The Mobile API addon is used to allow visitors on your site to use the GeoMobile iPhone App OR your own Personal iPhone App to connect to your site. The full list of steps looks a little long, but really it is just describing in detail the 4 main parts, as illustrated on the Mobile API Addon page.

<tip c n>License Requirement: Note that unlike other addons, the Mobile API addon is fully encoded for security and software licensing reasons, and requires Ioncube. It will not work if your server only has Zend Optimizer.</tip>

The steps below are one complete set of instructions, meant to be used from "start" to "finish" to get the iPhone app working on your site.

1. Purchase the addon from the client area and install on your website by following the normal Addon Installation Instructions.
   • Note that you have 2 main choices, either the shared GeoMobile iPhone App (shared app published by us), OR your own Personalized iPhone App (published using your own account). <

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1. Once the addon is installed and enabled, go to the page Addons > Mobile API > Manage Devices in your admin panel. <
2. In the field for iPhone License Key, enter the license key for the iPhone App and click save keys. You can find your license key in the client area on our site. <
3. Click the button Register/Request GeoMobile Site Key¹⁾ <
4. In the box that shows, enter the site name as you would like it to appear within the GeoMobile iPhone App²⁾³⁾, then click the Register Site Key! button. <
5. When you are successfully registered, your very own GeoMobile Site Key will appear on the page. This is the value that visitors will enter into the GeoMobile iPhone App to connect to your site. Or if you are using the personal iPhone app, this is how we will identify your app customizations. <

This section only applies to Personal iPhone Apps, if you are using the GeoMobile iPhone App you will need to skip this section.

<tip c n>Software Version Requirement: Due to recently-added restrictions in Apple's approval process, your main site must be running GeoCore 7.3.0 or higher in order to create a new Personalized app.</tip>

1. If you have not already, you will need to enroll in the iOS Developer Program, in order to be able to publish your own personalized iPhone App to the App Store. Note that there is a $99/Year Enrollment fee paid to Apple for the required enrollment in iOS Developer Program, and that is in addition to any costs paid to us for the personalized iPhone app itself.⁴⁾ While you are waiting for Apple to approve your account, you can continue on with the steps below, up to step 6. <
2. Go to the Secure iPhone Personalization Tool, and log in with your client area e-mail and password. If you do not know your client area password, visit the client area login and use the forgot password tool. <
3. If you have multiple iPhone apps for different sites, select which one you will be customizing. If you only have one it will already be selected for you.⁵⁾ <
4. Visit each of the first 4 tabs in the tool, each tab allows you to customize a different part of the iPhone App. The last tab is only used when you are finished with your customizations and wish to send them in to us to create (or update) your app. <
5. When you are finished customizing, save your changes using the save button at the bottom of the page. Note that you can save your changes at any time, leave, and come back later to finish your customizations, as the tool will save your changes and bring them up the next time you log in. <
6. Double check all of your changes, make sure everything is like you want. Note that repeated "Request App Updates" may be subject to additional service fees⁶⁾, so try your best to get it "right the first time" to avoid extra fees. <
7. When you are satisfied with the changes, and once your iOS Developer account is activated by Apple, go to the last tab labeled Request App Update.
8. Fill out all of the fields on the last tab. If there are any "special instructions" be sure to note them in the Additional Instructions to the Developer box. For the Update Type:
   • First Time : No previous version : Use this if it is the first time and you do not already have a personalized iPhone app in the system. <
   • Minor Updates : x.X.X.x⁷⁾ : Use this if you already have a personalized iPhone app, and we release a new version of the GeoMobile Iphone App that is a minor update, meaning the first number is staying the same but the second and/or third number is higher than the version you are currently using. <
   • Major Updates : X.x.x.x⁸⁾ : Use this if you already have a personalized iPhone app, and we release a new version of the GeoMobile Iphone App that is a major update, meaning the first number is higher than the version you are currently using. <
   • Customizations ONLY : x.x.x.X⁹⁾ : Use this if you already have a personalized iPhone app, and want to update the customized text/images/colors without using a newer version of the main software. Note that repeated Customizations ONLY updates may require additional service fees. <

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1. When you have filled in all the fields on the Request App Update tab, at the bottom of the tab click the button request app update.
2. This will submit your changes along with a request to our developers to either create, or update your own Personalized iPhone App. To give you an idea of what the developer will be doing:
   • We will check the changes, if we see any problems we will contact you using the primary e-mail associated with your account in the client area. Note that we are NOT responsible for typos and such, if we notice anything obvious we will check with you first but don't rely on us to catch everything. <
   • We will also check to make sure you have already paid any required "service fees", depending on your license type and what is being done. If this is the first time, the cost is included in the setup fee you have already paid. If you need to pay additional service fees to update your iPhone app, we will contact you to let you know. <
   • One of our developers will go through the process of updating your iPhone app with your changes, and submit the app on your behalf to the App Store. Depending on the number of requests ahead of yours in the queue, this step may take anywhere from a day to 2 weeks. We will let you know once your changes have been submitted to Apple. <
   • The app must then be approved by Apple. In our experience, this process can take anywhere from 2-3 business days, up to a few weeks, and is entirely out of our hands once we have submitted the app to Apple for approval. You will be notified once the app has been approved by Apple. When that happens, you and your visitors will be able to download the app from the App Store and start using it! <

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1. To change the App price, App Description, or any of the Meta information about your app, log in to iTunes Connect. We will be submitting the app on your behalf with a few "defaults" such as "$0 cost" and a default app description, which you can change after we have initially set up the app in your iOS Developer account. <

1. Within your templates, let your visitors know how to get the iPhone app and how to use it to connect to your site. For the shared GeoMobile iPhone app, you can use the addon tag {addon author='geo_addons' addon='mobile_api' tag='show_site_key'} which will display the site key, or can enter your site key into the templates directly. <

The GeoMobile iPhone app version number has 3 parts, something like 1.2.3. The personal iPhone app will have 4 parts, the first 3 will coorespond to what version of the GeoMobile iPhone App was used to generate the personal app. Each version number part is described below:

Version Parts 1.2.3.4

• 1: Major Feature Release : if this changes, there are major features and changes in the app. This might include new text, screens, etc that you may wish to customize if you use the personal iPhone app. It may sometimes require new version of the Mobile API Addon in order to make new features function properly. <
• 2: Minor Feature Release : Minor improvements or features. Nothing that would require new version of the Mobile API Addon. <
• 3: Fix/Maintenance Release : Fixes and maintenance changes only, no enhancements or new features. <
• 4: Personal iPhone App Only : Change in this number signifies changes to the customizations, the base version it is generated from does not change, just the image/text/color customizations unique to your personal iPhone app. <

Using GeoMobile iPhone App:

If you are using the GeoMobile iPhone App, updates to the app are automatic. It may sometimes require update to your Mobile API Addon in order to continue using the shared GeoMobile iPhone App on your site. In such cases, if you do not update the addon, any visitors using the new version of the GeoMobile iPhone App will not work with your site.

Using Personal iPhone App:

If we release a new version of the GeoMobile iPhone app, you have the option to update your personalized iPhone app as well, however updating is not compulsory. To request an update, follow the instructions in Part 3: Personal App Customization again, this time it will already have your previous customizations in place. Look over those customizations, also keep an eye out for any new text, colors, or images that may have been added in the new version.

Note that the Secure iPhone Personalization Tool that you use to request updates to your app, will always allow you to request an update. Just because it lets you submit the request does not mean you do not need to pay anything for the update; if you already know that you will need to pay a service fee go ahead and pay that before submitting the form to speed the process up. Otherwise, if you do not pay before hand, when you submit the request we will let you know what you will need to pay and the update will be put on hold until you have made payment.

Currently the addon only works with the GeoMobile iPhone App, which is developed and maintained in-house. In the future we plan to create apps for other mobile devices. When that happens they will be integrated into this same Addon. That is why we call the addon Mobile API: since going forward it will work to connect more than just to the iPhone app¹⁰⁾.

See the differences between the shared GeoMobile iPhone app and the Personal iPhone app below:

Both:

• Both use this Mobile API addon, that allows the iPhone app to "talk to" your website. The only difference is the license key entered (see the installation instructions above) will be different for a personalized iPhone app. <
• Both require at least Geo version 6.0.5 or higher <
• Both require Ioncube, currently it will not work with Zend Optimizer.
• Both use the same installation instructions above to install the addon in the Geo software. <
• Both can use the latest version of the app, and get updates to the app going forward. <

GeoMobile iPhone App:

• Your visitors download the shared GeoMobile iPhone app, and enter in your unique site key to connect to your specific site. <
• Your "site name" is displayed, but all other app text is not changeable and only available in English. <
• All text, images, and colors are not able to be customized. <
• Since your visitors use the GeoMobile app that we publish, they automatically get updates that we make to the app.¹¹⁾ <

Your own Personal iPhone App

• Uses the Mobile API addon¹²⁾ to allow your personal iPhone app to "connect to" your website. To get a personal iPhone app, follow the complete steps above. <
• App locked exclusively to your site, no needing to enter a site key. <
• YOU name the app <
• YOU control the app price! Make it available for free or earn 70% of any download cost¹³⁾ <
• Customized text (as provided by you) <
• Customized logo and graphics (as provided by you) <
• Customized colors (as provided by you) <
• When we release an update for the GeoMobile app, you can request an update for your own personal app, or continue to use the older version¹⁴⁾. There may be small update fee to cover the app customization that is needed. <