Blackberry submission process, need to get app up - blackberry

I really need to get my app up as soon as possible, however there are some issues with the app working the way I want in os 5.0 but works great in os6+
I'm just wondering if I submit it would just be turned down. I want to get it up, and while that is happening I can be preparing an update. Same with resolution support, I may need to increase the amount of phones I reach, but right now there is no time. What I'm asking is will rim not accept an app because it's just not compatible with all phones?
Also, should I building separate cod files for different os compatibility?

If your app works well in os6.0 + and not so well in Os 5.0 ,submit the app and set the MinOS (minimum OS version compatible with the File Bundle) to OS6.0 . so the app wont be visible to os 5.0 users. It will only be visible to os 6.0 users. Once you upload, you can then work on it and then for the next release, update the file bundle with min os set to OS5.0
Its upto your discretion to set the number of devices/os/carrier/language, your app supports. Even if its just one device, RIM will accept the app. Make sure the app is signed, and it doesnt do anything crazy.

Related

What are the *real* requirements for iOS development

As far as I can see, the requirements to develop for any iOS device are:
1. Own a Mac computer that runs the latest version operating system.
2. Register with Apple to be an iOS developer for $99.00 + tax, annually.
3. Own an iOS device that runs the latest iOS operating system your application will support. For a professional iOS developer, that means the latest operating system out.
Am I wrong?
If so, where? I've just bought a brand new iMac and I'm looking for a used iPhone. I want to make sure I buy one that will allow me to develop iOS in the latest version.
Yes, I worked at a company doing iOS development and I had to do those three things (They handled the registration), and nothing more. You don't need a physical phone either though, XCode comes with a pretty good simulator. When working I almost always used the simulator, occasionally pulling the real device for touch/UI testing. It's still important to check functionality in real life if you have a nontrivial UI, since it's hard to know how the UI "feels".
You need the latest version of Xcode (requirements for Xcode 10 can be found in this post). Having a relatively up to date Mac usually does the trick.
You need an Apple Developer account - $99 / year for personal account or $299 / year for enterprise account.
You do not technically need any iOS devices to do iOS development and releases; however, the simulator does not have all the functionality a real device has. So depending on your features, it may be required. Also, some bugs only show up on certain devices, so it’s always good to test on as many real world devices as possible. For more details on the capabilities of the iOS Simulator, check here.

Release an exlusive ios5 version of my app

I recently found my app doesn't work on iOS 5 and I have a few users who have asked that I release an older version that works on iOS5. One of them sent me this link http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Enables-Pre-iOS-7-Downloads-Offers-Old-App-Versions-When-Necessary-383663.shtml Is there any way to release two versions of my app? One for ios6+ and one for ios5?
Apple does not provide a way to do this, but there is a way to do it yourself if you REALLY want to.
You have to create a new app id and name, (eg: MyApp for iOS 5). Then you have to set the deployment target of your iOS 5 app to iOS 5. Of course, someone with iOS 6 or 7 could also install it, so you might want to detect the the system version (via UIDevice) and offer to take them to the app store to get the newer version. You'll end up with two apps in the app store and your users will have to figure out which one is the best one for them.
You're probably better off trying to get your existing app to work on iOS 5 and fix whatever issues you're encountering with that OS (unless you're using autolayout--which is not supported on iOS 5 and would mean you'd likely have to re-do a lot of your UI for that OS version).
That said, there's a diminishing return on investment to support older versions of iOS. Most people update to the latest version of iOS pretty quickly and the number of users stuck with an old version of the OS who are unable to upgrade is going to steadily shrink.

Which BlackBerry Devices/OS to target? (July 2012)

We have a fairly simple mobile application, completed for iPhone and Android that does the following:
queries a web service to verify the user's account information
display an animation to show that the user, in fact, has a valid account
We got the application working very quickly on a PlayBook by using the Android version.
Now the customer has asked us to explore getting it to work on other BlackBerry devices.
None of us know that much about BlackBerry, and the main source for our question returned from google searches (http://us.blackberry.com/developers/choosingtargetos.jsp) comes up as 404 page.
According to this chart there is still a wide variety of devices in use. Which ones does it make sense to target?
Thanks
I had posted an answer last year about this here on stackoverflow, but as you noted, that link has recently broken.
The only thing I've found that's similar is this BlackBerry developer page. It shows, for example, that paid apps are being purchased by devices that are about 97% on OS 5.0 and above.
From what you've told me, I don't know that your app is going to be that different on different devices, aside from maybe the obvious smartphone vs. Playbook difference. Different devices certainly have different screen sizes, so you'll need to make sure your UI is coded to handle that gracefully.
If you guys are new to BlackBerry, you might want to stay away from OS < 5.0. There are some things in prior OS versions (e.g. location services / maps, browser, and networking) that are a little tough to work with, and with such a small percentage of paying customers still on OS < 5.0, it probably isn't worth it to you.
So, I guess I'm recommending that you target specific OS levels (e.g. 5.0+). That will be a bigger driver for how you build your app, than a specific set of devices. This is because each OS version adds more and better APIs to use.
Once you've decided which OS to target, then you should download the SDK for each major OS. For example, if you use the Eclipse BlackBerry plug-in, you can install the 5.0 SDK (aka component pack), the 6.0 SDK, the 7.0 and 7.1 SDK.
Once you have those SDKs installed, you'll then have a bunch of simulators (each SDK has a simulator folder). Run your app on all those simulators, and that'll probably be a good start.
Of course, there's no substitute for running on real hardware, too, but if your app does mostly standard things (not interacting with hardware sensors, just displaying web pages, and making HTTP requests), the simulators should give you a pretty good test environment. They certainly will give you all the screen size configurations.

Supporting older iOS Versions

Is there any elegant way to "Cut off" support for older iOS operating system versions? When I first published my app the current version of iOS was in the 3.x range. As time progresses continuing to put out updates that support iOS 3.0, while integrating new features found in 4.0 is getting more and more time consuming. Yet I don't see any way that iTunes or any iDevice will effectively handle this for existing users.
Should I simply upload an update set the minimum iOS to 4.0 (or whatever I choose) and move on?
Most people have already upgraded to iOS 4.x, but there are still a few on iOS 3.x. Leaving those out will surely bring a couple bad App Store reviews (since they won't be able to update, and even worse: if they delete the app they won't be able to download the last 3.x-compatible version of your app), but sometimes it's worth it.
And yes, you'll need to upload a version that was built with "iOS Deployment Target" set to iOS 4.0.
There isn't any really elegant way, but fortunately most users have moved on to at least OS 4.
The best thing you can do is to give lots of notice in your app update notes, letting users know that "the next update will be 4.0+ only" or that "this is the final 3.x supporting version, please make a backup if you need it..."
Communication is key.
A few days before Apple released iOS 7, they start supporting download of older versions of your app. From the article:
For example, a user running iOS 5 can now — for the first time — download an app that supports that version of iOS, even if the latest version of the app is ready for iOS 7. The move, which was highlighted on Reddit, is a significant one as it will give those who have not upgraded their iPad, iPhone or iPod to the most recent versions of iOS access to a lot more apps.
So if I were you, I would do one more update to support older iOS devices for one last time before moving on and setting the deployment target to higher iOS version.
The weird thing is, I don't think we can go back and update the older version of our app. So if we have App 1.0 that supports down to iOS 5, then App 1.1 supports only iOS 7 and above, there is no way to release a 1.0.1 update to fix critical bugs for iOS 5 users.
That's why I said I'd update it one last time before bumping the deployment target. Maybe wait a few weeks and see if your last update has any critical bugs.

When updating to iPhone OS 3.0, will older apps be compatible?

I am currently working with a device that has iPhone OS 2.2.1.
And as You all know that the OS 3.0 update is available for download.
I have downloaded the update and also read many comments on it.
I have developed all my apps on OS 2.2.1.
Just to confirm, if I install 3.0 on my device will the apps be compatible.
If not then can I roll back to 2.2.1? If rolling back is possible then how can I roll back?
Are your Apps for sale in the App Store? Or are they private apps? Apple won't approve any that aren't 3.0 compatible now, but I'm pretty sure all 2.2.1 apps work on 3.0.
With the iPhone simulator, you can test for different versions. With the device, there is no easy way to roll back to 2.2.1.
To answer your question about downgrading, I did exactly this process yesterday, downgrading my iPod Touch 2G from the 3.0 GM firmware, down to 2.2.1.
First of all, you need to get hold of the 2.2.1 Firmware. There are links list on http://www.blogsdna.com/2264/iphone-firmware-221-and-ipod-touch-firmware-221-released.htm
If you download the zip file and there is a .zip filename suffix, simply remove the '.zip' portion from the filename. Do not unzip the file. The ipsw file uses zip to encapsulate the various files associated with a firmware upgrade.
Next, you need to connect your device to your Mac, and place it in DFU mode. This involves holding down the home and power buttons until the device powers off, and then lifting your finger off the power button, but keeping it on the home button for a few seconds, and then releasing. This is a little tricky, so have a look at the various articles written on the topic. It took me a couple of times to get it right.
Once you've put the device in DFU mode, you can use Xcode's Organizer window to load the 2.2.1 firmware onto the device. Go to the Software Versions menu, and select Other Version.... Then browse to your downloaded 2.2.1 firmware file, and click Open, and then click Restore [device].
Maybe you can downgrade with the pwnage tool.. but I'm not sure.. anyway you can try to downgrade to 2.1 and see what happens..

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