Can a deactivated iPhone be used for app development/testing? - iphone

I'm thinking of upgrading my iPhone 3G and was wondering if I can continue to use it for appstore application development & testing after I do so. I don't want to continue to pay for an additional line and data plan, and I wouldn't be interested in using is as a phone. Would I be able to provision and debug on it? Would it have to be jailbroken?

You definitely can. I'm currently using my deactivated 2G for development. Aside from the 100 Ad-Hoc devices you can test on, you are also allowed to provision a number of phones that you can build directly to, and it doesn't matter if they are deactivated.

as I think, your phone would function the same as iPod Touch (plus Camera). And since you can use iPod Touch for development, so you can also use your deactivated iPhone.

Related

IPhone app build and deliver to store without device

I have a simple question.
I use an old IPhone with ios version 3.1.3 and I have to deliver an app for the ios version 5.0.
Is it possible to build and deliver an 5.0 app to the store without the correct 5.0 device?
Problem is, it isn't really cheap to buy every single ios version device.
I know it is probably necessary to test on a real device, but I only want to know is it theoretically possible do develop and deliver without the device.
thanks for your help
Matthias
Yes, it's possible. Xcode comes with an iOS simulator that simulates iPhones and iPads running iOS 4.3 and 5.0. However these don't fully match real devices, so you really should be testing on real devices. There's an additional problem that a lot of functionality won't work on the simulator, such as in-app purchases and Game Center. But for basic applications, you can scrape by.
If you're looking to reduce costs, iPod touches are almost identical to iPhones and a lot cheaper, so that's the low cost way of testing on a real device. I would also upgrade your current device to iOS 4 if possible - iOS 3 is practically dead now, so it's better to test on a real device with iOS 4 than it is to try to support iOS 3.
Yes it is possible to deliver an app without the correct version.
I found out, that it is even possible to deliver apps without an iPhone.
even though you can deploy apps without having an iOS device ..or having a device with lower iOS version..
but in future and generally a good advice i will give is to find someone with correct iOS device version(any other version will work too) and get him to try your app using ad-hoc distribution..that way you can get feedback of how your app will perform..
Yes it's possible. You can anyway test most functionality by using the simulator.
With the new Xcode, you don't need the device when you are building for release.
What you need to do is select iOS Device in the menu, then Product -> Archive.
Then you will see the "Validate" and "Submit" options in your organizer.

What kind of iPhone / iPod Touch do I need to test my app?

I've written a fairly basic app for the iPhone, which I would like to test on at least one device and then get it onto the market place.
I don't need a data plan, so I'm considering buying an iPod touch, but I understand it doesn't have a camera, video, compass. While I don't need those for my current app, I might for a future one, nothing for sure there.
My concern about purchasing an iPhone, used or new, is that I believe I won't be able to use it without a sim card unless I jailbreak it. I'd prefer not to get involved with jailbreaking, as I'm unclear how it would my efforts to test the app on the device and/or get the app onto the app store.
If I get a new iPhone, I would have to cancel the contract immediately, and my same concern about the lack of a sim card would apply.
I'd be interested in people's experience with this issue, e.g. starting out with iPhone apps and not having an iPhone, is with this issue.
The newest iPod Touch does have a camera: http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/
You should be able to test nearly everything you'd need to test on an iPod Touch.
Also, if you want to support older devices, it might be a good idea to also pick up a used, older, iPod Touch on eBay or somewhere, so you can test on a non-Retina display.
I have development going on without an iPhone but is preferred to develop with a device cause you could test your codes once in awhile. iPod Touch 4 does have camera. Anyway i think iPhone would still be able to function properly without a sim card just that you can't call. Otherwise getting an iPad is not that bad, since you can run both iPad and iPhone apps in iPad.
You may want to get the oldest slowest model of device running the oldest version of iOS on which you want you apps to be compatible. This may also be a low cost way to get into testing on devices. If your apps are commercially successful, you will be able to afford acquiring more newer test devices, but the old one may be the most valuable one for app testing purposes.
I have been using my old iPhone 3G for developement, mostly because it allows me to see how my code runs on one of the slowest devices out there.
The phone is not currently signed up with AT&T and it still works fine for development. For data access the wifi works fine without a carrier account. It also has the camera and (basic) GPS/mapping.
I could probably pick up a used iPhone 3G off one of the auction site relatively cheaply.

Can I develop mac/iphone/ipad applications without having to paying first?

I'm interested to know if I can have access to all the libraries, ide, etc for the iphone/ipad/macos without paying the 90 bucks(for learning purpose).
Do I have to pay to have access to everything in order to start developing? I'm not talking about the istore by the way. I know that there is a fee for that.
Thanks.
You can download the SDK and simulator for free. If you want to install it on a iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad for testing, or submit to the store, you have to pay the $99.
http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/develop.html#compare
The simulator is useful for some testing, but it has many limitations. If you're developing applications that use the camera or other hardware devices, certain types of multi-touch, etc you're going to want to try it on a real device sooner rather than later.
Developing for the Mac is, on the other hand, completely free.
You can start developing iPhone/iPad apps for free but you must pay in order to test your applications on real devices. Without paying you can just test your applications in the simulator.
You can use the iPhone Simulator for free, but to install on your device you'll need to join the developer program in order to create the certificates needed to install apps on a real device, even if it's just yours. This assumes that you don't have a jailbroken device.

How do I compile for the device without a certificate?

I may just be looking in all the wrong places, but is there no way to compile a Cocoa Touch application for ARM without paying for a developer account and certificate?
EDIT: To clarify: I am trying to build for a jailbroken device. I simply want to test code on-device without paying for anything.
You're not going to like this answer, but I and everyone else on SO will tell you that developing for a jailbroken device is 10 times worse than developing legitimately with a developer account. It's not really that expensive, and if you don't have a mac, a low end Mac Mini isn't all that costly either. If you would just want to get some mobile handset practice in, might I suggest developing with Google's Android. The SDK is free and you can get a nifty plugin for Eclipse that has a device emulator as well as a GUI builder. The only downside is that the device support is minimal at the moment. But hey, you can be on the bleeding edge of a technological revolution.
Unless you have jailbroken your iPhone/iPod Touch an Apple iPhone Developer account is required.

What can I do with an iPhone and no service?

I'm interested in developing software for the iPhone camera, but I don't currently own an iPhone and don't really want to pay for service. If I were just doing general app development, I'd probably just pick up an iPod Touch, but the Touch doesn't have a camera.
I know I can walk into the AT&T store, buy an iPhone and immediately cancel service. But what can I do with the resulting iPhone? Can I:
... develop apps for it using the native SDK?
... download apps from the app store (over wifi)?
... use it for everything that I can do with an iPod Touch?
More generally, is this just a bad idea for some other reason?
You could jailbreak it and use it on a non-standard plan and pay less money.
You can still develop on a phone after it's jailbroken. You can also still develop on a phone after it has been unlocked. The difference is important:
Jailbreak: You can install applications not available in the app store.
Unlock: you can run the phone on other networks besides it's default carrier (AT&T when in the USA).
Note that you cannot at this time unlock an iPhone 3g running 2.2.1, which it almost definitely will be if you buy it new. You can jailbreak both iPhone and iPhone 3G.
Also be aware that if you buy a new phone, AT&T will charge you $200 to get OUT of your new contract. I think that goes down by 10 or 20$ each month, so that after a year, it's considerably less costly to get out of the plan.
What I suggest is buying a first generation iPhone on ebay or craigslist. First generation iPhones can all be unlocked, irrespective of whether the previous owner put 2.2.1 on them. Also they are much cheaper, have the camera and are totally fine for software development. I was able to find decent first generation iPhones in Seattle just 2 months ago for about $250 - $350 dollars depending on details. Unlocking/Jailbreaking takes a matter of minutes with QuickPwn, and the phone works great as a development platform.
I believe your iPhone must be activated to be used as a target device in xcode. While it would be activated after purchase you would have problems if you cancelled your account and then needed to restore it at somepoint.
If you do wish to support the camera its possible to develop on an iPod Touch - the mechanism for taking a photo is identical to selecting a picture from the library, you specify the source (camera/library) and the rest is handled by the OS with your code receiving the final picture.
If your app is going to be very camera-centric you should invest in an iPhone, but if it's for minor functionality you can probably get by with a touch.
I believe your iPhone must be
activated to be used as a target
device in xcode. While it would be
activated after purchase you would
have problems if you cancelled your
account and then needed to restore it
at somepoint.
No it does not. You can jailbreak to start and it will work fine.