daily activity of pages
A rare case of a platform naming a ranking factor itself
source, checked 2026-07-28
Advertising
the advertising console at ads.rubika.ir opens but is served by a script: without a browser it returns nothing but a demand to enable JavaScript
Formats, targeting and prices not verified; robots.txt permits crawling
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
the earnings console opens when income reaches 2,000,000 rials; identification of the number's owner is carried out there as well
The «کسب درآمد» section
source, checked 2026-07-28
the minimum sum for transfer to an account is 200 thousand tomans (the same amount as 2,000,000 rials; the platform names it in two units)
The wording «در حال حاضر» — "at present"
source, checked 2026-07-28
income is counted by the number of active users and the volume of traffic consumed by users in the channel, or by the popularity of the Rubino page
These are payments for traffic, not a share of advertising revenue
source, checked 2026-07-28
Limits and restrictions
the minimum age is 13; for younger users consent is given by parents or a guardian
The «شرایط ورود» section
source, checked 2026-07-28
traffic of the Rubino service (pages and the "showcase") is charged at full price by the Hamrah-e Aval and Irancell carriers
That is, free data does not apply to all sections
source, checked 2026-07-28
Restrictions
the platform may delete any content for any reason and without warning; deleted material is kept by it and restored only on a valid court order
The same document gives the right to refuse service to any person
source, checked 2026-07-28
Legal
by publishing material, a user grants the platform a non-exclusive, entirely free-of-charge and worldwide licence to use, modify, delete, supplement, publicly perform, reproduce and translate it in any format and channel
Does not extend to non-public (private) material
source, checked 2026-07-28
API access
a bot is created through @BotFather inside Rubika; requests are sent by POST to an address of the form botapi.rubika.ir/v3/{token}/{method}
There is no moderation of applications
source, checked 2026-07-28
two ways of receiving events: long polling with the getUpdates method and the start_id parameter, and a webhook via updateBotEndpoint; the webhook requires a server with a public domain and HTTPS, and is recommended for production projects
Separate addresses are set for receiveUpdate and receiveInlineMessage
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: fa
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
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