Mind You Include Network Error Alerts, Apple Tells iPhone Devs

Apple has updated developers with a new App Store Tip, posted on the News and Announcements section at its iPhone Dev Center. The latest advice going out to iPhone developers concerns applications that require access to the Internet.

Whether they connect through EDGE, 3G, or Wi-Fi, applications must feature network error alerts in their code, Apple outlines. Customers will appreciate it if they know what’s going on, while Apple will not have to play the bad guy and reject your app, if this requirement (among others) is met.

“Don't Forget to Include Network Error Alerts in Your Code, “ reads the headline of the latest App Store Tip from Apple. “If your application provides functionality that requires access to a network, it's very important that your code include a customer alert or notification when the network is not available,” says the company whose iPad debuts this weekend.

Apple continues to explain that “The Reachability sample application demonstrates how to use the System Configuration Reachability API to monitor the network state of an iPhone or iPod touch. Use this sample code to learn how to detect the absence of Wi-Fi and Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) services so your application knows when it's necessary to produce a network error alert.” The company makes it clear that this is the way to go, if developers want to have a good quality app in the iTunes App Store, stressing that “Your users will appreciate knowing when an application has no network access.” It adds that “missing ‘network alerts’ is the third most common reason for applications being returned to developers for modification.”

For more information on the Reachability sample application or to read more app submission tips, visit Apple’s Dev Center here.