iphone app dev question

December 1, 2008 8:22 AM

High level iphone app dev question

Before I commit to delivering something, and my skimming round the Apple SDK docs not withstanding. I need to know whether an app can be written that will change iphone settings.

In essence, can i create a app that calls various 'options' from the main Settings app, and present a select few of them in one page?

For example, could I have a page that displayed the Settings | wi-Fi on|off switch, and the Settings | Sounds | Vibrate on|off switch on the same page (or any combination of the different switches)? Is this possible or restricted?

(Note, not jailbroken, just legit. I'll go JB as a last resort)

posted by daveyt to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Most, if not all, system settings are locked away from programmers with the SDK. I don't think you'll have much luck.

You could check out the official iPhone Developer Forums. There's a section there for this very question.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:30 AM on December 1, 2008

You want to do a Profiles kind of app? Yeah, I wanted to do the same thing. Access to the stuff you want is locked down.
posted by mkultra at 8:35 AM on December 1, 2008

Ah, if only this were possible.

My idea was an app that would automatically change settings for you based on time or location. So if you wanted WiFi and 3G on while you were at work but needed to switch to EDGE at home because of reception issues, at 5:30 it would do it automatically for you. Or whatever.

Unfortunately pretty much every facet of something like that is locked away and probably will never be opened up.
posted by joshrholloway at 9:03 AM on December 1, 2008

Yup, locked down.

Jailbroken you can do it, but not without significant time and effort figuring out all the backdoors.
posted by tkolar at 9:18 AM on December 1, 2008

Not sure if you want to write an app for yourself or to sell, but if the former I'd just jailbreak (it's real easy these days) and install BossPrefs
posted by neustile at 9:32 AM on December 1, 2008

I did a lot of research into this for a friend who had a power-profiles app idea a while back. It's flatly impossible with the SDK - you're allowed to create a settings dialogue for your specific app that will be linked at the bottom of the main Settings menu, but there's no method through which you can interface with the iPhone's core settings.
posted by Ryvar at 9:52 AM on December 1, 2008

wow. Thanks all. Another nail in the coffin for my iphone. I really am trying with these things, really am. But I find them endlessly disappointing. Emperors New Clothes I think.
posted by daveyt at 5:55 AM on December 2, 2008