Not able to configure apppreview on iphone 4

[Sunil_k_1]

I am trying to test my app on iphone 4 with ios 7.1.2

Following are the steps I am taking:

1. Connect iphone to windows 10 computer

2. Go to debug tab

3. click configure app preview

4. Provide the P12 file, pass phrase and provisioning file containing the testing device udid

5. Store the ipa file to local computer

6. Error is shown : "Error occurred while trying to install app on your device"

I also tried to install the ipa using itunes. I got the error: "Could not install the app as the app needs a new version of the iphone software"

Could you let me know what causes this problem?

Thanks,

Sunil

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

I'm not sure which version of iOS is the minimum required, but based on the error message you are seeing it implies that the version of iOS on your iPhone 4 is too old. I'll have to check with engineering to see which version is required. Are you able to download and install standard App Preview onto your device?

Another issue could be that you did not use a "DEVELOP" p12 cert, you cannot use an adhoc cert, it has to be a develop cert. Also, you need to make sure the mobile provisioning file you provide uses a wildcard for the App ID (an '*').

[Sunil_k_1]

Thanks Paul for the reply.

I have iOS 7.1.2 on my iPhone.

When I tried to install the latest version of App Preview on my iPhone, it said that my iPhone could not install the latest version of App Preview. Hence it installed an older version. I am not sure if this is causing the problem. If yes, what is earliest version that I should use to test.

I was using Adhoc P12 cert. I will try to test with a develop cert and make sure that provisioning file is proper. Will get back to you soon with the result.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil -- since you were only able to install an older version of App Preview that implies that you won't be able to build a "debuggable" version of App Preview for use with the Debug tab. I'm still waiting on a reply from the engineer in charge, for confirmation. But I do know that only the most recent version of App Preview is used with the Debug tab, so that is likely the reason you are running into problems.

If you have a Mac, you can build a debuggable copy of your app (using a develop cert) and connect to that app via USB with Safari, but only if you are using a Mac. Instructions here > https://software.intel.com/en-us/xdk/articles/debugging-xdk-cordova-apps-built-for-ios-using-mac-and-safari

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil, just got a confirmation that the latest version of App Preview requires iOS 8.0, so that is the reason you cannot create a debuggable App Preview for use with the Debug tab. If you have a Mac you can use the instructions I pointed you to, otherwise, you'll have to use weinre with a built app, see this webinar > https://software.intel.com/en-us/videos/using-the-test-tab

[Sunil_k_1]

Thanks Paul for the prompt response.

Unfortunately, I do not have a mac right now.

I have couple of questions:

Question 1:

I have an older version of App Preview on iPhone as the iphone software is 7.1.2. Would I be able to create a debuggable version of the app if I use an older version of intel XDK on my development machine which is Windows 10? If yes, which version of intel XDK shall I use?

Question 2:

What do you think the reason why I am not able to install my app on my iphone using itunes? The error message that I get clearly says "App is not installed as it requires a newer version of iPhone software". Does that mean I can not build an app for iOS versions older than 8? Or is it because some of the plugins that I use require newer version of iOS? If it is the latter, then how can I find the plugin that requires the newer version of iphone software so that I can either remove it from the list or use the appropriate version of the plugin? (I manually checked all the plugins for any iOS version requirements that is >8. But could not find any)

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Re #1 -- doesn't matter which version of the XDK you're using, the backend will always use the latest version of App Preview to build the special debuggable version of App Preview for the Debug tab. The two entities (XDK client on your machine and XDK cloud) are loosely-coupled.

Re #2 -- if you are building with CLI 5.4.1 you can only build for iOS 8.0 and higher. If you want to build for iOS 7 you need to use CLI 5.1.1. Some plugins may require CLI 5.4.1, but those are a minority, most will work with either. See this FAQ for additional details regarding CLI versions and the Cordova frameworks > https://software.intel.com/en-us/xdk/faqs/cordova#cordova-version

BTW -- the version of the cordova-ios framework that's used in the CLI 5.1.1 build system will eventually be retired, due to known security issues in cordova-ios@3.9.x and earlier. So, ultimately, you will be forced to use CLI 5.4.1 (or higher), which means using cordova-ios@4.x or higher.

[Sunil_k_1]

I built my app using CLI 5.1.1  But it gave me the same error that a newer version of iPhone software is required.

I don't know what is causing the issue though.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Are you setting the iOS target to 7.1 or earlier? See the image below:

[Sunil_k_1]

yes. I tried using both 7.1 and 6 as the iOS target version

[Sunil_k_1]

The problem is that the latest version of intel XDK always targets iOS version 8 even when the target version is set to a lower version on the project tab. Is this the default behaviour? How can I make intel XDK to build for a lower version? 

[Sunil_k_1]

I further tested the build with a higher version (9.2). The build log still says the target iOS version is 8.0

However, the iOS config file is appropriated updated to the selected iOS version (9.2).

One other thing I noticed was that the target version is captured in the preference parameter "deployment-target" within the iOS config file. One of your documents says the target version is captured in the preference "ios-target". I am not sure if the change in the preference name is messing up the build. My guess is that the target version is defaulted back to iOS version 8.0 as the preference parameter "ios-target" is not found.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil -- thank you for this feedback. This may have resulted from fixing a bug in the standard Cordova build system that fixed another ios target issue (tablet versus phone). I'll work with the build engineer to see if we can figure out what is going wrong.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil -- the build engineer has identified an issue in our build system that is causing this problem and is currently testing it on our staging build system. He expects it to be corrected on our production build system in a day or two.

[Sunil_k_1]

Thank you very much Paul for your help!!!

How would I know when the fix is available for the general public?

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

We'll send a tweet, but in case you don't see the tweet in a day or two, please ping for confirmation (or just try the build again).

[Sunil_k_1]

Thanks!!!

[Sunil_k_1]

I could build the app for the selected version of iOS and could install the app on my machine as well.

Thanks!!!

I have a new problem now when I try to use debug tab.

I select the p12, provisioning file and entered the pass phrase to configure the app preview. But intel XDK throw an error saying " could not create a signed version of app preview". I tried this using development and adhoc certificates.

I tried using the appID "*" in provisioning file along with development certficate. None has so far worked.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil -- make sure that your mobile provisioning file and your dev certificate match. That is usually the cause of this problem. You may have to create a new mobile provisioning file for use with your dev certificate.

[Sunil_k_1]

I have tried all combinations: using adhoc certificate and corresponding provisioning file, develop certificate with provisioning file (with wild card appID)

Few questions:

1. I am using some featured plugins within my app. Does this create any problem when configuring app preview?

2. Also, I am building the app for iOS target 7. My iphone has a lower version of app preview installed as the latest version is not compatible with my iphone. Is this an issue?

Note: I am able to run the app on my iphone through the test tab. I wanted to debug some of my javascript code through debug tab.

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Sunil -- we do not build a custom debug module for iOS (at this time). It's a feature we hope to add with a future release of the XDK, but today it only supports creating what is best described as a "debuggable version" of standard App Preview. Other than making the iOS version of App Preview "debuggable" there is no difference with standard App Preview. That means that you cannot use the Debug tab to work with third-party plugins on iOS.

Since your device is running iOS 7, and the latest version of App Preview requires iOS 8 (or higher) it means that the "debuggable" App Preview will also not install on your device, because it is simply a "re-signed" copy of the existing App Preview. We only use the latest version of App Preview (does not matter which version of the XDK you are using).

Please see this video for some hints on how to debug a built app on your phone using weinre > https://software.intel.com/en-us/videos/using-the-test-tab < from this page > https://software.intel.com/en-us/xdk/docs/webinars-videos-links <