Default app used for email in iOS and iPadOS - what session?

During the Platforms State of the Union, it was said that we could make our apps the "default app used for email in iOS and iPadOS".

I can't find the session where this will be discussed? Where is the appropriate lab for this? Is this forum the correct place to ask questions about it?

I need one of those nice Apple employees that stand at the entrance to the lab, telling me where I'm supposed to go to ask my question.
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Rumple
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I just spoke with someone from the App launching and linking lab. At a high level, this is what I learned.

  • the documentation, etc isn't done yet, but they are working on it

  • there isn't a specific date when they will have the documentation completed. But certainly before iOS 14 release.

  • there is no session

  • like some other sensitive features, you have to get a special entitlement in order to be able to do this

  • send an email to default-app-requests@apple.com to have them review your app and grant you the entitlement

  • they will review your app to make sure that you are actually an email client, can send/receive emails and not a game, etc

  • your app can't have both the email client and web browser entitlement, you can do one or the other

  • the setting to switch which app is the default mailto handler doesn't show up until there is more than one choice on the system

  • the setting appears under the settings for the 3rd party app

  • there is a runtime check for the presence of the entitlement and that mailto: is handled

  • the mail client entitlement is set in the plist as com.apple.developer.mail-client=true

  • the web browser entitlement is set in the plist as com.apple.developer.web-browser=true

  • the web browser has to be able to handle both http and https requests, and a few other things

  • this should be possible in the current beta 1 code

If you have more questions, the Safari or Webkit labs might be able to help
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Rumple
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I just spoke with someone from the App launching and linking lab. At a high level, this is what I learned.

  • the documentation, etc isn't done yet, but they are working on it

  • there isn't a specific date when they will have the documentation completed. But certainly before iOS 14 release.

  • there is no session

  • like some other sensitive features, you have to get a special entitlement in order to be able to do this

  • send an email to default-app-requests@apple.com to have them review your app and grant you the entitlement

  • they will review your app to make sure that you are actually an email client, can send/receive emails and not a game, etc

  • your app can't have both the email client and web browser entitlement, you can do one or the other

  • the setting to switch which app is the default mailto handler doesn't show up until there is more than one choice on the system

  • the setting appears under the settings for the 3rd party app

  • there is a runtime check for the presence of the entitlement and that mailto: is handled

  • the mail client entitlement is set in the plist as com.apple.developer.mail-client=true

  • the web browser entitlement is set in the plist as com.apple.developer.web-browser=true

  • the web browser has to be able to handle both http and https requests, and a few other things

  • this should be possible in the current beta 1 code

If you have more questions, the Safari or Webkit labs might be able to help
Posted by
Rumple
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This is great news. thanks
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Maoko
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