Configuring Store Technologies (Optional)

When apps are distributed through the App Store or Mac App Store, they can take advantage of Apple store technologies such as Game Center and In-App Purchase. If you implement any of these store technologies in your app, you use iTunes Connect to configure the interaction between your app and the Apple services. You also use iTunes Connect to register any additional content that you want to make available through one of these technologies. The store technologies that may require additional configuration in iTunes Connect include:

• “iCloud Display Sets.” iCloud storage containers can be combined into display sets so users of apps from the same organization see one data storage location in iCloud. Use iTunes Connect to define iCloud display sets, including setting the display set ID that you use in your app binary to associate the app with the display set.
• “iAd App Network.” The iAd App Network provides an environment for you to incorporate rich media ads into your iOS apps. In iTunes Connect, you enable the iAd App Network for each app in which you want to include ads.
• “Newsstand.” Newsstand organizes online magazine and newspaper app subscriptions so customers can access their favorite publications quickly and easily. Use iTunes Connect to enable an app for Newsstand and configure online issues and subscriptions.
• Game Center. Game Center is Apple’s social gaming network. It allows players to connect their devices to the Game Center service to post scores and exchange information. For information about configuring Game Center assets in iTunes Connect, see Game Center Configuration Guide for iTunes Connect.
• In-App Purchase. In-App Purchase embeds a store directly into your app and enables the app to connect to the store and securely process payments from the user. See In-App Purchase Configuration Guide for iTunes Connect.

Adding Configurations for Store Technologies to the App Record

After you create an iTunes Connect record for your app, you have access to pages for configuring store technology assets used by the app. You access each store technology page from buttons on the App Summary page for the app.

Note: Only the team agent or users with an Admin or Technical role have access to the Manage Your Apps module. Contact a user in your organization with an Admin role to give you access to be able to add or edit the record for an app.

iCloud Display Sets

Your apps can use iCloud to store related documents and data. The documents and data are stored in containers that you configure in the app’s Info.plist. No iTunes Connect configuration is required to enable an app to use iCloud containers.

In addition to iCloud containers, iCloud supports display sets that allow multiple iCloud apps to use a single entry in the iCloud Documents & Data user settings. Each app still writes data to its container; the display set references the storage used for all the containers. To use iCloud display sets, you need to configure the display set in iTunes Connect, identify the apps that use it, and reference the display set from each app’s Info.plist.

For example, you might provide a custom calendar app, a task-list app, and an alarm clock app that have their own iCloud containers, each of which shows up in users’ Documents & Data settings in iCloud. If you wanted to have users configure data storage for these apps in a single setting, you could create an iCloud display set called “NotifyMe” that included the containers for all three apps. You would set up iCloud containers for each app:

• iCloud.MyCalendar
• iCloud.MyTasks
• iCloud.MyAlarm

Each app would still write to its container, but the user would see only the NotifyMe display set when configuring iCloud to store data for these apps.

Viewing iCloud Display Sets in iTunes Connect

iTunes Connect users with Admin or Technical roles can access the Manage Your iCloud Display Sets page.

To view iCloud display sets

The Manage Your iCloud Display Sets page opens, showing any display sets that are already configured for your organization. The table lists each display set, its reference name, display set ID, and the number of apps attached to it. Apps appear in this count after they are configured to use this display set and are uploaded to iTunes Connect.

Creating iCloud Display Sets

For each display set, you must enter the following values:

• Reference Name. An internal name. It must be at least two characters and can be up to 255 bytes, assuming single-byte characters. It’s displayed in iTunes Connect only.
• Display Set ID. A unique identifier used to associate your app with the display set. Use the same ID in your binary’s Info.plist file, NSUbiquitousDisplaySet key. This string must be a uniform type identifier (UTI) and can contain only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and periods. The string should also be in reverse-DNS format and can’t end in .test.
• Display Set Name. The label that users see when they configure iCloud settings for your apps. Localize this label for each of the languages your apps support.

To create a new display set in iTunes Connect

Managing iCloud Display Sets

The display sets created for your organization appear listed in a table on the Manage Your iCloud Display Sets page. From this page, you can do the following:

• View or edit a display set’s details.
  Click the row containing the display set. The detail page lists the apps that are attached to this display set. From this page you can change the Reference Name or add or delete Display Name languages.

  

• Delete a display set.
  In the row containing the display set, click Delete.
  You can delete a display set unless there is an app attached to it.

iAd App Network

iAd is Apple’s digital advertising platform. As an iOS app developer, you can take advantage of iAd in two ways:

• Design targeted advertising campaigns to promote your iOS apps through iAd Workbench.
  The iTunes Connect team agent for your organization can set up iAd Workbench user accounts. Once your account is set up, sign in at http://iadworkbench.apple.com/. For more information, see iAd Workbench Help.
• Earn revenue by joining the iAd App Network and incorporating iAd rich media ads into your iOS apps.
  For more information about integrating iAd ads into your iOS apps, refer to the following resources:
  • Using iAd in Your iOS Apps includes a list of useful resources about embedding iAd into your apps.
  • iAd Implementation Best Practices provides suggestions to help you optimize your iAd integration.
  • iAd Programming Guide describes how to integrate the iAd Framework to display iAd ads.

The following sections describe how to join the iAd App Network and start generating revenue through ads in your iOS app. If you need more information, see “iAd App Network” in the iTunes Connect FAQ, available by clicking FAQ at the bottom of any iTunes Connect page.

Setting Up an App to Display iAd Ads

To join the iAd App Network and allow an app to access the iAd App Network, follow these steps:

• Have your team agent request and agree to an iAd App Network contract and set up relevant tax and banking information. See “Requesting a Contract” in iTunes Connect Developer Guide.
• Configure an iTunes Connect record for the app, as described in “Creating an iTunes Connect Record for an App” in iTunes Connect Developer Guide.
• Integrate the iAd Framework in your app, as described in iAd Programming Guide.
• Upload the app binary to iTunes Connect, as described in “Submitting the App” in iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

Note: After your app is approved and Ready for Sale, Apple reviews it to determine the app’s appropriateness for receiving ads from iAd advertisers. When your app is approved for iAd, you’ll begin to see ad impressions within a few days.

Disabling the iAd App Network for an App

To remove ads from an app, you must submit a new binary without the iAd Framework. See “Replacing Your App with a New Version” in iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

Monitoring iAd Performance and Revenue

iAd reporting in iTunes Connect allows you to monitor ad performance and track revenue.

To review ad performance for an app

Newsstand

Newsstand lets you deliver magazine and newspaper content as issues to iOS users. You enable your app for Newsstand in iTunes Connect. You also use iTunes Connect to set up issues or configure a feed to automate the management of issues.

The Newsstand metadata you set up in iTunes Connect is displayed on the store only. The app itself is responsible for delivering content to users. For information on creating a Newsstand app, seeNewsstand Kit Framework Reference.

Note: Newsstand is available in iOS 5.0 and later. Newsstand isn’t available for Mac apps.

Newsstand can be enabled for new and existing apps in iTunes Connect. After a Newsstand-enabled version of your app is posted to the store, all future versions of the app are also Newsstand enabled. Newsstand can’t be disabled in the app in later versions.

Configuring a Newsstand-Enabled App in iTunes Connect

When you create an iTunes Connect record for an app designed to deliver newspaper or magazine content, you follow these steps:

• Configure an iTunes Connect record for the app, as described in “Creating an iTunes Connect Record for an App.”
• Enable the app to be included in Newsstand, as described in “Enabling Newsstand for an App.”
• Configure at least one In-App Purchase product for the app, either a free subscription or an auto-renewable subscription; typically this is an issue available for download or purchase through the app. See“Providing Access to Privacy Policies for Subscriptions” in In-App Purchase Configuration Guide for iTunes Connect.
• Provide issue descriptions to post on the store, as described in “Managing Newsstand Issues.”
• If available, specify a feed to update store content automatically, as described in “Updating Issues on the Store Automatically.”
• Upload the app binary to iTunes Connect.

To submit a Newsstand app, your app binary needs to include the following:

• The Info.plist file must include the setting UINewsstandApp=true.
• The UINewsstandicon attribute must be included in the CFBundleIcons key.

Enabling Newsstand for an App

You can enable your app for Newsstand from the App Summary page.

For the Newsstand button to appear on the App Summary page, your app status must be in one of these pre-binary-upload statuses:

• Prepare for Upload
• Rejected
• Developer Rejected
• Invalid Binary
• Waiting For Upload

The Newsstand button appears on the App Summary page for existing apps after a new version is created and that new version is in a pre-binary-upload state.

To enable Newsstand for an app

Managing Newsstand Issues

To configure issues you want to distribute through the store, you either describe each issue in iTunes Connect or identify an atom feed to provide the issue information directly to the store. At any time, you can update the metadata for the issue.

If you choose to configure the issues through iTunes Connect, you need the following information for each issue:

• Published Date. The date you want this issue to be available on the store (it displays at the beginning of the day).
• End Date (optional). The date you want this issue to be removed from the store (it’s removed at the beginning of the day). For example, a special one-day issue would be added at the beginning of one day and removed at the beginning of the next day.
• Issue ID. An internal identifier that isn’t visible on the store.
• Summary. A summary of the issue that customers see on the store. The summary can be as long as 2000 characters, assuming single-byte characters.
• Issue Cover Art. The cover art to be displayed on the store while this issue is current. It displays where the app icon appears. The cover art must be a .png file, at least 72 dpi, having a minimum of 512 pixels on the long edge and an aspect ratio between 1:2 and 2:1. The artwork must be flat, with no rounded corners. If you don’t add issue cover art, your Newsstand default cover art is displayed on the store while this issue is current.

To add an issue

To edit an issue

To delete an issue

Updating Issues on the Store Automatically

If you want to post issue information to the store directly without itemizing each issue in iTunes Connect, you can provide store metadata through an atom feed by providing a URL for the feed. The store processes the feed once a day, incorporating any new information.

If the store experiences an issue with your atom feed, an email notification is sent to all users in your organization who have an Admin or Technical role.

For more information, see Newsstand Atom Feed Specification.

To set an atom feed URL for an app