Location update stops tracking after some longer period of time (few days) or after restart device. Is there any solution for this problem?
I have set "App registers for location updates" in plist file.
According to the official Apple iOS SDK automatic stating for an app is only possible for apps that declare the VOIP background mode:
VOIP
The app provides Voice-over-IP services. Apps with this key are
automatically launched after system boot so that the app can
reestablish VoIP services. Apps with this key are also allowed to play
background audio.
No other background mode specifies that the app will launched after system boot.
If you use the VOIP key and you app is not a real VOIP app you might be rejected so this might not be an option.
Related
Actually I want to build such a iOS app which will give alert if user start sms application or messaging application when he is driving more than certain speed limit. As I am new in iOS development I don't know whether it is feasible or not?
Basically my id:
Q: How do I get notified when user starts messaging app?
Due to iOS sandboxing restrictions, you cannot get any information from your app regarding launching or usage of any other apps.
The only way to do this would be if you were the developer of both apps. In that case you could use an external server to log when each of the apps is launched and then get this information from the converse app.
We are trying to develop an application similar to an existing app currently in the app store.
This app is sending location data in the background to a web service, and the app will continue to run following a reboot of the device. I will also note, that following the app being installed and registered, the location services indictor remains constantly on the status bar. I am assuming this is necessary to allow the app to continue to run following a the device being restarted.
We have tried using the "UIBackgroundModes/required background modes for location", and have been unsuccessful in having the app continue to run following a reboot of the device.
Can someone please point us in the right direction as to how to have the app continue to send location data following a device reboot.
Thank you very much!
No app will run following a device reboot. It is not possible to build a file daemon under Apple's SDKs. You'd have to jailbreak the phone and run unauthorized stuff to do so, then you wouldn't be accepted into Apple's app store.
Yes your app will be restarted if your are monitoring significant location changes or monitoring a region and that region is entered/exited.
In iOS 7 Apple made an important change that will disable these mechanisms if a user force quits your app. They will remain disabled until the user starts your app again.
I've answered two different questions now, both explaining how VOIP apps don't start on start-up, yet people seem to think they do.
I'm not 100% sure myself, someone linked me to a part of the apple docs, which doesn't really mention anything about auto-starting of apps.
I was originally going on prior knowledge and this answer, but after another person saying that they do, I'm really not sure.
As far as I'm aware, apps only react to push notifications, and can't be launched into the background when a device is turned on.
Can we please clarify whether it is possible to auto-start an app or not?
Take a look at the UIBackgroundModes section in this document - it seems to state that adding the voip key will autostart an app on boot.
Edit: a sample app seems to confirm this behavior.
I confirm that setting VOIP mode works. However, I've found that the app won't restart after power up unless it was running when the device was powered off. Furthermore, the app won't actually restart on the recently powered up device until the device is unlocked after power up.
OK, I don't know if this classifies as an answer but I feel obligated to say. I am developing an app that both tracks significant location changes and provides VoIP features. The app has voip key in Required background modes. I tried some cases which I would like to share the results:
App is in Debug mode - Turned off while app was running (active or background) - iOS 7.1.1 (11D201) and iPhone 4 (product name: iPhone3,2):
When booted, app is running in background, as well as other apps that were running before. I do not think this is related to VoIP in any way.
App is in Debug mode - Turned off while app was terminated - iOS 7.1.1 (11D201) and iPhone 4 (product name: iPhone3,2):
When booted, the app is not running, there are no logs in configuration utility, server says the user is not registered I cannot call it from other devices; and yet the other apps that are not related to voip or location tracking but were open before turning off are at least loaded in memory. Meaning, the voip key did not work.
I have continued the test with the same app but this time downloaded it from app store. The results are the same. Changed the device and os to iPhone 3G (product name: iPhone2,1) and iOS 6.1.6 (10B500). Nothing changed both in debug and release modes.
I have told my boss that Apple provides this behavior and it can be done. Then I had second thoughts and tried, now I am desperately trying to find another way. Going to send my regards to Apple about this.
You can not launch an application without user interaction. The user has to click on the app icon, on push notifications, on a custom link. May be there are other ways I am not aware of, but even if they exist, they require user interaction to intentionally launch the app.
Edit
It turns out, as Tim mentioned, there might be an exception for VOIP apps.
I have been developing VoIP apps and I can confirm that VoIP app will autostart when iPhone reboots as long as user doesn't kill it before reboot. When iOS autostart voip app only application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: will be run, i.e. applicationDidBecomeActive: won't be run.
I used to doubt whether iOS will automatically restart the voip app when it crashes. After investigating I find iOS does automatically restart the voip app but if it keeps crashing iOS will then try servals time before it finally gives up.
If you check iPhone console output from xcode, you can see logs like these after the first crash
..
Service exited due to signal: Abort trap: xxx
Unable to get short BSD proc info for xxxx: No such process
Application 'UIKitApplication:xxxxx]' crashed.
...
Significant location change or region monitoring also causes an app to launch on boot as long as its turned on and left on. No UIBackgroundModes key is necessary for this.
I am building GPS Tracking app. I want the tracking functionality to be started
after a reboot of device. Now I did with background compatibility, It works fine on background, but I need to start tracking when the device is rebooted (switch on) without having to open the app to start the functionality.
How can I implement that. Please give me procedure for how to enable the autostart for
that app and how to invoke a method to start tracking.
If you watch the app like skype and webEx that are autostarted on iphone starts..
How these apps are working. I have no idea for enabling this autostart.
Please suggest me how to do?
Thanks in advance...
Add the UIBackgroundModes key to your app’s Info.plist file. Set the value of this key to an array that includes the voip string.
You can do that in xcode: Select your project root -> Capabilities -> Background Modes -> check 'Voice over IP'.
From the documentation:
"An app with this key is also relaunched in the background immediately after system boot".
No third party app can be launched on startup. Skype (and others) simple respond to push notifiactions
The only way to actually open an app from the user not explicitly opening it, is to call a [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL]; - or somehow otherwise open a URL, and you have to set your app up to have a custom URL scheme... see this page.
E.g: Doodle jump has URLs such as doodlejump://highscores - which you can open from an email from them or their website.
How can i make my application start on the iPhone startup?
If you plan on distributing your app via the App Store, this is not possible.
As Randolfo mentions, many things are possible via jailbroken installations.
You asked this question on 10th August 2010.
Now it's 13 November 2012. I'm adding this answer for future people who have the same question.
Now in iOS 6. There is a built in feature called guided access. You can achieve this feature using guided access. Still now you can't do this through code.
Please check these links:
enable-guided-access-ios
tip-how-to-turn-on-guided-access-in-ios-6-put-ipad-into-guest-user-mode
You can only do it with a jailbroken phone.
Only some very specific background applications can be started right from the iphone startup.
This includes VOiP applications for instance:
"Including the voip value in the UIBackgroundModes key lets the system know that it should allow the application to run in the background as needed to manage its network sockets. An application with this key is also relaunched in the background immediately after system boot to ensure that the VoIP services are always available."
As taken from:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/iPhoneOSProgrammingGuide/BackgroundExecution/BackgroundExecution.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40007072-CH5-SW15