Those methods were only implemented to their bare minimum for some demo apps were we doing for the LEGO EV3 platform. They won't be enough to implement a full fledged Bluetooth app for iOS. We do have the BLE implementation for iOS in progress. My aim is to have that done by the end of the summer.
I have a working demo app using the BLE to talk to Micro:bit on iOS, but the functionality only works with strings at the moment. I need to finish implementing the remaining data types and then we will get it up on TestFlight. In the short term it does require using a separate server though because the current production version of App Inventor assumes that iOS won't run any extensions (which it still doesn't, we just bake the extension logic into the companion app).
Ewan, please can you send an invitation to the TestFlight download link. I am a Beta tester for other apps.
I’m ready to forge ahead now my BLE hardware is functional.
Every blessing
Tim
Thanks Simon BUT this test server for iOS still says no extensions supported eg BluetoothLE
Ewan recently said that Bluetooth would be hard coded in to MIT app,
I think i'm awaiting on Ewan to do this "bake":
"I have a working demo app using the BLE to talk to Micro:bit on iOS, but the functionality only works with strings at the moment. I need to finish implementing the remaining data types and then we will get it up on TestFlight. In the short term it does require using a separate server though because the current production version of App Inventor assumes that iOS won't run any extensions (which it still doesn't, we just bake the extension logic into the companion app)."
This will be in the future. This is not available to everyone. Evan is still working on it. It certainly won't be implemented today, tomorrow or next week... it definitely takes a lot of time and everyone will learn about the new functionality when it happens.
Trying to run AppInventor to build a BLE data visualization tool. I am on a MacBook Air M2 and would like the app to run on an iPad or iPhone.
Any help appreciated!
Tried running the tutorials and they crash.
thx,
joeb
That is my goal, BLE. I have a working hardware device that is sending out data and would like to put together a visualizer. I have tried at least a dozen different applications, none of which have been able to do this. One of the engineers who helped me put together my device strongly suggested I try MIT App Inventor.
SO what I would first like to accomplish is to get App Inventor running! I have a MacBook Air Apple M2 silicon. I have installed the software. I have an account and followed the tutorial to connect to both the iPhone and iPad emulators. App Inventor has done 1 of 3 things; crashes, locks (I can move the mouse but not select anything) or get a message that the emulator doesn't work. I forget the error message because I was at the time working on my hardware.
I would like to find out if and where App Inventor might have written preference files and try to do a totally clean install and see if I can get it to. actually work. Right now I'm not concerned with communicating with BLE, I'd like to. see if I can put something together that will draw simple objects. From what I've been reading BLE is on the verge of happening so I would like to have a handle on how to work with App Inventor but that would mean I have to get it to run. I have had a few suggestions in changing my equipment and I won't do that. I am married, though not happily lately, to the Apple platform and won't leave it after 40 years.
Thanks for any suggestions, advice or ideas how to get App Inventor to work.
Best,
Joe B
For iOS, there shouldn't be any software to install on your laptop. The emulator package we publish emulates Android. Also, due to a limitation of the emulator software it cannot use the BLE chip in the laptop for communication (it's completely isolated from the host hardware).
Our BLE support is still in beta, which means you'll need to sign up for the beta program through Apple TestFlight. To do so, you install the TestFlight app from the App Store on your iOS device, then open the Join link on this post:
This will launch TestFlight and ask you to confirm you want to join. Once you've joined, you can install the beta version to be released (hopefully soon, so if you want to skip this step and come back in a few weeks it should be out).
Lastly, you'll need to add the BLE extension to your project. You can download that from here.
Can you tell us more about the specific UUIDs and data structures your exchanging with your BLE device?
! Thank you Evan & company!