From one year to another, Apple’s fans are eagerly waiting for the release of a new iOS version, to use all new features and enjoy the improved experience. Loyal users are upgrading their iPhones once a new model arrives, because they want to take advantage of the performance of the newest hardware and to install the best rich graphics apps that will run without any issue. iOS 10 was announced in June at Apple’s WWDC and it was officially released on September 13, but during this time, the company has offered betas for app developers, who started working with the new operating system. What impact did iOS 10 have on app developers and how did they use the new features in their favor? We’ll tell you below:
App Store Search Advertising
Apple has made some changes to iOS 10 that allow developers to advertise in the App Store. This is similar to Google AdWords and will give companies the possibility to understand bid prices, by accessing a keyword planner. They will know when users will search for an app or a specific topic, and companies will take full advantage of this opportunity to modify prices and dominate the advertising. And they will afford to do whatever they want, since they have massive budgets.
New Options To Set Subscription Pricing
iOS has new subscription features and this offers iOS app developers a tiered pricing structure for their applications. For example, Burner Connections is an application that connects user’s number with applications he/she loves and automatically saves picture messages and voicemails in the cloud (Dropbox), shares audio content to audio platforms (Soundcloud) etc. Users are paying $4.99/month on the auto-renewing Burner Premium subscription which offers unlimited calls, texts, and picture messages for 1 Burner line, but they can also add an extra line on an auto-renewing basis. This means that users are free to upgrade or downgrade their subscriptions easily, without too many headaches and app developers are allowed to set subscription pricing according to the costs of their inputs on a per-market basis.
Increased Revenue Share
Apple has raised the revenue share for long-term subscriptions from 70% to 85%, and a increase of 10% is good for the app development business, because this will lead to lower prices for customers and they will get extended free trials, more interesting free offerings and everyone will win: Apple – developers – users.
Make VoIP Calls Inside The App With CallKit
CallKit was also unveiled at WWDC, being a new framework that allows any VoIP app to integrate with the native Phone UI. Apple made it possible for incoming calls to be displayed fully on the lock screen and developers who adopt CallKit will give users the possibility to use their app to make calls from the native Phone app’s contacts, favorites, and recents, while interacting with CarPlay and Bluetooth accessories.
SiriKit
iOS users love Siri, the digital assistant who takes voice commands and performs various tasks. Siri’s support was extended for messaging, photo search and phone calls to third party apps and ride booking services, allowing users to make personal payments and more. It’s great to hear Siri’s voice integrated into Uber, Lyft and WhatsApp, and in the future, more services will be added to the list.
Related blog: Apple Rolls Out iOS 10, watchOS 3 and tvOS 10: What’s New and How to Download
Messages API
“The Messaging API provides operations to get access to the primitives offered by mobile messaging services (send, receive) as well as those that allow to manage a mobile messaging client inbox (delete, store, mark as read),” reads here. Using Messaging API, app developers are able to build custom emoji, stickers and many more and introduce them into the messaging environment. On the other hand, users will no longer need to install other app to order food or make purchases, as developers will take advantage of these extension capabilities to make their users’ lives much easier.
Apple Developer Program
iPhone app developers who want to join Apple’s program will have many benefits. First of all, they will reach customers all over the world, who visit the App Store from their iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV and iMessage. Secondly, developers gain access to beta software, extensive beta testing tools, advanced app capabilities etc. After building apps using cutting-edge Apple technologies, developers can use TestFlight Beta Testing to invite iOS users to test their apps, before being added to the App Store, so if there is any glitch or serious problem, the feedback received from testers will help developers fix the issues.
Conclusion
Once iOS 10 will reach more users around the globe, developers will fill the App Store with new applications, but this time, users will be able to interact with Siri and do a lot more in third party apps, thanks to the use of several Apple APIs.
