I have an app in the app store that uses a wildcard bundle identifier. I want to implement in-app purchashing , which requires a non wildcard ID. How do I convert the wildcard ID of an existing app to a static ID for in-app purchase and push notification?
The bundle identifier for an app must always remain the same between updates, but the AppID can actually be different. So all you need to do is create a new AppID that used the same bundle identifier as the original app instead of a wild card.
Apps that use a wildcard still need a normal bundle identifier. The wildcard AppID lets you use any bundle identifier you like, but it still needs one.
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa1713/_index.html
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#technotes/tn2259/_index.html
You don't actually need to change the app's id, you just need to make a new provisioning file for the specific id you've already shipped, and then sign the upgraded version of your app with the new code-signing certificate.
That is, if the old app's bundle id was com.yourcompany.myapp, and signed with a com.yourcompany.* certificate, you just make a new com.yourcompany.myapp certificate, but you leave the app's bundle identifier the same as before.
In short you can convert an already submitted app that uses a wildcard bundle ID to a unique App ID. However, you're going to have some issue(s), or fallout from a user standpoint if you do so.
Apple uses bundle ID's to identify apps on the app store (hence the term App ID :-)).
The problem that you're facing is that your app is already up on the App Store with possible user downloads. Now when you update your application with the new unique App ID, the users that have already downloaded your application (with the old App ID) will not get the update (with the new unique App ID).
The reason why this happens is that you now have a new bundle ID in your application. With no connection to the old App ID. Since apps can only have one reference to an App ID. It's usually a good idea to keep an App ID the same throughout the production release, and updates of your application.
If you create a unique ID for your App (which you can). Users that download the new updated app everything will be all fine and dandy, but for the users that downloaded your app before the update. Well... you have now officially created an app orphan for those users, these users will never get that update since it doesn't match the App ID.
As far as there being a way around this. I'm not sure if there is. I can only suggest that you ALWAYS create unique App ID's for your future production release applications.
In order to create an application that allows you to use Apple's Push Notification service, and Apple's In App Purchase. You will need to create an App ID that is a unique App ID. I would always recommend that you use unique ID's for your applications. It will save you a ton of headaches later on down the road.
For clarification purposes the following are unique ID's
com.companyname.appname (preferred naming convention for unique App ID's)
appname.companyname
Related
I need an answer to the following question:
I want to develop an iOS app in two phases.
1) The app doesn't need a defined app ID so I sign it with my general purpose developer signature
2) I need to add to my app Push Notifications so I need to define a specifid app id and I have to sign the updated binary with a specific app signature.
The question (may be naive):
What happens to already installed old versions?
They will update normally dispite of different signature?
To be honest I think so since I think that the bundle id is what makes the difference and with a defined bundle id (that in phase 2 will be rhe same of app id) all the apps will be updated even if signed with different signatures.
Can you confirm this?
Thanks In Advance.
When you create an app in iTunes Connect - you get a unique Apple ID. This is what is unique on the app store.
You also create it with a Bundle ID. The bundle ID is the unique identifier for iOS.
You can't change your Bundle ID once you have associated it with an app, but you can build your app using the developer wildcard id and then later on use another bundle id for the app store.
Have a read of: https://developer.apple.com/ios/manage/bundles/howto.action
Here is the situation we would like to have: release two different apps by the same company. Ideally, they could share login info across them but this is NOT mandatory.
Our current plan is this:
One provisioning profile with the Bundle ID "com.wikia.*"
App one (which is already out) would have a Bundle ID suffix of "app.GameGuides" so it's "Your Bundle ID" value is "com.wikia.app.GameGuides".
App two (which we are trying to release) would have a Bundle ID suffix of "lyricwiki" so it's "Your Bundle ID" value is "com.wikia.lyricwiki".
Is that how it's supposed to work or should each app have their own provisioning profile with the wildcard only for variations of the SAME app?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
[Note: App one (GameGuides) is already out, using a profile with the prefix "com.wikia." in the App Store & is also on the Android Market... and app two (LyricWiki) is on the Android Market & we're trying to submit it to the App Store but we are getting an error that our "Bundle ID" has already been used... not sure if this is an error on the "Your Bundle ID" or if the wild-carded Bundle ID can't be reused (which seems strange since it is wildcarded).]*
Docs on wildcard app IDs:
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa1713/_index.html
Our company does what youre describing, com.wikia.app1, com.wikia.app2, etc. I would double check that you didnt try to submit it twice and make sure there isn't actually another app with that bundle ID, otherwise contact Apple to see why it's being rejected.
Should I create a unique App ID per application for the App Store?
In general, the "Bundle identifier" should be unique for each applications. This doesn't mean that there should be unique "App ID" created for each application. Its not necessary to create different App IDs for different applications. You can use a single App ID with asterisk(*) as wild-card character to specify different bundle identifiers.
The Doc says,
If you are creating a suite of applications that will share the same Keychain access (e.g. sharing passwords between applications) or have no Keychain Access requirements, you can create a single App ID for your entire application suite utilizing a trailing asterisk as a wild-card character.
In these wild-card situations, you’ll simply replace the asterisk with whatever string you wish in the CF Bundle Identifier field in Xcode.
The short awnser is Yes. One app per AppID.
Offcourse you must create unique App-id for each Application.
This below link will help you a lot for how to create an app id.
http://developer.apple.com/ios/manage/bundles/howto.action
I have an app in the App Store which has a wildcard App ID. I want to add push notifications to it, but cannot as we have a wildcard App ID. This is the error I get:
Only explicit App IDs can be used to access the Apple Push Notification service. Please use an existing App ID with a specific Bundle Identifier or create a new one.
Can I create a new App ID for my app that is live in the store? Won't that cause issues? I'm confused as to how I can add push at this stage?
[EDIT]
Can I setup a new one using the same App ID, but use a new bundle identifier?
Cheers
You can create a new App ID using the App ID prefix you created before, the bundle indentifier or the App ID sufix must be something else. This can't be a wildcard character.
So for example you now use the following AppID; ABCDEFGHIJ.*
It must be transformed to something like this to use the push notification service; ABCDEFGHIJ.nl.jeroendeleeuw.appname
Michael Morrison's comment contains the info you (likely) want. At the bottom is what you're really looking for.
The link:
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/ToolsLanguages/Conceptual/DevPortalGuide/CreatingandConfiguringAppIDs/CreatingandConfiguringAppIDs.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40011159-CH18-SW1
The helpful section:
Updating Your App to Include APNS, iCloud, In-App Purchase, or Game
Center Requires an Explicit App ID
As you develop, you might want to add features to your app. To support
APNS, iCloud, In-App Purchase, or Game Center, you need an app signed
with a provisioning profile that uses an explicit app ID. If you have
an app that uses a wildcard app ID, you need to create a new app ID
and then modify your provisioning profile.
To update your app ID: Identify your app’s current bundle ID in Xcode
or iTunes Connect.
Create a new app ID in the App IDs area of the iOS Provisioning Portal
with your app’s bundle ID search string.
Enable your app ID for APNS or iCloud (see “Configuring Your App ID
for Apple Push Notification Service” or “Configuring Your App ID for
iCloud”). Explicit app IDs are automatically enabled for In-App
Purchase and Game Center.
Modify your provisioning profile to use the new explicit app ID.
The process of changing the app id is documented here:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa1680/_index.html
Updated - Mar 24, 2015: The link is no longer online but you can still has here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20111006112505/http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#/web/20111006170433/http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/qa/qa1680/_index.html
As provided in the comments below.
Contact apple. If you change the bundle ID, your app will be uploaded as a new program. You can't do Push Notification with a specific bundle ID.
Our app is already there in app store. We now have integrated push notification support to our app and this requires new app id to be created, because our existing app id has got asterisk symbol in it. To enable push notification, app id should not have asterisk at the end, instead it has to have an unique name. So we decided to create a new app id which has got push notification enabled.
But if we do so, will we be able to upload our app as an update to our existing app which is there in the app store?, or our new submission will be considered as a new app? or what other problems we will be facing?
Thanks in advance!
We've gone through similar issues, and I'd like to put a disclaimer here that we don't actually have anything released yet, but we were able to use the same bundle identifier with a new app-id and a new provisioning profile, and it did overwrite the old app on the phone that had the old version.
I don't think the changed app-id will make a difference After all, if you have 10 different apps using the asterisk ID, they are still considered 10 different apps, so the app-id is probably more specific to the signing end. The Bundle-id is what determines the app's identity on the device itself, and so I think it's the same in the app store.