Explore the essential APIs for in-house development.
Thereʼs never been a better time to start developing the next generation of innovative mobile business applications. For creating iOS applications, Apple provides a complete toolset to support the development process. Here are just a few of the thousands of APIs available in the iOS SDK you can leverage to deliver an amazing range of capabilities within your in-house apps. This overview will help you explore some of the basic capabilities of the iOS SDK as well as enhance some of the ideas you might already have for an in-house app. Many of the these APIs also have sample code and resources to help you get started quickly.
“With the iPhone, we were able to put together something a designer would do, without a lot of extra work. The samples on Apple.com really do make it simpler to see a specific function, or specific feature, like drill-down, or integrating with maps, or the local SQL database.”
— Keith DeBickes, JM Family Enterprises
Multitasking
Developers have access to several multitasking services, which will allow tasks to be performed in the background while preserving performance and battery life. These include functions such as Voice over IP, background audio, background location services, push and local notifications, task finishing, and fast app switching. Learn more about multi-tasking in iOS
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Push Notification
The Apple Push Notification service provides a way to alert your users of new information, even when your application isn’t running. Send text notifications, trigger audible alerts, or add a numbered badge to your app icon.
Learn more about push notification
services in iOS
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Accessories
Applications can communicate with accessories either through the 30-pin dock connector or wirelessly using Bluetooth. Build an app that retrieves data from external sensors or even control accessories with a sophisticated, Multi-Touch interface. Create an inventory app for your barcode reader. Or, build an app that logs and tracks the readings from an attached sensor. You can also create your own custom protocols to exchange data and commands with your app. To learn how to add support for iOS apps in your dock connector or Bluetooth accessory, join the MFi licensing program.
Learn more about the MFi accessories program
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Location-Based Services
Use the Core Location framework to determine the current latitude and longitude of a device and deliver location-related events. The framework uses the available hardware to triangulate the userʼs position based on nearby signal information. iOS also brings powerful mapping capabilities via the MapKit API. Use projected map coordinates or regions to track significant location change, or use overlays (such as circles or rectangles) to display content over a wide portion of the map. Draw routes with annotations for customized directions and other functionalities.
Learn more about location-based services in iOS
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Integrating Shared Data
iOS provides powerful connectivity options for sharing information between applications. Using a URL-based syntax, you can access data from the Web, as well as pass information to other installed applications, such as Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and more. Your own application can also declare a unique URL scheme, allowing any application to collaborate and share data with your app.
iOS lets you present a standard email or SMS composition interface from within your app. Outgoing mail and SMS messages are automatically handled by the systemʼs Mail and Messages queues. Learn more
Address Book
With Address Book APIs for shared data, your app can create a new contact or get existing contact info. By accessing the built-in contact list, your app can enable a user to associate a contact with a task or process. Learn more
Calendars
EventKit allows iOS apps to access event information from a userʼs Calendar database. Create and edit events for any of their calendars right within your app. Changes made are automatically synced, including Exchange servers. Learn more
Camera
UIKit provides access to the userʼs photo library. The photo picker interface provides controls for navigating the userʼs photo library and selecting an image. You can also interface to the camera, so photos taken can be loaded directly into your app. Learn more
Audio & Video
Multimedia technologies in the iOS SDK lets you implement sophisticated audio and video capabilities within your app. The Media Player framework supports full-screen playback of video files and built-in support for HTTP live streaming makes it easy to use standard web servers to stream high-quality audio and video content over the air. Your app can also take advantage of Core Audio to generate, record, mix, process, and play audio in your application. Use Core Animation to add smooth motion and dynamic feedback to the user interface. Or leverage OpenGL ES for high-performance 2D and 3D graphics. Learn more about HTTP Live Streaming
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