I thought I read/saw/heard something saying that apps built for iPhone 4's Retina Display would automatically run at 640x960 when installed on an iPad. However, can't find any documentation on that specific feature, and my app still runs at 320x480 when installed on an iPad.
Is there a step I've missed to make this happen? Or did I just imagine this being a feature?
Apps do not auto-upscale, BUT if you have an image larger than the UIImageView you are placing it in, you will get as large a version as the iPad can draw.
I don't think it knows to pull in #2x images, just ones that are actually larger than the space you are placing them into.
This is not the case; currently, apps won't auto-upscale on an iPad. Perhaps Apple will add this in iOS 4.x for iPad, but certainly there's been no indication from them that they will.
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I am new to UI design, however a client wants an app ready for both iPhone 4s & 5.
I understand the iPhone 5 will create two bars if the image is not long enough. Many people said coding it at #2x will solve the problem. But I'm not sure exactly what that means.
Do I need to design two versions? What happens if I design only for iPhone 5? Will iPhone 4S users see a squished screen?
Thanks.
First, in a couple of months you'll have to support the iPhone 5's screen size. Apple have announced that it'll be a requirement soon.
Adding a Default.png of the right size is enough to enable an app to support the new screen size but is likely not enough. You'll also need to make sure that all your views resize to fill the screen. There's the old "springs and struts" method and the newer "constraints." There are tutorials you can search for -- Stackoverflow is not a good place for that kind of thing. You'll also need to update any images.
In short, try it in the Simulator and see what happens.
Using #2x is referring to whether or not the image asset is being displayed on a 'retina' screen. For example, if you had a 50x50 pixel image, the 'retina' (#2x) version would be 100x100. This is because 1pt (point) is equal to 2px (pixel) on a retina screen.
There are a variety of ways you can determine is it is an iPhone5 or iPhone4.
In the viewDidLoad, you could check the self.view.frame.size.height to determine which background image to load based on the height of the screen. This would require you to have two different versions of the assets (not including #2x versions), i.e. bg_iphone5.png & bg_iphone4.png.
There are other ways to accomplish this, and people have explained it better than I have here - search StackOverflow and you will surely find what you're looking for.
What happens if I design only for iPhone 5? Will iPhone 4S users see a squished screen?
Don't do this. Design for both.
This is for avoiding an extra target and writing any target-specific adaptation code for the Ipad, separate apps on App Store, etc etc - but instead let the Iphone app display in 640x960 rather than 320x480#2x using the "2x" button.
Even on a non-retina Ipad, there's room for 640x960, but the Ipad is still running Iphone apps on the Ipad as if they were made only for Iphone 3GS.
This is for an app used internally by a company and any authorized client/partner. The company has bought Ipads, but the clients/partners may want to use the Iphones they have.
So, I'm looking for a compile-time target flag or a snippet of code to execute to detect the platform is Ipad and make it display the window full-size.
Has someone succeeded in doing this and if so, how did you achieve it?
This isn't really how things work ... you're trying to create a workaround that will probably take you longer to get to work (if at all possible) than it would if you just commit to making iPad friendly layouts.
If you just make the project a universal binary, then it would run "natively" on the ipad rather than in iphone compatibility mode. After that, the simplest thing you could do is just make sure your view's resize masks are set correctly so they stretch. Depending on the complexity and makeup of your app, many times this is enough to get you through. However, in many cases it would behoove you to just make an ipad specific layout as usability is oftentimes greatly improved.
I'm developing some app that it is not actually on iphones older than 4. So I have included in the project only #2x images, and have seted not to launch on iphone 3x and older. Is it ok not to include images without #2x suffix, cause it is not relevant? (I mean for AppStore)
The low res images are not required. Don't forget that the iPad can also run your iPhone app, and would be using non-retina images.
For memory purposes the OS uses the low-res pictures in older iPhones/iPods that's why it would need them. So if you are not supporting them you probably don't need them, I would recommend you to not add the suffix (just in case it messes up with something), just leave the original name of the image.
About supporting your app in the iPad, in the 2x mode your app will look a bit better because it will be using the high-res pictures instead of the low-res pictures.
My question is simple: when an iPhone app also supports retina display, it does not need an additional xib file. (Fonts and images are auto-scaled, you just need to prepare double-resolution images.) I want that retina view also applies to iPad and hence there's no additional xib files. (Scale a bit and leave a bit margin, maybe.) Yes, I just want it look bigger, but not in the low-resolution version scaled up from 320x480.
The iPhone, even with a retina display, is not an iPad. You can update your targets and xcode will convert automatically your views to use the entire screen of the iPad, but it won't make the application conforms to
1. Apple guidelines
2. Users expectations of an universal app.
But, as I said, if you do update your targets, your app might look relatively good (just programatically use UI_USER_INTERFACE_IDIOM to use the #2x.png version of your images).
Edit: I misunderstood your question, and now the corrected answer:
There's nothing you can do. The iPad will launch the app as an iPhone app (the small non retina display, pixelated if double sized) if it is defined as such in your plist, and iTunes Connect will sell your app as universal if it isn't defined as an iPhone in the info.plist.
You basically have little choice here but to port the app or to more or less forget about iPad users. And Apple certainly wanted things to be that way...
So I'm currently making an app that supports both iphone 3gs and ipad (this is a universal binary app).
What I'm wondering is how will iphone 4 users view my app, will they see it pixelated? will they not see it full screen since my iphone 3gs is on a smaller resolution?
I don't have an iphone 4 yet but I'd rather just release this app as is - just for 3gs and ipad. Is there anything that I must know / any precautions etc? Oh (i just thought of this) is there an iphone 4.0 simulator so i can check out if my app works okay?
Thanks!
Basically any bitmap graphics (PNG files) will look a little blurry on the iPhone 4's Retina display.
The easiest way to fix this is to make double scaled versions (100x100 becomes 200x200) of all your PNG files and add them to your project suffixed with "#2x.png". In other words, MyBitmap.png will become MyBitmap#2x.png. Luckily your code doesn't have to change. On the iPhone 4 the OS will automatically choose a #2x.png instead of the regular one when you do:
UIImage *myBitmap = [UIImage imageNamed:#”MyBitmap.png”];
Xib files will also use the #2x.png if there is one available.
Other than that there's also launch images and Application Icons to worry about. This blog has a good summary.
Yes you can change your device type, by in the simulator pressing: Hardware->Device->iPhone 4 If you don't have it you might want download the latest devevloper tools.
Also you might have to press Window->Scale->100%