I have seen a video on YouTube, which shows, that, if I switch on the beginning of the coding process to "iOS device" in the dropdown menu on the top over the AppInventor designer device, that I can develop iOS Apps with AppInventor. Is this correct, please? What is the file extension for this, if I pack it and save it, please?
The other question I have, is, I have different AppIVentor Android Apps. Is it possible, if I switch in my developed Android App to the iOS device option in this dropdown menu, that I can pack and save it as an iOS app? Does it work on Apple? Apple is expensive and so I am not quite sure, if I should go this step. Is it it correct, that the AI companion emulator also is possible for iOS apps? I have read this on the internet, but I am not quite sure, if it is really true, these are complete other OS. But I know, MIT is great.
I hope, that someone could please answer my questions. Thank you very much in advance. Have a great day!
To do this, you first have to set the Theme property of the screen to Device default, then will you see the drop-down.
No. The function only serves to be a preview of what your apps will look like of they are on an iOS device. The build function for iOS is closed and only available for Power Users.
The companion app is available to both Android and iOS. Therefore, you can only test your apps on iOS.
Thank you very much. So the build function of an iOS app with appinventor is only available if I would be Power User in the appinventor forum. How does a user get Power User here in the forum? My kind of apps could be successful on apple. Thank you!
There is a beta program. Not everyone is a Power User I think. You are a long time member of the community so I think you will have seen a lot of topics here concerning iOS development. As stated it is still Beta software. If you want to help you can install the iOS companion and report bugs you find in the community.
Thank you, yes I know, that I would need an Apple account. But I cannot afford the money for an Apple device, I only could test it in the Emulator of AppInventor, this should be possible, I have read.
Even if you had an Apple Dev account and participated in the iOS beta program, you would not be able to publish an app (IPA) on the App Store because only a so-called "ad hoc certificate" is assigned. This means that the app can only be installed / tested locally on your own (registered) iOS test devices.
On this front I also think I've made a potential breakthrough technically, which is good, but we'll still want sign off from our colleagues at Apple that they are okay with what we're proposing to do.
Me too. I suspended explaining App Inventor to my students since 2021 as -while in the past they were 90% Android and only 10% iOS- now they are 50% Android and 50% iOS, so the iOS students would get too frustrated when they realize that they cannot create real apps with App Inventor while their Android collegues can. I had moved from Scratch to App Inventor as this incredible tool could create real apps for the most part of them, but now it is not the case anymore. I will to have to wait until the iOS part is complete (BTW: it is not important that they must acquire a pay developer certificate; the important thing is that they can, if they want)
Dear Anke, Thank you very much. I also have thought, that I would need in every case an apple device. But 800-1200 euro for a device is not possible for me. Thanks!
Yes, probably not for many others either. And since you don't have a reliable emulator (simulator) with AI2, you actually need multiple iOS devices (iPhones / iPads). I have lots of them and have also been able to test my iOS apps using the excellent Simulator that comes built into Xcode (in addition, it requires a Mac, at least 1000 US-$). With AI2 you don't have that option, so multiple devices are required (helpful) to make sure everything looks the way you want it.
So there are some (expensive) obstacles. Let's see what news Evan Patton will present.
If it would be at least possibile to export and then reimport an app loaded in the Companion, without loosing your "usage" data (e.g. DBs, etc), or, even better, to load multiple apps in the companion, so that you can pass from one to another, that could be a good reason to use App Inventor for iOS again.
By using the Companion, you can develop and use your apps -better, your app, as you can use just one app at the time- or give other people the possibilty to use your apps. But if the iOS users (that can use only the Companion) have to overwrite everytime the app the have installed in the Companion -that maybe they like and use a lot- it is difficult that they are wanting to try your new app. Even the iOS students, if they are using an app in the Companion, and they have to overwrite it everytime with the apps that I show them in my CS course, this wouldn't make them very happy. But, if the companion could show a menu of all loaded apps, where the user can select the app they want, it would be a totally different situation.
I really don't understand where the problem is. And also not to what extent anything should be different with iOS apps than with Android apps (if they are only to be used with Companion).
