Upcoming iOS 7 APIs: Gaming Improvements, Multitasking Support, AirDrop, and More

MacRumors · Jun 12, 2013

During Monday's WWDC keynote, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, mentioned that iOS 7 would add 1,500 new APIs to Apple's SDK, including iBeacons, MFi game controllers, and new multitasking options.

These APIs reveal promising new features that developers will be able to incorporate into future app and hardware releases, offering new gaming technology, new location tracking options, and more. Here's a closer look at a few of the most notable APIs:

iBeacons - According to MacWorld, iBeacons are designed to use the Bluetooth Low Energy profile for microlocation, allowing iOS devices to use Bluetooth 4.0 devices to access location data.

AirDrop from Activity Sheet - Apps will be able to incorporate AirDrop support, giving users the ability to share photos, documents and more with friends from within an app.

Apple Maps - iOS 7 will let developers include additional mapping features in apps, including 3D viewing experiences, direction related route information and map-based images.

MFi Game Controllers - iOS 7 includes support for MFi "Made for iPhone" Apple Certified hardware game controllers, which will allow manufacturers to create dedicated iOS gaming controllers, turning the iPhone and the iPad into gaming machines on par with handheld gaming systems. Apps will be able to be designed around the Game Controller framework, allowing for seamless connectivity. Our sister site TouchArcade has shared an image from Apple's developer library detailing a reference design of both a standalone controller and an iPhone enclosure.

Sprite Kit - The Sprite Kit framework is designed to allow developers to create high-performing 2D games, controlling sprite attributes like position, size, rotation, gravity, and mass. It includes built-in support for physics to make animations look realistic and it also includes particle systems for additional game effects.

Game Center - iOS 7 adds new turn-based gaming modes (including simultaneous turns, chats, and trades) along with new methods for player authentication and secure game score transmission. This feature is likely designed to cut down on hacked Game Center scores from jailbroken devices.

Multitasking and Background Downloads - Apple's new multitasking APIs are designed to allow apps to update and download content in the background at intelligently scheduled times. For example, a Twitter app might incorporate this functionality, downloading new content in the background while the phone is not otherwise in use, staying up to date without unnecessarily draining battery. Push notifications can also initiate content downloads.

Inter-App Audio - With Inter-App Audio, apps are able to share audio streams with other apps, an API that will make it even easier to use Apple's iDevices to create music.

60-fps Video Capture - iOS 7 will allow apps to capture video at up to 60 frames per second.

Peer-to-Peer Connectivity - This data transmission API is designed to allow users to discover nearby devices and initiate direct communication without Internet connectivity.

Apple has a slew of other APIs available for developers, which should bring a lot of changes to apps when iOS 7 is released. For additional information on iOS 7, we detailed many of the upcoming features and we also explored some of the hidden tidbits.

Article Link: Upcoming iOS 7 APIs: Gaming Improvements, Multitasking Support, AirDrop, and More

macjonny1 · Jun 12, 2013

I've downloaded iOS7 beta, and it looks great so far. Icon colors are a little too bright for my taste but otherwise all of my apps work just fine.

dukebound85 · Jun 12, 2013

controller support? that is cool!

Sky Blue · Jun 12, 2013

All good stuff. Looking forward to the game controllers.

macus3r · Jun 12, 2013

No doubt Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo execs are all simultaneously ******** their pants at the news of Apple OK'd hardware game controller designs.

rovex · Jun 12, 2013

So it does allow for 60FPS, haven't really noticed in using the beta.

Vol7ron · Jun 12, 2013

Seems to me that some of these additions to iOS could end up in the Apple TV...Especially the game controller functions...

SwiftLives · Jun 12, 2013

Controller support. Hmmmmm. I'm willing to bet we're going to see some combination of apps (games) that support Airplay and these controllers along with Apple TV APIs in the fall.

And that's when XBox and Playstation will have their lunch eaten before they even realized they were served a plate.

jclo · Jun 12, 2013

Vol7ron said:
Seems to me that some of these additions to iOS could end up in the Apple TV...Especially the game controller functions...

Let's hope!

chumawumba · Jun 12, 2013

iBeacons is cool, but when can I get iBacon?

emt1 · Jun 12, 2013

rovex said:
So it does allow for 60FPS, haven't really noticed in using the beta.

Yeah, it allows for it. But no apps have been developed that use it yet.

ChazUK · Jun 12, 2013

The more I read about it, the more pleased I am with the new changes announced in iOS 7.

Really looking forward to getting the final releases on my iPhone, iPod touch and iPads.

Very well done Apple.

WilliamLondon · Jun 12, 2013

Vol7ron said:
Seems to me that some of these additions to iOS could end up in the Apple TV...Especially the game controller functions...

This!

More than that (avoiding a whole discussion that gets into how well or poorly Apple does gaming), the Apple TV and a game controller could mean one thing: apps on the ATV, and that means an App Store, and that means the ATV could get a whole lot more interesting.

FSMBP · Jun 12, 2013

rovex said:
So it does allow for 60FPS, haven't really noticed in using the beta.

They may not include it in the default camera app, but they probably are providing an API for developers to take advantage of.

cababah · Jun 12, 2013

On the topic of improving their multi-tasking, I would really like to see the option of a button to "kill all" running apps in the background as opposed to closing each one individually.

donutbagel · Jun 12, 2013

Great stuff. I've been waiting for most of these things.

ikir · Jun 12, 2013

MFi certified controllers!! YYYEEEESSS! It seems this API is available to Mavericks too!

CindyRed · Jun 12, 2013

Finally. iOS has always been a reliable and easy to use mobile platform, the only thing it ever lacked we're true killer third party apps. iOS specific apps have always been better to use than other platforms even with restrictions, but opening more API controls to developers will mean apps that will blow away other mobile experiences.

designaholic · Jun 12, 2013

SwiftLives said:
And that's when XBox and Playstation will have their lunch eaten before they even realized they were served a plate.

I'm not sure, but I think the new upcoming next-gen console hardware is just a tiny bit more powerful and a different class of gaming than iOS. /sarcasm

----------

MacRumors said:
60-fps Video Capture - iOS 7 will allow apps to capture video at up to 60 frames per second.

Queue slo-mo apps!

Daveoc64 · Jun 12, 2013

macus3r said:
No doubt Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo execs are all simultaneously ******** their pants at the news of Apple OK'd hardware game controller designs.

There are going to be a number of problems for them to overcome first:

1) Getting support into games. If you require the controller, you're limiting the appeal of your game. Even if everyone in the universe buys a controller, there are going to be times when they don't have it, and given how many games follow the F2P model (even some that you have to buy!), that's going to mean less revenue opportunities for developers.

2) The idea of a separate controller is very cumbersome. The "enclosure" idea is pretty reasonable, but it pretty much requires you to use it as your case 24/7. I wouldn't like that at all.

The "standalone" controller would be virtually unusable in a lot of situations - particularly with an iPhone or iPod touch.

Having a different shoulder button layout on each is a bit odd too. Presumably that's about limiting the depth of the "enclosure" option. You're either going to have buttons that do nothing or buttons you can't press!

Mac21ND · Jun 12, 2013

WilliamLondon said:
This!

More than that (avoiding a whole discussion that gets into how well or poorly Apple does gaming), the Apple TV and a game controller could mean one thing: apps on the ATV, and that means an App Store, and that means the ATV could get a whole lot more interesting.

Even if there's not apps on the :apple:

TV, you could do what you can do now: mirror/share the TV screen with apps on your iPhone (think Real Racing 2). Providing a proper controller would allow for more first person shooters and arcade style games (button mashers).

Mac Fly (film) · Jun 12, 2013

No. This does not mean Apple TV apps. It's to allow hardware manufacturers to concentrate on making great hardware, because Apple handles the other crap. This is the whole point of Apple standardising here. And that means an even better ecosystem for Apple. One more thing competitors will have to do to catch up. And one more reason to buy an iPhone over other devices - which is the point; the reason.

jclo · Jun 12, 2013

Daveoc64 said:
There are going to be a number of problems for them to overcome first:

1) Getting support into games. If you require the controller, you're limiting the appeal of your game. Even if everyone in the universe buys a controller, there are going to be times when they don't have it, and given how many games follow the F2P model (even some that you have to buy!), that's going to mean less revenue opportunities for developers.

2) The idea of a separate controller is very cumbersome. The "enclosure" idea is pretty reasonable, but it pretty much requires you to use it as your case 24/7. I wouldn't like that at all.

The "standalone" controller would be virtually unusable in a lot of situations - particularly with an iPhone or iPod touch.

Having a different shoulder button layout on each is a bit odd too. Presumably that's about limiting the depth of the "enclosure" option. You're either going to have buttons that do nothing or buttons you can't press!

Apps that include support for the controller are also required to make the game playable without the controller as well.

troop231 · Jun 12, 2013

chumawumba said:
when can I get iBacon?

Right now!

http://tinyurl.com/7lb5rp

Porco · Jun 12, 2013

MFi game controllers is huge. And brilliant.

Although… as someone from the UK, 'MFI' has other associations…

Upcoming iOS 7 APIs: Gaming Improvements, Multitasking Support, AirDrop, and More

macrumors bot

macrumors 6502a

macrumors Core

Guest

macrumors regular

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502

macrumors 65816

Managing Editor

macrumors 6502

macrumors 65816

macrumors 603

macrumors 68000

macrumors 68030

macrumors 68000

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68020

macrumors member

macrumors regular

macrumors 601

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68020

Managing Editor

macrumors 603

macrumors 68040

Our Staff