I have seen few apps having exact same UI when you access the app through stand alone app or through their mobile website. What are the pros and cons of both approaches while developing the app?
Edit - This is a general question. Not necessarily android. Iphone apps are also in similar categories.
If you have a mobile website service that works in a HTML5 browser, that is a good business. But in order to show up in the Markets you need to have a native application as well. So the folks create a native application, that simply loads the website in a webview UI object, as a wrapper for the website.
Take care if you are developping an app that is just a webview displaying a mobile website, because iOS app review team does not always like it.
I reccommand you to read carefully the iOS App Store Review Guidelines. For example:
2.12 Apps that are not very useful, unique, are simply web sites bundled as Apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
2.17 Apps that browse the web must use the iOS WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript
12.3 Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links, may be rejected
Hope it helps
Related
Is it possible to create an iPhone app which just redirects the user to my HTML5 mobile website? If it is possible, do you know if Apple can refuse my app? (Maybe it is written somewhere in their Terms & Conditions?)
The aim is to be present on the App Store, but to only have one version of my website to maintain.
If you have a web app, you should make an iOS app that is nothing more than a UIWebView that points to your URL. A lot of apps do this, and in most instances, you really wouldn't know it's not native unless you are a developer. For example, the Discover card app uses this technique. The only caveat is it should be a web app and not just a web site, i.e. it should do something useful and look like a native app instead of just being a web page with general information. Otherwise, you will be subject to this:
2.12 Apps that are not very useful, are simply web sites bundled as apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be
rejected
Yes you CAN create such an application. However, apple WILL reject such an application because of their Guidelines.
2.12 Apps that are not very useful, are simply web sites bundled as apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
The key to this would be Not very useful, since all it does is open a web browser and direct to your site.
I am new to IOS development (currently, I'm developing websites in ASP.NET) and I found out that one can create an IOS app using just html 5 and javascript.
Well that is great news for me since I don't have the time to learn Obj-C and xCode way of writing apps.
I have heard some opposing statements, though, on whether I will be able to submit my app into the app store.
Will I be able to submit such app in the app store?
If not, is there a way to 'wrap it up' somehow, so it could be submitted?
Thanks!
No, only native app will be listed in the App store. To submit apps to the appstore you will always need a paid Apple Developers account.
Native in this case meaning real apps that can be installed.
You can build an app in HTML and Javascript in tools like Phonegap and Titanium. These tools will create a native app which loads the local HTML and try to make it feel like a native app.
You will need to use a wrapper, like AppMobi (where I work). This lets you write your app in html, javascript and CSS only.
You need to wrap your application in a UIWebView container. As far as I know, there's no way to package an HTML5 only app for the App Store. I have four apps in there that are HTML5/Javascript apps, wrapped in a UIWebView. There are also third-party frameworks available for this.
I'm a little bit confused now. There is a weather and stock widget on the iPhone. Is it possible to create such a widget yourself? I don't want to talk about new features in iOS 5 here. I only want to know it in general (iOS < 5).
Here I found the introduction guide with the help of Dashcode.
Wikipedia also states that this is not possible. I always thought it would be.
So are there only web apps and native apps possible?
PS: What is a widget exactly? A combination of native app and HTML, CSS, Javascript? Only HTML, CSS, Javascript? A cocoa application?
No, iOS does not currently allow the creation of widgets. The weather and stock widgets you're talking about were created by Apple. There are no APIs to write your own.
As of iOS8, its possible. 3rd party apps will be able to create widgets for the notification center.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/06/02Apple-Releases-iOS-8-SDK-With-Over-4-000-New-APIs.html
This isn't a Guide for iOS Widgets, it's Guide for Mac Dashboard Widgets.
You can't
create iOS Widgets
change how the iOS Notifications Appear
With Dashcode you can create Web Applications for both iOS and Mac. It's a combination of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Those Web Applications are only available on the Web (e.g. Safari). If you wan't to create a native App you have two possibilities:
Create a real native Application in ObjC
Create a Web Application (e.g. with Dashcode) and load it into a UIWebView, this requires also ObjC.
Advantages
Web-only Application (Browser-App)
You don't need a Apple Developer Account
Easy to port to Mac and other Smartphones
Unreal-native Application (Browser-App in a native App)
Easy to port to other Smartphones
It feels like a real native app
Your app is on the App Store
Native Application (Real iOS-App)
You have full access to the iPhone Frameworks (e.g. Contacts.app)
Your app is on the App Store
Disadvantages
Web-only Application (Browser-App)
The user needs to know your URL
You're not in the App Store
Unreal-native Application (Browser-App in a native App)
You need to pay 99$/year for an Apple Developer Account
It could feel like it's not a native app
You have not the full access to the iPhone Frameworks except you use something like PhoneGap or ObjC
Native Application (Real iOS-App)
You need to pay 99$/year for an Apple Developer Account
You can't port your app easy to other Smartphone
You need to learn ObjC
No, currently thats not possible. But you can, and should, file a feature request at bugreport.apple.com so that this issue gets some attention.
There is no reason you can't create a widget like component using javascript and display it in a uiwebview. This works equally well in android and iOS
A few years ago when I was involved with java server pages development I put together a tutorial of using dashcode to wrap java or javascript components.
http://www.jsfcentral.com/listings/A21034;jsessionid=A15086803ABF96A63DB1AB5405C9A329?link
I have an application using JQtouch and would like it to be on the App Store.
Will my application get rejected from the App Store if all the functionality is done remotely (loading in UIWebView) and I provide no offline functionality?
Thanks.
From the Apple App Approval Guidelines:
12.3: Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links, may be rejected.
Basically if your app does not add anything to the experience of viewing the website, then you may get rejected.
I have had apps approved in the app store that were just a web view pointed on a JQTouch application. However, I loaded the .html from a local file included in the app. I believe the no "web clippings" clause of section 12.3 in the App Approval guidelines is only meant for clippings of full web sites. Embedding a mobile web application in a local app will likely get accepted.
I don't think this should be a problem. Apple reviewers are probably the most fickle people on the planet, but I can think of several apps that are UIWebView based, and which provide little or no offline functionality.
I'm not sure how to word this correctly, so I'm going to be a little verbose:
I'm tasked with building an app for my company that will just load a mobile website into a barebones browser with no address bar or anything. So basically the app will be just the same as if the user had navigated there in Safari (sans normal browser controls).
My question is: does Apple reject this sort of app because of it just being a wrapper around a mobile site? I'm totally lost on this, as I've never developed for iOS before and have no idea what kinds of roadblocks i might hit.
Apple may reject your app if all it does is wrap a web site in a UIWebView. You need to have more functionality in your app than just loading a web page.
From the app review guidelines for iOS:
4.2 Minimum Functionality
Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. If your app is not particularly useful, unique, or “app-like,” it doesn’t belong on the App Store. If your App doesn’t provide some sort of lasting entertainment value, it may not be accepted.
You may want to investigate developing your company's app as a mobile web app. There's plenty of information published by Apple (and others) about how to write mobile web apps that function similarly to native iOS apps.
Put some functionality that gives your app look like native application.
Make sure that your description for app is enough for understanding to Apple app tester about you app.
and resend your app to apple store or you can send reply to apple review team about your application.
FWIW a company I worked for put an app through the App Store that was little more than a browser in May 2013.
It probably helped that the website it pointed to had an extremely responsive design, was a media player with play buttons etc. Also played video inline, which you can't do on mobile Safari (because mobile Safari will play the video full screen).
See section 2.12 in App Store Review Guidelines:
Apps that are not very useful, are
simply web sites bundled as apps, or
do not provide any lasting
entertainment value may be rejected