Apple introduced the new feature of iOS 7 – iBeacon – in a subtle manner. Although there was no special mention in the keynote during the launch event, it took no time for developers to understand that it is not clear but definitely it is a part of a large mobility proximity puzzle, that may be Apple is trying to solve.
Basically iBeacon is a standardized protocol introduced and developed by Apple. Since the arrival of this technology iBeacon-compatible hardware transmitters have been made. iBeacons enables the mobile apps to sense the presence of the small wireless sensor (called beacon) near the iPhone. As soon as the iPhone enters the zone of beacon, it can transmit the data to your iPhone and vice versa. For data transfer it uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). iBeacon is the feature of iOS 7 and also all iOS 8 and iOS 9 devices too have iBeacon.
iBeacons are small devices that recognises Bluetooth signal from iPhones. It can be used to ping to iPhone users walking nearby notifying about products and services offered by businesses nearby. The user may also get notified about events happening around.
Apple is using iBeacon and other range of technologies to create indoor maps. iBeacon is the new indoor navigation technology which enables small beacon devices to send notifications to devices present in proximity and notify them about their presence. iOS 8 and iOS 9 supports an iOS app to determine its specific indoor position in supported locations.
iBeacon for App Developers:
iBeacon technology has revolutionised the world of app development through the way apps interact with the users. The new location awareness feature can be added to the app and developers would use the Core Location APIs in iOS to be notified when any iOS device has moved out or in the beacon region. Approximate proximities with the device generating iBeacon notifications can also be determined.
At Krify, the young and enthusiastic team of developers are already working towards developing iBeacon solutions to integrate this Apple technology into existing as well as new apps leading to an outstandi ng user experience.
For more about iBeacon: https://developer.apple.com/ibeacon/
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT202880
