The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Last week, TUAW showed you how to sign iPhone applications for informal developer-to-developer distribution. That approach lets you share applications between members of the iPhone developer program by using your signing credentials to authorize the application for use on your development units.

iPhone applications compiled for the Intel-based simulator can also be shared between developers. And, since the free developer program offers access to the simulator, the apps can be distributed even more widely than with the re-signing approach.

Simulator testing does not offer the full suite of device-specific capabilities. You cannot simulate the onboard camera or retrieve proper accelerometer feedback. The simulator does not vibrate or provide general multitouch input. (You can pinch, but that's about it.)

The strength of simulator-based distribution is that it lets you send out applications for early testing and feedback. Sim-only tests strengthen the preliminary design process; this approach helps solicit feedback on user interface and general program layout before the main development push gets underway.

Simulator-based apps are easy to transfer and easy to use, cutting out a layer of overhead that's needed for when you go to a full ad-hoc beta.

To distribute a simulator application, go to the Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/User/Applications/ folder in your home directory. There you'll find the application sandbox folders that are currently installed for your simulator. Each folder is named with a unique id (i.e. 56E66CE5...DC028F) that does not reflect the folder's contents.

You'll have to peek inside to determine which folder is which.The folder contains the application, and three sandbox directories: tmp, Library, and Documents.

To share a simulator folder compiled for 2.2.1 and earlier, you must zip up both the folder with the application and the .sb (sandbox) file that shares the same name as the folder. 3.0 and later applications do not use a .sb file. Just zip up and share the folder.

Install the shared app by decompressing its sandbox folder (and, for 2.x, its .sb file). The recipient must have installed the iPhone SDK. Drop it into the simulator's Applications folder on another machine and launch the simulator. The app should appear in the simulator, ready for testing.

Apple is apparently alerting ALI forum members that Learning Interchange account passwords have been compromised. In a message forwarded to us by several TUAW readers, Apple warns that members who commonly use the same credentials on multiple sites may be at risk. If you are an ALI account user, please consider updating any accounts that use identical credentials. Here is the Apple quote that was sent to us.

We recently learned that the security of Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) members' names and passwords may have been compromised. These accounts are limited to accessing the ALI discussion board and do not contain sensitive information such as credit card or social security numbers.

While ALI member names and passwords are not linked to your Apple ID, our records indicate that your ALI member name and Apple ID are the same. For this reason we strongly recommend that you change your Apple ID password as well as any others that might have the same name and password combination.

At the time of posting, the ALI site (also linked to in the Source link) is unavailable. We do not have confirmation from Apple about this situation, although we have contacted them for a statement.

Apple has released a 3.1 beta for the iPhone SDK. Both the SDK beta and firmware are available for testing and development to paid members of the iPhone developer program. As pre-release software, any details about this new release remain under NDA.

A pre-installation advisory and beta release notes are available as per Apple's usual release strategy. As before, you cannot use the 3.1 SDK to create applications for submitting to the App Store, so if you plan to download it be prepared to create a separate installation directory.

The new release comes just on the heels of the public 3.0 firmware. Its full-dot-number indicates that it contains more than just minor bug fixes (a relatively minor revision would probably be listed as 3.0.1).

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Looks like Stack for Jailbreak has some new improvements. For those of you unfamiliar with the application, Stack adds a quick-launch menu directly to your iPhone dock, letting you expand your dock space to hold all your favorite apps. With it you can add 16 items (using grid view) or 5 items (in fan view) for easy access in each stack. And stacks are not just limited to the dock. You can add stacks anywhere in the home screen as well.

As this video shows, you can now rename your stacks as well as use drag and drop editing. So you can create a 'Games' stack, an 'Internet' stack, and so forth. Removing items from a stack is just as easy as adding them. Just drag them out from the stack for an Apple-standard "puff of smoke" animation.

Stack, which is developed by iPhone expert Steven Troughton-Smith is donor-ware. Although not ready for public release, he has regularly been seeding early alpha builds to people who have donated to the project. But as you can see, it's making great progress.

Stack is a jailbreak-only product as Apple does not permit this kind of OS-based enhancement in App Store. That's a pity, because the relative difficulty and fear of jailbreaking keeps this kind of groundbreaking software away from the general public. It's an enhancement that Apple really should have built into the iPhone -- and hopefully someday will.

When I wrote about Pogoplug earlier this month, journaled HFS+ support was missing in action. That was a shame, since it's the most common drive format for Mac users.

Pogoplug is a network drive adapter coupled with a web service that allows you to access a personal drive from anywhere on the Internet without having to worry about firewalls and other security issues. You plug a drive into the Pogoplug, connect the unit to power, and you can securely access that data no matter where you are, from your laptop, another computer, or from an iPhone.

Today, Pogoplug has announced support for journaled HFS+ formatted drives. You can now plug in almost any drive formatted for use on the Mac and it'll work with Pogoplug.That's great, because the last few times I dredged up Disk Utility (from /Applications/Utilities), it was to re-format drives to use with the Pogoplug system. (You can also turn off journaling from the Terminal, if you're so inclined, via the 'diskutil' command.)

What's particularly cool is that Pogoplug is currently working on developing remote backup assistance. They don't support Time Capsule yet, but the Pogoplug developers say they're working on having "the Pogoplug play nice with [Time Capsule and other remote storage devices] and allow our users to back up to their home drives automatically and regularly."

Being able to set up off-site backup drives with just a simple plug-and-go sounds like an awesome business opportunity for anyone with a central router and a whole bunch of USB hubs. But even if you're setting up your off-site backup at your sister-in-law's ("Sure, go ahead and plug in that...um...thing. Can I take it out if I need to vacuum?"), that's a fine way to keep your backups physically remote from your primary computing space. At just $99 plus the cost of a hard drive (the lifetime service is included free), a bargain.

AdMob is one of the bigger names in iPhone ad-supported applications. They provide embeddable advertisements that developers can incorporate into otherwise free apps. Recently, third-party ad networks like AdWhirl and Tapjoy have appeared on the scene, offering to negotiate ad displays from multiple sources to increase developer revenues and increase fill rates. Yesterday, citing increased technical complaints and parameter obstruction, AdMob announced that it would no longer work with these third party mediation services.

This move affects developers who turned to dynamic advertisement solutions from third parties. AdMob will continue to allow developers to use their own solutions for maximizing ad fill rates outside these services.

Ad-supported applications are not particularly common in the App Store, where they have been relatively unsuccessful as a monetizing solution (jailbreak apps on Cydia and Icy have provided somewhat more effective results). App Store titles must compete in a huge market with delays in providing updates. The relatively close relationship between software creators and their target audience and quick update/release cycles appears to work better with ad-supported models than the more formal App Store environment.

Further details about the AdMob policy change can be found on their blog.

At times, iPhone developers might like to test out applications without going through the formality (or challenges) of ad hoc distribution. Ad hoc distribution was introduced by Apple to allow software testing on up to 100 registered devices. It is, admittedly, a bit of a pain.

Developers must collect device information (the "UDID", aka their unique device identifiers), register that device at the iPhone developer portal, create an special provisioning certificate, add a special entitlement, and build an ad-hoc only version of their software to distribute along with that certificate.

If all that seems like a hassle, well, yes it is. It is, however, the proper, authorized, and recommended way to distribute pre-release software, whether for testing or reviews. But there is another way.

If you know for sure that your target audience is another developer, the process becomes way easier. You can simply compile a normal development build of your application and send a copy of that build to another developer.

That's because each registered developer has the ability to sign applications. Although the app was built to work with just the in-house devices you've registered for development, another developer can re-sign that application using the simple command-line script shown here.

#! /bin/bash 
export CODESIGN_ALLOCATE=/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform\
/Developer/usr/bin/codesign_allocate
 
codesign -f -s "iPhone Developer" $1.app

This script uses Xcode's codesign utility to sign the already compiled version of the application. Once applied, you can then install the application through Xcode.

So is this a general distribution solution? No. And thank heavens for that; free trading of app binaries would rapidly lead to piracy. This approach allows developer-to-developer testing and collaboration only. The development signing is limited to the units you have personally registered.

If you want to try this out, follow the link at the start of this post. It leads to a testing folder I keep around and occasionally stock with software that I need tested. It also includes a copy of the script, which you must make executable (chmod 755 signit).

Just when you think you're in the groove for the new iPhone 3G S, Apple goes and starts changing the game. The 3G S is, figuratively speaking, no more. Apple has quietly been changing all references on it site from 3G S to 3GS. The space between the G and the S has been removed.

TidBITS broke the story in a piece aptly titled "Ding, Dong, the iPhone 3GS Space Is Dead". (We too did note the change in a story yesterday.) TUAW reader and personal tech review colleague Joachim Bean found the pair of images you see here. To the right is a cached image from June 15th. To the left is a shot from yesterday, June 22nd. Notice anything? Yes, it's been spacicided.

So will we miss the space? It was, as Engst points out, an awkward construction. But after forcing ourselves into the space habit, it may be a hard one to break.

So let's have a moment of silence for the 3G S space. It is dead, not stunned, and not pining for the fjords. Despite its brief moment in the pop culture sun, the 3G S space has expired and gone to meet its maker. Bereft of life, the space rests in peace. And if we at TUAW may occasionally nail it back into place by accident, be assured that it will be reinterred and pushing up daisies ASAP.

Hey, iPhone 3G owners: Please do not download the 2,1 firmware files listed below. They are for the 3G S and will not work on your phone. Read the whole post for details. The correct firmware for the 3G will start with "iPhone1,2" instead.

If you were up all night waiting for the new iPhone OS to arrive, you're in good company -- we were too, until we began getting Twitter reports from users in Hong Kong and Sweden that the local carriers sent out SMS alerts to their customers suggesting when they could download 3.0. Those times both align with a 10 am PT/1 pm ET go time, and that's when we're calling it for now; Engadget concurs. That's why you're still seeing 2.2.1 as the most current version in iTunes; the new version hasn't been released yet.

Those with a command-line bent and an inability to wait without doing something can launch Terminal and type in the following every few minutes to see whether 3.0 has launched, rather than repeatedly clicking the Check for Upgrade button in iTunes (note that the up-arrow in Terminal reloads the previous command):

curl -s -L http://phobos.apple.com/version |\
 grep -i restore |\
 grep '_3.' | open -f

The results will look something like URLs ending with this:

iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

The model number indicates which unit has downloadable firmware. As of right now, only the iPhone 3G S firmware has been updated. That's the 2,1 iPhone model. Yes, the 1,2 iPhone 3G model was considered a revision of the first generation 1,1 iPhone as it only had moderate hardware changes. The two iPods are 1,1 and 2,1 for the first and second generation.

(No, for those wondering in the comments, you cannot download the 2,1 firmware and install it on your iPhone or iPhone 3G -- it will only work with the 3G S.)

To download, copy the URL and paste it into Safari's download window or use any other favorite method to retrieve the firmware. Then hold the Option key and click Update in iTunes. Navigate to the firmware (the ipsw file), select it, and 3.0's good to go. Of course, you can also download directly through iTunes as soon as the update is available.

Update 4: I am working with an AT&T spokesperson to try to detangle the contradictory information discussed below. No results as yet, but will update when that becomes possible.

Update 5: The prepaid crackdown for iPhone applies to only some prepaid plans. PayAsYouGo GoPhone customers will be affected but not PickYourPlan GoPhone customers, who will be safe from service degradation. Brad Mays of AT&T tells TUAW that they are briefing their reps to better convey the distinction to customers.

Similar carrier restrictions are apparently not limited to the United States. TUAW reader Robin forwarded a screenshot from the UK, which directs customers to this O2 information page. Customers are being urged to change from normal prepaid plans to an authorized O2 iPhone tariff.

Update 6: Brad Mays emphasizes that PAYG customers do not have an official iPhone Data Plan and that PickYourPlan data "is necessary to make the 3.0 software work properly with their device". PAYG customers are directed to this page for more information. He added, "[O]ur reps are now fully aligned around this information."

TUAW reader Daniel B. called AT&T today and writes that he was offered a prepaid PYP option with a $30 iPhone data plan. This is the first we've heard of PYP prepaid accounts being offered, believing AT&T would no longer provide this option. I have, once again, contacted Mays to see what's going on.

Original Post
I just spent the last half hour on the phone with AT&T, and I can't quite believe what I heard.

I am an AT&T customer, and have been so since the weekend that the iPhone debuted. I am on an official iPhone GoPhone plan. I have paid monthly for two years and am up to date on said payments. After two years, AT&T now tells me that I will either begin a new contract on my existing equipment, or lose access to a reliable data plan.

My jaw is dragging the floor.

When TUAW reader Daniel Burkholder tipped us off this afternoon, I thought he was somehow misled by the text message that appeared on his iPhone. It reads:

AT&T Free MSG: A new software upgrade for iPhone will be available on 6/17. This upgrade may affect your data service. Please visit att.com/iphone or call 800-901-9878 for a representative. If you download the software and are not on an approved iPhone data plan, your data service will be interrupted.

So I called, despite the fact that I am on an approved data plan. Sure, my account is grandfathered in, and new iPhone 3G purchasers can no longer get GoPhone activation (click the "New to AT&T" link to see the relevant section), but it's never been an issue.

I was told that AT&T was asking customers to move to a contract plan as they no longer plan to support prepaid data. "This is a recommendation," the technical support person told me. "If you decide not to go, it's okay but we're informing customers that service will not be up to par."

I asked if they were deliberately cutting out GoPhone customers from full Internet access (and mind you, I asked this in several ways, at least three or four times), and was told 'Yes.' "This will affect logging onto the Internet and using your data services."

How will they detect this? According to the technical representative, their equipment will be checking the SIM and using the account information when accessing AT&T's data services. "Based on your plan, you will not receive the same quality service on your GoPhone plan, even with the same equipment. This is a technical change on AT&T's end on how we service that data plan." Gotcha -- so nothing at all to do with the 3.0 OS upgrade, but merely a convenient point of transition.

I pushed further, asking whether I could move to a postpaid plan without invoking a two-year contract as I already fully owned my equipment and had been a customer for two years on my current plan. "You will have to enter a new contract as this service change is not compatible with the iPhone prepaid. You cannot enter a postpaid contract without a two year commitment."

The technician pointed out that "the iPhone has drastically cut prices" on recent models. I responded that my 2G iPhone was working fine. He pointed out that this was an official AT&T policy and that they have decided that "all prepaid customers should transfer into a contract plan for the iPhone."

I asked him to point me to an official policy statement but he said at this time only the text messages going out are available as official communications with customers. "This is an official iPhone advisory. We are informing customers by text messages."

So this is how AT&T rewards me for two years of customer loyalty: I either have to start paying up another $20+ per month and commit to two years of additional service (without any further breaks on equipment or contract terms, if I don't choose to buy a 3G S right now), or accept that I'm going to be paying good money each month for a plan with substandard data service. Based on the fact that the data pinching will happen deliberately on AT&T's end, I'd call it a strongarm approach and a rotten way to treat customers.

It's one thing, if you're going to make a change in the terms of service for an admittedly legacy (but still perfectly usable) service plan, to clearly communicate customer options well ahead of the transition date, and to work with loyal users to find accommodations that satisfy. It's quite another thing to lower the boom with two days warning: upgrade or suffer.

Update Official statement here, which does not yet shed any further light on the matter. Developing.

Update 2 Three different AT&T reps checked my *specific* plan using my account information, which is the original iPhone GoPhone plan and said that yes, I would be affected and that no, this didn't just affect people who stuck SIMs into iPhones

Update 3 We have a query into AT&T PR that has not yet been replied to, asking why service reps are giving information that seems out of line with the statement