I'm finishing up an iPhone app. I'm using an external server to inform users of when an update is available for my app and allowing them to click from within the app to go straight to the update on the app store. Problem is, I can't seem to figure out the link format to go directly to the update. I've found an old method of using viewsoftwareUpdate (mentioned in another post here) but it's all related to outdated phobos links and I can't seem to get it working for me. I'm currently using the simple format to link directly to the app: itms-apps://itunes.com/apps/"appname", and I assume there is a way to alter this format to get to the app update instead of the main app page?
This seems like a pretty basic functionality so I'm surprised I can't find anything on it.
Also, does anybody know how to link directly to the users own update tab in the app store? Not specific to one app, but the update tab that shows all the updates they have available for download.
Turns out the phobos links do still work and you can link directly to the update page using this URL format:
itms-apps://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwareUpdate?id=[APPID]&mt=8
Of course replacing the [APPID] with your own app id, not including the brackets. This will link directly to the latest update for the app, instead of the main app page.
[Note: the solution was posted in with the question, I just moved it here --progrmr]
Just link to your app in the app store, that link will never change.
The page will show the updates right above the screenshots.
Your best bet is to strip the update information from your apps page using JSON, or some XML parser.
As for the list of all updates, again, Apple compares versions of the installed apps and lists them accordingly, stripping out only the update information.
The phobos link did not work for me so I used the following link and it works great:
itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwareUpdate?id=[APPID]&mt=8
Related
I want to open app from an external link, for example a link that I get in iMessage, the question is, I should use deepLink or universalLink, I want to open the app when I tap on the link, then having ability to read the url in the app is enough for me.
And for this matter, I should set a Json file in the website as well? something like this:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/supporting-universal-links-in-your-app
It's a bit confusing for me, could anyone gives me a real example and steps?
Thank you
Yes, basically both the app itself and the website need to be aware that you are going to be using Universal Links. There are a few steps to do this:
First you need to include the website as an Associated Domain inside of your Xcode project.
Then for the website you do have to create what is known as the apple-app-site-association file. This lets the the website know which apps are associated with the website.
This tutorial has a step by step on How to setup your website to work Universal Links.
Lastly you will have to have to update your AppDelegate file to handle when a Universal link opens the application.
More info can be found in the official Apple Documentation on Creating Universal Links.
When I click on the link I created on the website; If the application is installed, I want it to open and go to the page I want in the application, if the application is not installed, I want it to go to the app store or play store. I searched a lot but couldn't find it. Can you help me.
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The solution for you would be deep linking or custom scheme. Them are practically, the same thing. Here you can find a link how to use them:
https://medium.com/flutter-community/deep-links-and-flutter-applications-how-to-handle-them-properly-8c9865af9283
This is exactly what Firebase Dynamic links was created for.
You can configure urls to redirect based on whether the user has the app installed or not.
https://firebase.google.com/docs/dynamic-links
i've just had my iPhone app rejected on the 20.2 statement of the Review Guidelines:
Official rules for sweepstakes and contests, must be presented in the app and make it clear that Apple is not a sponsor or involved in the activity in any manner
Now, I have a problem. In my app I will have more than one contest, even if all based on the same ground rules. Can I put these rules in the app (like in a UITextField) taking them dynamically form a server? In this manner I could specify, for exemple, the specific period of time each contest would last without having to chose them right now... Do you think that this would be accepted or I have to put those rules directly in the bundle?
Thank you
it would definitely be accepted...
but, a web view would be better than a text field... open an html hosted on your server in the web view. You can add rules and declaration that apple is not involved in any way in that html and change it whenever you want... with html you'd be able to add images (or even videos .. HTML5?)...
you can also include a default html in your app which would open when theres no connectivity...
In way you have already done you are able to violate apple guidelines at any moment.
Consider updating your app instead of downloading contests from server.
quick question...is there a way to make update to an iphone app (news and stuff) without the need of updating the whole app (aka making the user update the app)?
Thanks for any responses!
If your app pulls in an RSS / XML feed, then the app itself shouldn't need updating through Apple. Considering your app has a solid foundation and does not bug out.
Also, you can use a UIWebView to load a remote html (or php or whatever) file which you can obviously update remotely.
Sorry for the long explanation. Thanks in advance to all who are taking their time.
I am an Ubuntu user who has set up Titanium Developer on a MacMini in order to build an app for the iPhone (and ultimately some other platforms).
Rather than having any local code built in, the app simply points to my website. To do that, all I needed to do was change Titanium's tiapp.xml file to include my website URL. I wrote no other code, nor did I need to include any other files. It simply compiled and ran in the emulator without a hitch.
I've got just one problem: I need to upload files to my website and Apple, as most of you know, has disabled the input field type=file. I've got it working in all other browsers. The action simply calls a php file and passes the file info.
If I didn't have an app, and someone was just manually navigating to my site with the iPhone's Safari browser, I could get around the problem by using CliqCliq, which is a very cool iPhone app. Basically, I use JavaScript window.open() to launch CliqCliq's QuickPic browser in a second Safari window. The user chooses a file; QuickPic uploads it; and the user is returned to the second Safari window that I launched with window.open(). The user closes the window and Safari returns them to the first window (i.e., my website).
The problem is that my website is being shown in my app. (By the way, I don't have my developer license yet, even though I signed up a few weeks ago, and I can't test this in the emulator because I can't install QuickPic into it, I assume.) I wanted to repeat the same steps, described in the previous paragraph, using an iFrame but that didn't seem to work (i.e., the iFrame was blank despite my designating a src). I also tried having a hidden window by using old-fashioned frames and setting the col-width to 0. That also did not work (i.e., Safari, if I recall correctly, opened a separate window).
I'm working a little blind, since I can't test anything on the iPhone, but I figure I have two options: I can either find a way to launch a QuickPic in an iFrame -or- I can find some way to incorporate the Apple toolkit file chooser into the Titanium app.
The problem with the first option -- but again, I don't know until I can try this on the iPhone -- is that I assume both apps (mine and CliqCliq's) could not run at the same time. Even if I had a hidden window, invisible iFrame, etc., the moment it launches QuickPic, I assume my app would quit(?).
The problem with the second option is that I don't have clue as to how to incorporate a file picker into my app by using Titanium (keeping in mind, everyone, that I know very little). Brian at CliqCliq has even offered to give me some code if I can't make Apple's file picker work but again, I'm not sure what to do next.
What do you folks think? What's the best method? And, what's the easiest thing for a simpleton to do?
Thanks.
<input type="file"> is not supported on the iPhone. You'll need to use Titanium's APIs, specifically the Media one (openPhotoGallery or showCamera).
As a side note, Apple reportedly rejects apps that are just a webview displaying a website. You may want to consider putting most of the app code in local storage and using AJAX to fetch content.