Apple iOS 7.1 includes major improvements in iBeacon

Apple updated iOS 7.1 and rolled into the update some major improvements to the iBeacon platform, claims BEEKn.net. The biggest improvement is the ability of the operating system to detect iBeacons even when an iBeacon-compatible app is shut down or running in the background. This functionality persists even when the device is rebooted, suggesting this background function is now built into the OS and is not dependent on the applications themselves. This is a significant change as apps no longer have to run in the background in order to receive an alert from an iBeacon it encounters in its vicinity. This would allow a shopping app to automatically ping a customer when that person enters a store, regardless of whether they opened their shopping app. 9to5Mac spoke to ThirdShelf CEO Antoine Azar about these changes to iBeacon and how it improves the overall experience for users. …iBeacon functionality would stop if the user manually killed an app. This was under the logic that if a user manually kills an app, he/she doesn’t want to interact with it anymore. However a lot of users will kill apps instinctively, just to have a clean slate. As iBeacon is being used more and more for every day tasks (opening locks, interacting with smart devices, getting rewards when shopping, etc) however, users expect the phone to correctly interact with their environment. If they need to always relaunch the appropriate apps after a reboot, battery drain, or closing apps, the experience is a lot less seamless and magical. Though background detection is now persistent, users can opt of this feature by turning off location services for an app in the iOS settings app. They also can delete an app and remove its functionality completely from their device. BEEKn.net also claims early tests show an improvement in iBeacon performance with beacon detection happening faster in iOS 7.1 than earlier version of the operating system. Are you excited for iBeacon technology to land in your local shopping and recreating establishments? Continue reading →

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