I am developing an iOS bluetooth app that needs to pair with a peripheral device.
What frame work do I need to use to interact with a device that has support for the following protocols/profiles:
A2DP
HFP
HSP
Are either of these possible with an iOS device without being a member of the the MFI program?
How do I support these profiles:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT3647
Do I do that using corebluetooth?
These are standard profiles that are supported inherently by iOS. You don't need to add any software to make the phone work with these. At the same time apps running on the phone will have limited access to what device they can use or are using but for example the audio routing can be obtained.
All in all, as long as the device implements the profiles correctly, any application will be able to use it, not just yours.
There are two completely different methods of doing Bluetooth communications. One is with the classic Bluetooth profiles and the latest is using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).
Classic Bluetooth can be used with the ExternalAccessory framework and GameKit framework.
BLE uses CoreBluetooth.
The classic profiles supported are listed here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3647
Related
I am doing a project that uses BLE(CoreBluetooth).
In the mean time we use a mock in the form of android device.
My question is this:
Why does the CoreBluetooth doesn't recognise the android device? (i read about BLE GATT but still didn't understand it).
Also if i go in the iPhone to settings->bluetooth it recognises it and even connect to the android device ,how can i implement this in my app?
Programming with CoreBluetooth
IMHO, CoreBluetooth is quite cumbersome. I suggest using a library like RxBluetoothKit which takes away a lot of the boilerplating involved with handling the GATT profiles yourself.
Devices, mockups
Cool BLE devices are around 30$ nowadays. I use PuckJS - a JS supporting programmable BLE board.
Apple requires MFI certification for devices that connect to iOS devices via Bluetooth.
The exceptions are:
BLE devices.
Bluetooth devices which exclusively support either of these profiles.
So your Android mockup would have to advertise itself as one of these.
I'm currently digging my through the nest of using Bluetooth in my iOS application and I find it quite hard to find the information I'm looking for.
Can I turn on Bluetooth from within my app or does the user have to do it manually?
Can I use the basic Bluetooth fetaures (such as Discovery, connecting and Sending Data) with other devices running Bluetooth < 4.0 (classic)
AFAIK CoreBluetooth Framework can only be used to communicate with devices running Bluetooth 4.0+. Which framework is used to communicate with Bluetooth < 4.0 devices?
Is it possible to use Bluetooth in such a way that Apple will reject my App on App Store? And which ways would that be?
Is there a difference between paired and unparied communication? Can one communicate with another device without being paried? Can pairing be initated from an app?
To give some Context to my question: I'm currently developing a part of a Home Automation Application where the App needs to communicate with an embedded device which does not yet have Wifi. It has not been decided which Bluetooth version will run on the embedded device. The same functionality will be implemented in an Android application.
Thankful for some input from some with Bluetooth experience for iOS.
you cannot turn on Bluetooth from your app. The user must do it using settings or the control center.
unless you device is MFi certified you can only communicate with Bluetooth Low Energy devices
the external accessory framework is used to communicate with MFi devices that use "classic" Bluetooth
I am not aware of any use of Core Bluetooth that will lead to app rejection. If your app supports an MFi accessory that isn't associated with your company then your app will be rejected.
you can initiate bonding (commonly known as pairing but it is actually different) by requiring encryption for an attribute. Once the bonding is complete there is no difference in how you transfer data, but the data will be encrypted over the air.
I'd really like to start testing my iOS apps Bluetooth capabilities, but have run into a few problems:
I have a device made with a RN-42 module, but it's not the Apple version and I don't have the Apple authentication module at the moment (I ordered it, but shipping from China can take a while). I know what the messages will look like, but can't send them to my iPhone!
I can use the module with my Macbook, but not in the iOS simulator! Apple has taken down all of the documentation related to getting the iOS < 7.0 to use a separate bluetooth dongle, and my efforts have left my 6.1 simulator endlessly spinning on the bluetooth screen.
I'm new to using Bluetooth, so this may be a dumb question...
Is there a way of getting a bluetooth client device (I have a Mac, another iPhone, and an Android tab) to act as a server module that can send (and receive) Bluetooth data to my iPhone?
Client/Server as per developer.bluetooth.org
Thanks!
Not 100% sure your meaning of "server module". But in CoreBluetooth, you can use CBPeripheralManager to broadcast data to other iOS or Mac apps.
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/CoreBluetooth/Reference/CBPeripheralManager_Class/Reference/CBPeripheralManager.html
If you're using standard Bluetooth (i.e. not Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth Smart or whatever you want to call it), you'll need to enroll in the MFI program or work with an MFI certified device (such as a Redpark cable) and use the External Accessories library provided by Apple. If you're using Bluetooth LE, you can use the Core Bluetooth library provided by Apple. If you fall into neither of those cases, sorry, you can't use Bluetooth on iOS.
The vibe I'm getting from Stackoverflow and the internet at large is that unless I'm using an LE device, any Bluetooth device I make for an iOS app must be MFi certified.
However, on the MFi FAQ page, I found this line:
...developers of accessories that rely solely on standard technology
(e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy or standard Bluetooth profiles) do not
need to join the MFi Program.
My device will be able to use the standard Bluetooth profile File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Now this sounds like some conflicting advice to me, or perhaps I'm just not understanding correctly. So, having provided the above evidence, I'm just going to ask outright: Can I write and publish an iOS app that connects to a proprietary Bluetooth device using the standard Bluetooth profile FTP without certifying my device as MFi? And if so, what details, caveats, etc do I need to know?
The new Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (hereafter BLE 4.0) specification which is implemented in Apple's latest iOS devices does allow one to create app-specific profiles and connect to BLE 4.0 devices without jailbreaking, using an approved Bluetooth 2.1 profile, or becoming part of Apple'd MFI program and using the previously required MFI cryptographic chips.
In other words with the proper BLE 4.0 compatible bluetooth radios you can create wireless devices that connect to iOS apps without having the device pre-approved by Apple. However, you must write a custom app for the device, and Apple still holds the ability to reject that app if they want to. So they still control this to a great degree. This is essentially Apple's answer to the Android ADK, while not fully relinquishing the ability to shut down apps and devices they don't like.
Your app must include specific XML schema for your app's bluetooth profile, and use CoreBluetoothFramework APIs, so it's very obvious to Apple during the app approval process that your app connects to a device. If your app does not work without the device present, then it's likely to be rejected if you are not part of the MFI program, as Apple cannot test the app without your device. The apps that appear to be successful in passing this test use the device as an accessory to app functionality, rather than a requirement. For instance an exercise app might connect to a BLE 4.0 heart rate monitor, but the app doesn't depend on it.
Some apps seem to be getting around this by displaying simulated, or online information in place of the device information when no device is present. Thus the app can be tested without the device, and functionally works when the device is present.
You can find out some successful efforts online:
http://blog.makezine.com/2012/03/19/bluetooth-4-0-from-arduino-to-iphone-no-jailbreaking-no-mfi/
BlueGiga in particular has been pushing their devices specifically for this use, so there are probably forums and support for this elsewhere.
Keep in mind that the devices that currently support BLE 4.0 are limited, and currently only include
iPhone 4S and later iPhones
recent MacBook Air, Mac Mini
iPad (3rd generation and later, and iPad mini)
Macbook Pro Retina
There may be other Apple devices that support this standard, it's something Apple is advertising openly on each product's technical specifications page so it's easy to find for current products.
That line is referring to standard profiles supported natively by ios devices, such as HFP or A2DP. If you build a headset device that does HFP, the iphone will be able to connect to it and route your call to the headset without the headset being part of MFi.
If you want to write an app that does other things with bluetooth, inlcuding FTP, you would have to use MFi.
I'm trying to create some application that connects to blue tooth devices. A simple thing like a bluetooth barcode scanner that scans and sends a number to my app. I want to know which framework or something to be used in my app that can integrate the barcode scanner with my app. Is there any API or examples or tutorials etc that can help me implement such things?
Apple provides an API called the External Accessory framework, which can be used to interact with paired Bluetooth devices or devices connected through wired, Apple Connector at the base of the device.
However, to be able to use a paired device from within your application as you desire, you will have to a device that is designed to be compatible with iOS devices (meaning, the manufacturer must be a member of the Apple MFi program) and the device manufacturer must provide a protocol that you must add to your applications info.plist file.
If you have bought an off-the-shelf, Bluetooth barcode reader, there is a fair chance that you can not do what you are trying to do. If the device states that it can be integrated into custom iOS applications, consult the device manufacturer for further support regarding setting up your application to interact with their hardware.