IM application: persistent socket connection and multitasking

[cameloid]

Hi,

recently we tried to post an updated version of our application to App Store, but it was rejected since because it did not provide any Voice over IP services but used the VoIP background mode.

Our architecture requires a persistent socket connection between client and server to reflect online presense status correctly. Thus, client or server (as negotiated during "handshake" process) should send "keepalive" messages (pings) from time to time, and the other side needs to respond on those messages. Otherwise, timeout occurs and server sets an offline status for the particular user. The main idea of multitasking support was to keep IM client online even if other application went foreground.

We figured out that the only method to support our "keepalive" scheme (quite usual for IM applications) was to use "VoIP" background mode of iOS 4. In al other cases available, when the application goes background, iOS "freezes" all of its sockets, so the application cannont send any "pings" or respond on them.

Is there any better way to keep a persistent socket connection "alive"?

[grahamgarvey]

Hi cameloid,

Did you ever figure out a way to get through the App store submission short of adding VOIP to your IM client? I need to support some sort of background push that would require an listening socket on the handset as well but don't plan any voip.

Thanks,
G

[ossama]

Yeah I would like to do the same, anybody, help

[jtara]

Originally Posted by ossama

Yeah I would like to do the same, anybody, help

I think the previous poster had the right idea. Add voice capability.

Otherwise, you should still be able to use a background completion task, and that will give you 10 minutes. After 10 minutes with no activity (or at least no activity that the user cares about - i.e. you gave user a notification that they ignored) it seems reasonable that the app should be resigned and you switch over to sending push notifications for any activity.

How did this wind-up? Has anybody successfully gotten an IM app through the app store that monitors in background?