How to get Apple/ATT to let our iPhone app run in the background like Loopt? | Hacker News Reader

How to get Apple/ATT to let our iPhone app run in the background like Loopt?

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We’ve written a proximity based application that uses no infrastructure (aka doesn’t need GPS or AT&T 3G network). We’re working on the Android and Blackberry versions but would like to get the iPhone version running in the background. Any ideas where to start and who’s door to knock on to wedge this door open a bit further?

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Yeah I wasn't able to get a trial account for the new Loopt App. I figured it was running a process/service in the background tossing up GPS points every now and then. So, the new Loopt still doesn't really run in the backgroun huh...

Anyone think it will ever happen? Our app uses only Bluetooth or WIFI.

@brandoniles Isn't the iPhone the only smartphone that doesn't allow this currently? Wondering if the upcoming tablets/slates will put pressure on Apple as well to let background processes run.

You can run background processes on both Blackberry and Android. Apple's taken a hard line so far, except for apps they've written themselves. For example, you can run the iPod app in the background and surf the web.

As for the rumored slate... who knows at this point.

Loopt doesn't run in the background on the iPhone like you would think. It actually runs on servers at ATT pulling already available GPS data on your cellphone's location from the towers.

After lots of work, apparently--up to "six or seven" partner companies in the network infrastructure. All this engineering tinkering has resulted in an always-on Loopt iPhone app that runs in the background on the network rather than the phone. Presumably this has a knock-on effect on the precision with which one can be located (the background Loopt app isn't accessing the iPhone's GPS to find out where you are, and it's most-likely using cell-tower triangulation methods, much as Assisted-GPS units do to boost their location-sensing powers).

Now that Android is picking up market share, what do people think the chances of Apple adding background abilities are?

yeah matty 22, you're right: https://loopt.com/loopt/background/

Anyone know of an official explanation from Apple they don't allow third party background apps?

Well I think it's mainly a hardware limitation. I still get kicked out of apps from time to time due to low memory. This is probably due to errors on the programmers side. However if this happens with a single program running, you can imagine what would happen if other programs get memory hungry. It raises a lot of questions, what is acceptable amount of memory to use in the background? Which program does the OS terminate first? Save state when I'm told to go away?

I think Android has handled a lot of these questions very well. We'll see how Apple handles it in the future, but I don't see background processes being compatible with older models of the iPhone.

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