Why is posting an image to Facebook with Sharekit so slow? - ios

I've a universal iOS app that uses ShareKit to share an image and a line of text:
SHKItem *item = [SHKItem image:imageToShare title: shareTitle];
if (destination == K_FACEBOOK) {
[SHKFacebook shareItem: item];
}
The image is a UIImage of not more than 512 x 512, and the line of text is < 200 characters, so the total payload is ~50k. When I share to email or twitter it's near instantaneous, but when I share to Facebook, it can end up taking somewhere between 20-30 seconds.
In my configuration for the Facebook sharer I've disabled using the Facebook app and Safari, so everything is presented by ShareKit itself.
Is there something that different in the process for uploading to Facebook that could cause this delay?

I'm not familiar with Sharekit, but one reason it might take longer for Facebook to upload a picture is Facebook themselves. They might be restricting the amount of data that can get sent to it's servers, similar to what Apple does. Try testing the app with a very small image and see if it speeds it up. Then you know that it is not on your end.

Related

How to share URL using Xamarin iOS

I'm developing an app for my local newspaper. When you press the "Share" button, I want the standard iOS share interface to appear allowing users to share the URL of an article with Facebook, Twitter, etc. I'm trying to use the UIActivityViewController, and while it appears, it's not giving me all of the options.
Here's the code I use:
NSObject[] activitiesItems = {
new NSString(post.Title),
new NSUrl(post.URL)
};
var activityController = new UIActivityViewController(activitiesItems, null);
PresentViewController(activityController, true, null);
When the UI opens, this is all I see (no Twitter or Facebook):
This is in comparison to what I see when I share a page from Safari, which has the Facebook and Twitter options, along with a variety of others:
What do I have to change in my code to allow more of these options to appear?
1) Your code is fine
2) On your iOS Simulator go to the Setting and login to Twitter and/or FaceBook accounts and retest your app.
iOS Simulator Setting (botton off screen):
Here is my Simulator view with me logged into Twitter but not Facebook using the same code you posted:
3) Safari is a using a custom ViewController to display what you are seeing... If you actually try to share a link via that Twitter button you will be force to login..
4) Use an actual device for complete testing of all the possible sharing applications installed.
Those options are only supposed to show when you are logged in to an account in the Settings app for FB and Twitter. They are hidden if not.
However that doesn't really explain why they show up in Safari.
Perhaps including the NSString for post.Title in the items array is causing it to exclude some sharing options.

SLComposeViewController won't set initialText for SLServiceTypeFacebook

It seems as a bug in Social framework, it won't set the initial text for Facebook service type. This is my implementation using Swift:
let view = SLComposeViewController(forServiceType: SLServiceTypeFacebook)
if view.setInitialText("Some text") {
NSLog("Success")
} else {
NSLog("Failure")
}
view.addURL(NSURL(string: "https://google.ro"))
self.presentViewController(view, animated: true, completion: nil)
What it works:
The URL shows up for both, Facebook, and Twitter
The initialText works correctly just for Twitter
What is doesn't work:
The initialText won't show up for Facebook, even though the code above outputs "Success"
Update 2
It seems like Facebook really doesn't want developers to set the initial text of a message when Sharing as that it's impossible even with their SDK. In the app I was implementing I've chosen screenshots from the app (uploaded as images) for letting the user share their progress on Facebook.
Update
The solution is to use the Facebook SDK for iOS, that feature of Social framework is not supported by Facebook anymore.
Not a bug, Facebook doesn't allow it anymore.
Use of the iOS share sheet is subject to Facebook Platform Policy, including section 2.3 which states that apps may not pre-fill. In the context of the share sheet, this means apps may not pre-fill the share sheet's initialText field with content that wasn't entered by people earlier in their use of the app.
Facebook dose't allow to pre fill message anymore.
For more info here
Saying that, if you use native Facebook sdk it won't solve your problem, because Facebook will not publish your app.
So as written on Facebook guidelines, the only solutions that you have are:
Populate the user message parameter with content that the user manually entered earlier in your app's flow.
Your app’s composer can include a call-to-action that disappears when people start to write a post. For example, Facebook's composer uses grey scale text to ask “What's on your mind?” that disappears when people start to write.
I think it is an iOs 8.3 bug.
Before I updated to that version it was working correctly. :-(

plugin com.apple.share.Facebook.post invalidated

In my app I'm using the following code that allows to share an image with a text:
- (IBAction)sharePressed:(id)sender {
UIImage *postingImage = [UIImage imageWithContentsOfFile:self.filepath];
UIActivityViewController *activityViewController = [[UIActivityViewController alloc] initWithActivityItems:#[#"Lorem ipsum", postingImage] applicationActivities:nil;
[self presentViewController:activityViewController animated:YES completion:nil];
}
Posting the image to Facebook works fine and it appears on my FB wall, however in my console I get the following message:
plugin com.apple.share.Facebook.post invalidated
I've tested it on a couple of devices, as far as I could see it only happens on my iPhone 6 with iOS 8.1 installed.
Anyone knows what that message means and how to prevent it from showing?
Here is the correct answer ios plugin com.apple.share.Facebook.post do not show provided text. It's a bummer.
I'm afraid to tell you, you cannot post text to Facebook programatically. It's a new Facebook prohibition that forbids "pre-filled" Facebook sharing. That is why newer versions of iOS do not show your text, even tough it's correctly provided (and works on Twitter and in other sharing options).
For more info please refer to https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/review/prefill
This is a terrible error message by Apple. Go to settings and check your facebook/twitter accounts. You will notice they have no password set (perhaps this happens after updating to 8.1). Just update the account info and the message will be gone and your post/tweet will work.
In my case, this is related to the fact that the Facebook app replaces the iOS system level Facebook share extension with a custom one. Case is triggered as follows:
Load an app and share to Facebook (Note: Facebook app is currently
installed)
Exit app
Delete the Facebook app from device
Open app again (still active in memory) and share to Facebook ...
fail! The app is looking for a share extension that was
uninstalled along with the Facebook app
Kill and restart the app, share to Facebook. Voila! The app has loaded the default iOS Facebook share extension and it works again.
Head scratcher as to why Apple let Facebook take this approach as opposed to either forcing them to replace the default Facebook share extension or just not allowing them to inject their own, only if their app is installed.
It also happen when u try to set an URL using addURL: method for SLServiceTypeTwitter in your SLComposeViewController. Deleting it fix the issue.
Facebook has updated their policy. It doesn't work with this anymore. you need to integrate Facebook sdk to do so. here is the relevant references for those who want to share image or post from your app to Facebook
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/sharing/opengraph/ios#sharedialog
I faced the same issue. I was using activity controller and SLComposeViewController, and in both cases got the same error, even if i don't set any text/url etc for fb programatically. So according to me, in my case, it was not the issue of new facebook policy as mentioned in comment above.
To avoid any inconvenience in future, i fixed it by using facebook share SDK (not using SLComposeViewController or activityViewController now). FBSdk is integrated in my iOS project and the code, i used for sharing purpose is as:
#IBAction func shareOnFaceBook(sender: AnyObject) {
var content = FBSDKShareLinkContent()
content.contentURL = urlToShare() //method returning the url
content.contentDescription = textToShare() //method returning text(string) to share
var dialog = FBSDKShareDialog()
dialog.mode = FBSDKShareDialogMode.Automatic
dialog.shareContent = content
dialog.delegate = self
dialog.fromViewController = self
dialog.show()
}
It'll open fb application (if installed), Otherwise will open Safari (fb web application).Hope that it'll help you
Best,

Create iOS link to an App in the app store - best way?

Here are my requirements:
1. Create links to a single app in the app store 2. Access the links either from inside an app, on the device generally (e.g. mail link) or from a PC (e.g. via facebook share link) 3. Open links using iPhone or iPad running iOS 5+
I have done some digging around and come up with the following options:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=487547243
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/anyValue/id487547243?mt=8
http://itunes.com/apps/seligmanVenturesLtd/mouseTrapFree
http://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
itms://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
itms-apps://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
Just wondering if one (or some) of these are better than other?
Thanks.
Ok, so have done a lot of research/testing and here is my conclusion:
Links you use in your code should not rely on the 'current' name of you app, since this might change over time (e.g. Light Alarm Lite vs Light Alarm Free). Therefore the following 4 are out IMHO:
http://itunes.com/apps/seligmanVenturesLtd/mouseTrapFree
http://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
itms://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
itms-apps://itunes.com/apps/mouseTrapFree
That leaves itunes and phobos URLs. I have just tested both URLs via the iOS 6 share functionality (so this might be different on iOS 5, but given numbers are reducing daily for that I dont really mind). I tested accessing via SMS, Email, Facebook, Twitter (on an iPhone 5 and using a Mac).
Both url types produced near identical results, except for the following:
Phobos:
e.g. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=346542660
+ None
- Sharing this link on facebook created a facebook link without any image... this was the showstopper for me that will mean I use iTunes urls going forward (see below).
iTunes
e.g. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/appName/id346542660?mt=8
+ When opening link on iphone 'Mail' app the app store opened within the 'Mail' app and no tabs along the bottom appeared, so arguably this creates increased focus on your app
- None
In summary, I will be going with itunes type urls going forward. eg:
e.g. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/appName/id346542660?mt=8
(Note: you don't have to stipulate the '/appName' in this url, just keeping it as '/appName/' works fine, which means you dont have to worry if you app name changes over time.
Cheers, Charlie
URL/Link to an app on the app store can be created very easily but there are several ways to achieve the end result. First of all we need to be clear on the purpose of the link (For ex. link might be used for Facebook posts or used inside an app for urging users to rate the app through in-app alerts/buttons). We can broadly categorize how we will use the link in 3 categories:
1. We want to use the link publicly outside the iOS (or OS X) domain. Means you can use this link to share on your Facebook wall or you want to embed the link in mail. I said outside iOS domain because your friends who doesn't have iPhone (or any other iOS device) or MacBook they might also use click that link from Facebook or their mail app/client.
2. We want to use the link inside iOS (or OS X) domain. Means when we are certain that our link will be clicked by device using iOS or OS X.
3. We want to send the app user (already a user of our app) to specific section (like review section) of the app on app store.
For category 1 and 2 it's best to use this type of URL:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/dots-a-game-about-connecting/id632285588?mt=8
When you embed this link then it can result in several outcomes:
If user clicks on this link from iPhone (from any iPhone app or mail app on iPhone): Your app page on App Store will open directly
If user clicks on this link from any Android Phone or Browser (Chrome/Safari/etc.): Your app page on itunes.apple.com website will open inside default browser. Even if you are opening it on you MacBook it won't open iTunes App Store but will display you app page in Browser itself.
Side Note: There are several places on web where below mentioned sort of link is also suggested:
http://appstore.com/dotsagameaboutconnecting
When you embed this link then it can result in several outcomes:
If user clicks on this link from iPhone or MacBook: Your app page on App Store will open directly. So this link is a bit better for MacBook users as it send users of MacBook directly to iTunes instead of staying within Safari browser.
If user clicks on this link from any Android Phone or Browser (Chrome/Safari/etc.): If user is clicking from PC that has iTunes installed then this link will open your app on iTunes else (on Android devices and PC that doesn't have iTunes) it will open a Apple.com page displaying "Download iTunes" without any mention of your app. Screenshot of that page below:
So If you are not sure about who will click on your link (outside/inside iOS domain) or If you want to be on safer side then I recommend first approach. Read here on how to create specific link for your app.
For category 3 simply use below code in some function/action:
NSString *myAppID = #"632285588";
NSString *url = [NSString stringWithFormat: #"itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewContentsUserReviews?type=Purple+Software&id=%#", myAppID];
//iOS7 doesn't approve above format so add iOS7 specific format
if ([[[UIDevice currentDevice] systemVersion] floatValue] >= 7.0) {
url = [NSString stringWithFormat: #"itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/app/id%#", myAppID];
}
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL: [NSURL URLWithString: url]];
For details on above code see this answer.
For developers who are developing first version of app and app is still not published on app store there is always a quandary about how to get the right link for your to be published app. For that:
Get your app ID from iTunesConnect. Use iTunesConnect to create your new app - give it a name, description, icon, screenshots, etc. Once app is created on iTunesConnect (without even submitting the app), you can get the Apple ID from the Identifiers section for the app.
You should not have any problems with the following one:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/notebookpro/id<APP_ID>?mt=8
I believe, it will be opened on all major browsers/OS.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id##app-id##?mt=8
Replace ##app-id## with real app-id.
For example:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id346542660?mt=8
Summary
No country code. Ex: gb
No appName, only app-id.
https protocol.
I'm using the itms-apps: approach in our app, which also allows you to select to which "section" of your app the user will land.
So if you want to show them the reviews, this is what I use: itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewContentsUserReviews?type=Purple+Software&id=XXXXXXX
and for updating to the latest version of our app: itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwareUpdate?id=XXXXXXX&mt=8

App crashes when I try to upload 600MB video to Facebook from IOS application

Im using Facebook iOS SDK to upload video from my iOS application to Facebook.
I tried to upload 90MB video to Facebook using FBConnect Library from iOS application.
It uploaded successfully.
But when I try to upload a 600MB video, the app crashed - Program received signal "0" error.
I'd like to know, is there any video size limitation to upload video using FBConnect library from an iOS Application?
Problem in Follwing method of FBVideoUpload.m class following method
startUploadWithURL
// App crashes because of NSData object. because NSData trying to hold 600MB video file data in single object.//
params setObject:[NSData dataWithContentsOfURL:movieURL]
forKey:[movieURL lastPathComponent]]; // App crashes in this line
Facebook's REST API video upload documentation says:
Each user is subject to limits on the length and size of the
video files they can upload, just like they are when uploading
through Facebook.
Use video.getUploadLimits to determine a specific user's limits.
It's probably not the same API you're using, but I imagine the principle is the same.
I think you may want to look at encoding the 600MB video before you send it to Facebook, or at least compressing it heavily and pushing it down to one of your servers to do publish remotely. The iPhone may run out of juice before the download even finishes.
Alternatively you could split the captured video up into segments and upload them individually.
The exact reason why your app crashes, is that you're trying to put more MBs into memory than what's available. iOS reacts by shutting down your app. If you really need to be able to process such large files, you must find a way of processing it little by little.
Use the code mentioned:
NSData *movieData;
NSError *dataReadingError = nil;
movieData = [NSData dataWithContentsOfURL: movieURL options:NSDataReadingMapped error:&dataReadingError];
if(movieData != nil)
NSLog(#"Successfully loaded the data.");
else
NSLog(#"Failed to load the data with error = %#", dataReadingError);

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