- Login to https://console.firebase.google.com
- Select the project where you want to add the collaborator
- In the top left, next to the project name, click the settings/cog wheel icon and than Users and Permissions
- In the new screen, Click on icon on top
- Enter rapido.mobi@gmail.com and select Project->Owner in the role and click on Add button
- Send an email to us after you are done with this activity (with your project name and website address and we will add APN Auth Keys for your push notifications to work)
- You can remove the permission after testing push notifications on IOS.
How to upload APN Auth keys to your firebase project
- Login to https://console.firebase.google.com
- Select the project name for which you added IOS app earlier
- Click 3 dots icon for IOS app and click on Settings
- Click on Cloud Messaging tab on top
- Scroll down to APNs authentication Key section and click on UPLOAD
- Upload your .p8 file in the popup, enter your Auth Key ID in Key ID field and your team ID in APP ID prefix section and click on UPLOAD
How to create APN Auth keys for IOS Push Notification
- Login to https://developer.apple.com/account
- Select Certificate, IDs & Profiles from left sidebar
- Select All under Keys section in left sidebar
- Click On + icon on top right
- Enter Push Notification in the Name and select APNs in Key Services section and click on Continue
- Download your Auth key in the next section, it will give you a .p8 file, keep it safe, you will not be able to get it again
- You will need Key ID and the downloaded file for uploading it to your Firebase project for push notifications, follow these steps for the same
How to Upload IOS builds using application loader
IOS build is in .ipa format, similar to .apk in Android, every time you want to release a new build to app store, you have to upload this file to your itunes account, you can either do it via Xcode (that is for developers) OR do it via Application Loader.
Note:- both (Xcode & Application Loader) requires macbook, if you don’t have one, we can upload your build on your behalf, for that you need to give us App Manager permissions, follow this link to give us the permission and forward the email you received with build link to contact@androapp.mobi.
If you don’t have application loader installed already, install it by following this link https://help.swiftic.com/hc/en-us/articles/201697821-Install-the-Application-Loader-on-Your-Computer
Now once you have the .ipa file link from us
- Open Application Loader
- Sign in using your apple developer account credentials
- Double click on Deliver your app
- select the .ipa file you received from us
- it will take you to the next screen, cross check your app information
- and click on next, it will take some time to upload the build
- you might see one popup saying could not do analysis due to file too large, you can continue by ignoring it, for any other error, take a screenshot of the error and email it to us.
How to upload Apple Push Notification Certificate to Firebase
- Login to https://console.firebase.google.com
- Select App where you have setup Firebase app earlier by following these steps
- Click 3 dots icon for IOS app and click on Settings
- Click on Cloud Messaging tab on top
- Scroll down to APNs Certificates and click on Upload link corresponding to No production APNs certificate row
- Browse to the .p12 file shared and click on Upload
How to give App Manager permission to your itunes app/account
- Login to https://itunesconnect.apple.com/login
- Click on Users & Roles box
- Click on + icon near Users on top left
- Fill up the form with values in the snapshot and click on Next, email: contact@androapp.mobi
- Select App Manager checkbox and click Next, you may choose the specific App if you want to limit the access to a particular app
- Don’t make any changes in the next screen and click on Save.
How to Export public/private key in macbook
- You must have received a .cer file from your previous steps, double click on that file on your macbook and it should open the KeyChain Access
- Now go to the entry which says iPhone Distribution: Your Name (your teamID)
- Right click and select Export
- keep the file format as .p12
- it will ask to enter password, keep it blank
- email us the downloaded .p12 file
How to upload app to IOS App Store
- Login to developer.apple.com/account
- Click on ITunes Connect from left panel
- Select My Apps
- Click on + icon and select New App from dropdown
- Select IOS from platforms
- Enter Name, select primary language,
- Choose bundle id from dropdown
- Enter a unique SKU id for your app to identify and click on Create
- Enter subtitle in next screen and a privacy URL if you have
- Select primary and secondary category
- Click on Save
- Go to Pricing and Availability and select appropriate pricing info and click on Save
- Go to Prepare for submission
- Upload app screenshots, you can get the screenshots using our preview app, you need to upload at-least 1 screenshots for both iphone and ipad of 1242×2208 and 2048×2732 sizes respectively
- and enter description, keywords, support url, marketing url, contact information, phone, emailTip: don’t mention that this is an app for some website, give contact us link in support url, not the website home page link
- Skip iMessage App, Apple Watch section
- Also skip Build section for now, till you get the .app file from us
- Upload App Icon of size 1024×1024 a JPG image (should not be transparent)
- Enter copyright info, Address
- Enter the rating information by clicking on Edit and selecting appropriate checkboxes for your app
- Jump to App Review Information section and uncheck sign in required check box
- Enter Install the app and browse the posts in Notes textbox
- And your contact information for apple review team to contact you – just in case they have any questions for you, leave the Notes box empty
- Click On Save
- Once you get the .app file from us, upload it via Application loader by following these steps
- Once you get an email about successful processing of build upload, you can follow below steps
- optionally – but recommended, please test your app using TestFlight by following these steps.
- Login back to itunes, go to the app, and Prepare for Submission from left and click on + icon under builds section and select appropriate build
- Now click on Submit for Review button on top right
- Select No in Export Compliance
- Select Yes/No in Content Rights appropriately
- Select Yes in Advertising Identifier
- Select Server Advertisements within the app checkbox
- and select Limit Ad Tracking in setting in IOS checkbox
- And Submit button on top right
- it might take upto 2 weeks for IOS team to review your app, you will get an email after your app is approved/rejected
To prevent the possibility of app rejection
- Try to keep the ads minimum
- Keep wordpress comments on with counts feature
- Check which theme gives more app like feeling than simply a website
- Don’t mention app for website, description should be clear on what app offers
- Don’t use IOS, apple, android words in the description, keywords, logo
- upload enough screenshots which covers full functionality
How to Generate a WildCard App ID for Apple build
- Login to https://developer.apple.com/account
- Click on Certificate, ID & Profiles on left sidebar
- Go to App IDs from left sidebar
- Click on + icon on top right
- Enter “<Your Team Name> WildCard” under APP ID Description, ex. AndroApp WildCard, this is important for us to identify your profile
- Scroll down and select Wildcard App ID
- Enter you package name which you must have received for android app in the mails from us, with below modifications
- Do not enable any services and click on Continue
- Create a provisioning profile for this wildcard app id https://androapp.mobi/blog/create-provisioning-profile/289
Note:- this has to be done only once per apple developer account, so even if you are going to publish multiple apps from your account, you don’t need to create multiple wildcard app id, after all that’s why it is called wildcard 🙂
AndroApp – IOS vs Android feature comparison
We have been working on IOS version of AndroApp and it will work very similar to Android version, however there will be few differences to start with
Here is the feature comparison of both IOS and Android versions
Feature | Android | IOS |
---|---|---|
Unlimited Push Notification | ✓ | ✓ |
Dynamic Expandable Menu | ✓ | ✓ |
Parallax Effect on featured Image on post detail page | ✓ | ✓ |
Ads | Admob, AppNext, Mopub | Admob |
Landscape Mode | ✓ | ✘ |
Pull Down Refresh | ✓ | ✓ |
Image Save | ✓ | ✓ |
Offline Save | ✓ | ✓ |
Social Shares | ✓ | ✓ |
Comments | Wordpress, Facebook | Wordpress |
Splash Image | ✓ | ✓ |
Search | ✓ | ✓ |
Deep Linking | ✓ | ✘ |
Selective Ads Display on Screen | ✓ | ✓ |
Different Fonts | ✓ | ✓ |
Menu Icons | ✓ | ✘ |
Horizontal Slider Menu | ✓ | ✘ |