Hello there,
we have developed an APP that communicates with a BLE only device.
the APP works very well and we have been able to publish.
from the MFI FAQ it looks like that we don't need to be part of the MFI program if the device is BLE only.
I want to develop an accessory that communicates with an Apple device using only Bluetooth Low Energy. Do I need to join the MFi Program?
No. Accessories which connect to an Apple device using only Bluetooth Low Energy/BLE/Bluetooth 4.0 or standard Bluetooth profiles supported by iOS are not part of the MFi Program.
Our APP should read this device in the background, but we have received this answer from Apple:
Your app declares support for external-accessory in the UIBackgroundModes key in your Info.plist file but does not declare any external accessory protocols supported by your app. The external accessory background mode is intended for apps that communicate with hardware accessories through the External Accessory framework.
Next Steps
If your app is meant to work with external hardware, supported protocols must be included in the UISupportedExternalAccessoryProtocolskey in your app's Info.plist file - and the hardware's PPID # should be provided in the Review Notes field of your app in App Store Connect.
Additionally, your app must be authorized by MFi to use the desired hardware. If you are not yet in the MFi Program, you can enroll at MFi program.
Please either revise your Info.plist to include the UISupportedExternalAccessoryProtocols key and update your Review Notes to include the PPID # - or remove the external-accessory value from the UIBackgroundModes key.
We are not sure how to proceed, any suggestions?
Thanks.