Hessu: CarPlay version of the iOS aprs.fi app?

[Ray Rischpater]

Howdy, Hessu & the group

I seem to remember that this has come up before, but have you given any thought to adding CarPlay support to the iOS app?

I'd pay good money for it now that I have a car with CarPlay. I'm running a TH-D74 in the car as an APRS radio and beacon, but when I have cell service having a map, etc., would be nice. I think just the map and toast with incoming messages delivered to my call would be all I'd expect.

As a general "works great" and "thank. you", I switched from Android to iOS about three years ago when I left Google, and the aprs.fi app has worked great on my various iOS devices. I'm a happy paying user, and intend to continue to be so in the future.

73 de KF6GPE

Ray Rischpater, KF6GPE | kf6gpe.org | @kf6gpe

[Heikki Hannikainen]

On Fri, 23 Aug 2024, Ray Rischpater wrote:

> Howdy, Hessu & the group
> I seem to remember that this has come up before, but have you given any thought to adding CarPlay support to the iOS app?

Hi,

As can be expected, CarPlay has been suggested roughly 268 times already.

Unfortunately one can only develop a CarPlay app if one gets an
Entitlement to do so from Apple.

I have applied for it a couple times, and received precisely 0 response
from Apple.

They have quite strict guidelines on what a CarPlay app can do, and these
seem to be conflicting with what an APRS app would do. There are a few
different allowed CarPlay application categories, two of which seem
relevant for APRS:

- You would either make a "Navigation (turn-by-turn directions)" app which
is developed specifically for navigation. I did add basic navigation
features on aprs.fi and changed it to the "Navigation" category in app
store (from "Utilities"), and applied again, but it didn't help. A
navigation app is *not* allowed to draw overlays on the map which are not
directly related to the Navigation task (like, symbols and locations other
stations, unless related to the navigation you're doing at the time).

- Or you make a "Messaging" application, for APRS messaging.

But it'd have to be one, or the other. And I'm guessing that they're
(quite rightly) not looking at aprs.fi being a Navigation application to
start with.

https://developer.apple.com/carplay/documentation/CarPlay-App-Programming-Guide.pdf
See "CarPlay app guidelines". "Overlays" mean additional things you draw
on top of the actual map, i.e. APRS station symbols and the lines
depicting their path.

- Hessu

[Ray Rischpater]

Thanks, Hessu!!

I appreciate your trying. That, alas, does sound like Apple in general (not trying to be snide, just recognizing the degree of control they want to have over apps). It also explains why the CarPlay apps I see tend to fall in very discrete categories!

Love the app as it is, too!

—

Ray Rischpater, KF6GPE | kf6gpe.org | @kf6gpe

---

From: apr...@googlegroups.com <apr...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Heikki Hannikainen <he...@hes.iki.fi>
Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2024 11:22:45 PM
To: apr...@googlegroups.com <apr...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [aprsfi] Hessu: CarPlay version of the iOS aprs.fi app?

 

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