iOS New iOS API for nearby interactions using iBeacon: a lot of potential?

[Diegman]

I'm co-founder of Bubble, a small start-up in SF, we're currently developing an API that enables you to :

- detect if two phones with the same app are nearby, EVEN IF THE APPS ARE IN THE BACKGROUND

- exchange data with people around you

- send push notifications to users nearby.


Simple examples :*

- exchange virtual currency / objects

- automatically create a leaderboard based on the people you came across

- get a push notification if you come across someone who is playing the same game as you. (with his highscore? )



What do you think ?
We believe a lot can come from this !*

 

[Duncan C]

Sounds like it might be interesting, BUT...

iOS apps can't act as beacon transmitters from the background. You can listen for beacons, and if somebody else sends a beacon signal your app will be notified, but as soon as your app switches to the background it stops transmitting beacon signals. There is no way around this.

I'm co-founder of Bubble, a small start-up in SF, we're currently developing an API that enables you to :

- detect if two phones with the same app are nearby, EVEN IF THE APPS ARE IN THE BACKGROUND

- exchange data with people around you

- send push notifications to users nearby.


Simple examples :*

- exchange virtual currency / objects

- automatically create a leaderboard based on the people you came across

- get a push notification if you come across someone who is playing the same game as you. (with his highscore? )



What do you think ?
We believe a lot can come from this !*

 

[DennisBlah]

It really sounds awesome if its possible! That would be amazing if you're sitting in the bus, and you get an notification that someone near you has the same game. So when you go back in the game, you can invite this person near you, which you dont have any idea of into an little game.
Sharing leaderboards etc, but I think that is just a little bit overrated since via the network you got so much more potention.

I'm thinking of wireless sync with an mac or anything with an 'master' app, so when you get near your machine, you can access all your files, in an very nice 'future-like' interface. That would be amazing.

But one way or the another, I think its an huge 'security' issue with this as in malware like thats stealing info from everyone near you ?

Sounds like it might be interesting, BUT...

iOS apps can't act as beacon transmitters from the background. You can listen for beacons, and if somebody else sends a beacon signal your app will be notified, but as soon as your app switches to the background it stops transmitting beacon signals. There is no way around this.

I read that you can run functions from the background tho.. It should be able.

 

[Diegman]

It's a little tricky, but it's possible !
We're actually using CoreBluetooth directly, not iBeacon.

Yes, the bus is a good example.
You could also exchange GameCenter usernames, to add them more easily to your friends.

For the wireless file exchange, I'm not sure you would put all your files in there, it's true there are some security reasons. But for instance in a working environment if you could just drop a file in there and tell your coworker to grab it when he's available. Since you can only get it when you're nearby it's pretty safe, it could even be deleted after being downloaded.