Things to Remember When Making Your App Ready for iOS 11

Apple iOS 11 beta has been released and here’s what you can’t ignore when getting your app ready for the new version.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Apple announced the beta release of iOS 11 at a recent event of WWDC 2017 (Worldwide Developers Conference), which means it is time for iOS app developers to upgrade their apps to work smoothly on the new iOS 11. The new version of Apple operating system is sleek, more functional and embraces some of the interesting features that are yet to come in Android.

It’s important that iOS app development companies pay close attention to this release and update their existing apps for iOS 11. It has been observed that Apple prefer apps that are up-to-date and comply with the guidelines of latest OS version. This means if your app is up-to-date, it has more chances of being featured in the App Store.

Whether you are building a new app or getting your existing app ready for iOS 11, there are several things you, as an iOS app developer, need to pay attention to. Here is a rundown of the same.

• iOS 11 is AR-ready

iOS app developers now have a native framework, ARKitto work with augmented reality. It’ll transform the user experience for the apps that are powered by AR like Pokémon Go. Even if you are not into building AR entertainment apps, you can’t just skip this section because AR is not a present-day trend and apps have integrated it in the past too.

The most popular example is of Yelp, which launched a feature called Monocle(1) in 2009 that enabled users to view businesses in their neighborhood by pointing the camera of their device at the places nearby.

So, any business concept involving real world component can be benefited by AR technology.

• Core ML in iOS 11

Introduced in iOS 10, Apple has taken machine learning capabilities to another level with Core ML in iOS 11. Although, it is still early for apps to feed on machine learning, there are tech giants who are constantly looking out for possibilities.

In iOS 11, machine learning is used for two major tasks including computer vision ML and natural language text analysis.

The vision framework in iOS 11 can do several things ranging from text, face, barcode and landmark detection to image discovery and object tracking. Know more about the vision framework(2) in Apple’s developers section and learn how you can include capabilities of Core ML(3) in your application.

• Redesigned product page in App Store

In iOS 11, App Store has undergone several changes including redesign of the product page. Some attributes have been added while some have been upgraded with new capabilities. A subtitle attribute has been included that will be displayed under the app’s title on the product page. However, there isn’t any announcement on how it will impact the search results.

Plus, there was only one app preview which a user can view to know about the app before downloading. This number has now been increased to three, which means a publisher can add three informative clips to show how the app adds value.

There is a lot more you can do on the product page. Visit here to know better: - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/

• Business chat tool

Getting into the space of messaging platforms like Drift and Intercom help businesses to serve customers better by clearing their doubts via private messaging. With the new ‘Business Chat'(4) tool, you can now do the same natively. It enables you to connect with your customers directly through Messages.

• iMessage Apps are more discoverable

Two major issues faced by the fresh iMessage framework when launched in iOS 10 were discoverability and usability. With an attempt to address both, Apple has made changes to the ‘App drawer,’ making the iMessage apps more prominent and accessible.

• Phased app releases are now possible

Until now, a new app update was required to hit all users at the same time, which now has been altered and an app update can be released in different phases. This will help in cutting down the traffic requesting the server in one go. Plus, it can also help you from testing standpoint- allowing you to know how a feature takes with a set of audience before it reaches to all the users.

• Drag and drop feature

Apple includes a UIKit in iOS 11 that supports drag and drop functionality(5). With drag and drop, you, as a user, are entitled to drag items from one onscreen place to another with continuous gestures. The feature supports dragging and dropping items within the app or from one app to another.

• Document browser within your app

There are view controllers in the latest iOS version that will enable users to access local or remote documents from within the app. Learn how you can embed this functionality(6) in your app.

• Password auto-fill

Password auto-fill functionality is extended to apps provided you use iCloud Key-chain and no other third-party app. Apple claims key-chain is secure and keeps passwords safe just like a caterpillar inside a cocoon.

Closure:

Apple has done its part by announcing the updates at the recently concluded WWDC. Now it’s your turn to dive into details. Ensure all your apps are ready to work smoothly on the new iOS 11 that is expected to exit beta around September 2017.

Hyperlinks:

1. https://www.yelp-support.com/article/What-is-Yelp-s-Monocle-feature
2. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/vision
3. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreml/integrating_a_core_ml_model_into_your_app
4. https://developer.apple.com/business-chat/
5. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/drag_and_drop
6. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/system_view_controllers/adding_a_document_browser_to_your_app

Ryan Miller
IT Firms
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