Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: ios6

  • How To Generate Your Own Apple iOS 6 Passbook Passes

    How To Generate Your Own Apple iOS 6 Passbook Passes

    With Apple’s iOS6 launching today, there are a ton of new features people are exploring. One of my favorite new apps on iOS 6 is Passbook. Although Apple didn’t incorporate NFC capability into the new iPhone 5, I really don’t think it matters too much just now – thanks to Passbook.

    Passbook lets users manage their frequent flyer cards, club card, store cards, and I’m sure their credit cards and metro cards soon enough. Cards are communicated to merchants via scannable barcode – 1d or 2d which is displayed on the phone’s screen.

    To generate Passbook passes, it’s a relatively straightforward process. While most people will experience Passes in Passbook pushed from apps and sent in emails from airlines and the like, It’s actually possible to generate your own passes, using the new .pkpass mime type. Simply create a zip files with a few specific documents in it, and reference it with the new .pkpass mime type in a webpage or email, and boom, you’ve got a Passbook Pass!

    Here’s the files, as reported on GeeksWithBlogs.net:

    Passbook Pass Zip File Requirements
    icon.png
    icon@2x.png
    logo.png
    logo@2x.png
    manifest.json
    pass.json
    singature

    Too much to handle on your own? No problem, there’s naturally a generator for it. Head on over to iPass.PK and start whipping them up on your own.

    Like this blog post? SHARE it with your friends via Passbook! Just load up this blog post’s Passbook Pass, and show it to a friend with a QR Code reader app.

  • Barcode vs NFC Payments on iOS6 and iPhone5 – Why Barcodes Are Better

    Barcode vs NFC Payments on iOS6 and iPhone5 – Why Barcodes Are Better

    With Apple’s eminent announcement of iOS 6 today, mobile payments will get yet another major boost. Now my barcode-scan based payment scheme won’t be restricted to only the beloved Starbucks app, but will open up to lots of other applications too. A few thoughts on Barcode Scan Payments vs NFC Payments. Certainly not fully fleshed out, but a few items that were on my mind as I watch the clock tick down to the big announcement.

    Tricky tricky. In support of scanning a simple barcode to make a mobile paymentis first and foremost the reduction of need for new hardware. Virtually every retail outlet has a simple barcode scanner hooked up to the cash register, and every smartphone can display a barcode on its screen. Barcodes can be generated securely and dynamically, allowing a unique code to be generated for each transaction. The hardware is already out there, so why not use it?

    Sure, NFC is a nifty contact-less radio-based technology, but the big detractor is its need for new hardware. Users must purchase new phones with new chips, and retail POS terminals must be equipped with new NFC sensors and radios. The one big advantage NFC has over Barcodes is device range. NFC chips can be built into not only mobile phones, but also into credit cards, key fobs, and all sorts of other form factors. They’re not reliant on the powerful workings of a smartphone (in RFID flavor), and so they can be rolled out into lots of different forms. With barcode payments, the phone must always be there to generate a dynamic barcode. It could be argued that static barcodes, like what’s used in my current Starbucks card app could be use, however I believe the ability to dynamically generate secure barcodes could be a sticking point.

    Another big advantage that barcode-based payments has over NFC based payments is legacy device support. I already use my Starbucks Card app to display a barcode on my iPhone 4 – SO really it’s all about having software to display and manage the codes, and retailers supporting them with their existing (or slightly upgraded) hardware. Apple’s “Mobile Wallet” Passbook will come on the new iPhone5, and can also be a simple upgrade for legacy devices. Instantly, everyone has Passbook, everyone can start making payments – no annoying hardware upgrade necessary for the user.

    But, device sales – is such an easy solution, such a flexible scheme, so backwards compatible really right for Apple? Aren’t they in the business of making money, and doesn’t adding a new chip to their phones and forcing users to buy new phones to get the latest functionality help sell more? Yes, absolutely. But I don’t think NFC is the right technology for make users pay for.I think there will be other enticing upgrades to the iPhone 5 that will still get users to upgrade.

    Related news announcements:

  • Enhanced iOS 6 Geofencing with Find my Friends and 3rd Party Apps

    Enhanced iOS 6 Geofencing with Find my Friends and 3rd Party Apps

    With Apple’s announcement of all of the great new features in iOS 6, there’s a newfound potential for even more pervasive Geofencing functionality.

    Previously, I wrote about how to set up geofencing in iOS 5 – and mentioned that it integrates seamlessly into both calendar and tasks. Now, there seems to be a few hints that this functionality will be further extended to 3rd party applications.

    iOS 6’s information sharing and social media capabilities are significantly extended – full Facebook integration, Twitter integration, and new API’s allowing access to user data. With this enhanced sharing, Apple is under increased pressure to protect users data. So, they’ve increased the number of explicit confirmations a user must go through to allow applications access to data. One of these authorizations is access to Reminders – which is basically the front-end for geofencing integration.

    Extended privacy controls in iOS 6

    Today, Apple rumor site Macrumors reported on the enhanced user permissions, and noted that the developer beta of iOS6 has in its release notes:

    In addition to location data, the system now asks the user’s permission before allowing third-party apps to access certain user data, including:

    – Contacts
    – Calendars
    – Reminders
    – Photo Library

    For contact, calendar, and reminder data, your app needs to be prepared to be denied access to these items and to adjust its behavior accordingly. If the user has not yet been prompted to allow access, the returned structure is valid but contains no records. If the user has denied access, the app receives a NULL value or no data. If the user grants permission to the app, the system subsequently notifies the app that it needs to reload or revert the data.

    So, does the fact that Apple is requiring permission to access Reminders data signify that soon 3rd party apps will be able to use the background geofencing service built into Reminders?

    Also of note, MacWorld reports that soon the “Find my Friends” app will be updated with Geofencing alerts – which I bet uses the same system geofencing service as Reminders. From MacWorld:

    According to Apple’s iOS 6 website, the company’s Find My Friends app is set to add a new geofencing notification system with iOS 6. This will let you set up an alert for any of your Find My Friends contacts; when they leave or arrive at a given location, you’ll receive an alert or banner notification.

    Also related, see Apple’s iOS 6 Website

    Find My Friends is a great way to share locations with friends and family.8 Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts — like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.