Problem with new icon sizes for iOS 7 while submiting to App-Store

[Guest]

Hi,

I have compiled my AIR app which includes the new icon sizes required for iOS 7 (76x76, 120x120, 152x152 and the Spotlight search result icons 40x40 and 80x80) from the command line using AIR 3.9. Here's the icon section from my app descriptor XML:

<icon>

        <image29x29>icons/icon29x29.png</image29x29>

        <image48x48>icons/icon48x48.png</image48x48>

        <image57x57>icons/icon57x57.png</image57x57>

        <image72x72>icons/icon72x72.png</image72x72>

        <image114x114>icons/icon114x114.png</image114x114>

        <image512x512>icons/icon512x512.png</image512x512>

        <image58x58>icons/icon58x58.png</image58x58>

        <image144x144>icons/icon144x144.png</image144x144>

        <!-- Additional app icons for iOS 7 -->

        <image40x40>icons/icon40x40.png</image40x40>

        <image76x76>icons/icon76x76.png</image76x76>

        <image80x80>icons/icon80x80.png</image80x80>

        <image120x120>icons/icon120x120.png</image120x120>

        <image152x152>icons/icon152x152.png</image152x152>

  </icon>

App(.ipa) is installed and running fine in all the all the devices(Ipad,IPhone).While submiting the same app to Apple-App-Store with app-store provision profile, I got three warnings.Those are as follows:

1) WARNING ITMS-9000: "Missing recommended icon file. The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly '120x120' pixels, in .png format." at SoftwareAssets/SoftwareAsset (MZItmspSoftwareAssetPackage).

2) WARNING ITMS-9000: "Missing recommended icon file. The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly '76x76' pixels, in .png format." at SoftwareAssets/SoftwareAsset (MZItmspSoftwareAssetPackage).

3) WARNING ITMS-9000: "Missing recommended icon file. The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly '152x152' pixels, in .png format." at SoftwareAssets/SoftwareAsset (MZItmspSoftwareAssetPackage).

Can someone help me?

[jimgoogles]

Arrgh. Sorry for the false alarm guys. Although Flash CS creates a new -app.xml, I was accidentally using an old one that I added my icons into, and had 3.8 instead of 3.9 in the <application xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/3.9"> line.

In case someone else has this issue, my set up is as follows:

Windows 7

Flash Pro CS5.5

AIR SDK 3.9 release version (build 1030)

ipa built using commandline with instructions similar to Femi's.

Confirmed that ipa has been created with all required icons and uploaded to App store.

[Femi Awosile]

Well done Jim

Cheers

[blogtom]

Many thanks for the tutorial! You saved my week! 🙂

[blogtom]

Is it possible to put all files in a folder instead of having them all in the "bin" folder?

What would I need to change in the ADT command?

Please help, thank you!

[Colin Holgate]

The interpreter mode is a standard selection in Flash Pro CC, you don’t have to use the command line for that.

As for when Flash Pro will stop deleting your list of icons, so that you then don’t have to use the command line at all, that is quite likely going to be in an update within two weeks from now.

[OMA2k]

Colin Holgate escribió:

With 3 - 5 screenshots, 18 icons, plus whatever other external files and folders your app requires, it ends up being quite a complex line.

Screenshots? Do you really have to include screenshots in the compiled IPA? If you do, you don't have to upload them into iTunes Connect? I don't think so, they're probably just bloating the IPA with no actual use of the pictures.

I've never included screenshots in the ADT command line (I manually upload them into iTunes Connect) and everything seems to work fine.

Also, I'm seeing everyone is including the 512x512 and 1024x1024 icons, but Apple says specifically "Do not include this icon in your app bundle if you are not distributing your app via ad-hoc distribution"

("this icon" = the iTunesArtwork icon in both sizes 512 and 1024)

https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/iphone/conceptual/iphoneosprogrammingguide/App...

So if you're uploading for app store you shouldn't bundle those bigger sizes with the IPA, since you're already manually uploading those icons through iTunes Connect. I guess if you do there's no problem, but why bloat the IPA even more if it's not needed?

Plus if you're uploading an iPad app (non-universal), iPhone icons are not needed either, so if I'm not mistaken, these are the icons needed currently for an iPad-only application compatible with both iOS 7 and iOS 6 (and older) and both retina and non-retina screens:

  <!-- IOS 7: App icon (iPad) -->

    <image76x76>icons/icon_76.png</image76x76>

    <image152x152>icons/icon_152.png</image152x152>

  <!-- IOS 7: Spotlight search results icon (all devices) -->

    <image40x40>icons/icon_40.png</image40x40>

    <image80x80>icons/icon_80.png</image80x80>

  <!-- IOS 7: Settings icon (all devices) -->

    <image29x29>icons/icon_29.png</image29x29>

    <image58x58>icons/icon_58.png</image58x58>

  <!-- IOS 6: App icon (iPad) -->

    <image72x72>icons/icon_72.png</image72x72>

    <image144x144>icons/icon_144.png</image144x144>

  <!-- IOS 6: Spotlight search results and Settings icon (iPad) -->

    <image50x50>icons/icon_50.png</image50x50>

    <image100x100>icons/icon_100.png</image100x100>

The above XML is based off the aforementioned Apple document.

Maybe the Adobe AIR documentation about icons should be changed to reflect the new iOS7 icons:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/air/build/WS901d38e593cd1bac1e63e3d129907d2886-8000.html

BTW, I've seen that this AIR document lists a special non-iOS 48x48 icon, with a note saying "AIR adds a border to this image and uses it as a 50x50 icon for spotlight search on lower resolution iPads". So if AIR adds a 2px border to the 48x48 pixel icon, thus converting it to a 50x50 icon, then why does it accept another 50x50 icon as well? It's also listed as being for "Spotlight search for lower resolution iPads" so it serves the same purpose. If both 48 and 50 pixel icons are used in the descriptor, which one of the two icons are used, then?

I just tested Spotlight and searched for an old version of my app (which uses the 48 pixel icon, not the 50 one) in an iPad 2. I've seen that the icon for my app actually looks smaller than the rest of apps in the iPad. I suppose that's because it's the 48 pixels icon + 2 pixel border. What's the point of AIR adding a 2 pixel border to a 48 pixel icon instead of only accepting the 50 pixel icon straight away? Why not just use the 50 pixel icon? I suppose I'll skip the 48 pixel icon next time I upload to the App Store, and use the 50 pixel one instead. There's no point in having my app icon look a different size than the rest of apps (even if it's only in the Spotlight search feature). It looks as if the icon were designed wrong, when it really wasn't.

Ah, the AIR document also confirms the 512 and 1024 icons are not needed for the App Store:

"The 512-pixel PNG file is used only for testing development versions of your application When you submit the final application to the Apple App Store, you submit the 512 image separately, as a JPG file. It is not included in the IPA."

[Colin Holgate]

By screenshots I really meant splash screens. The image you see as the app launches.

[OMA2k]

Colin Holgate escribió:

By screenshots I really meant splash screens. The image you see as the app launches.

Ah, ok, I see. Yes, the splash screens need to be inside the IPA.

Do you know what's with the 48 / 50 pixel icons?

[turtlepush]

你好！我最近也遇到相同問題！已經煩我三天了！請問該怎麼解決？我本身是用ＭＡＣ界面，flash cs6 sdk也升級到 3.9.0.1200,請各位高手幫幫忙

[rodolfo1216]

I just downloaded what I believe is the latest version of the AIR SDK here:

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/air-sdk-download.html

which appears to be: 3.9.0.1210

I used it in Flash CS6 to create my .ipa file.  The Icon area did not contain fields for icons of size 120, 76 and 152px. After submitting it to Apple I received the same error seen above.

I was wondering what the latest info was on this issue.  I really don't have the skills to use the command line.  Is there a simpler solution?  Really frustrated.  Appreciate any help you can give.

[Colin Holgate]

One idea that people have used, that you should be able to do without involving the command line, is to set the app descriptor file to Read Only. That is, after you have added all the new icons to the list, set the file to be read only. Then publish from Flash.

[rodolfo1216]

I thought that did it, but I guess not.  While the app was successfully uploaded to iTunes using the Application Loader, I soon after received this message:

iPhone 5 Optimization Requirement - Your binary is not optimized for iPhone 5. New iPhone apps and app updates submitted targeting iOS 6 and above must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5 and must include a launch image with the -568h size modifier immediately following the <basename> portion of the launch image's filename. Launch images must be PNG files and located at the top-level of your bundle, or provided within each .lproj folder if you localize your launch images. Learn more about iPhone 5 support and app launch images by reviewing the iOS Human Interface Guidelines and iOS App Programming Guide.

Once these issues have been corrected, go to the Version Details page and click "Ready to Upload Binary." Continue through the submission process until the app status is "Waiting for Upload." You can then deliver the corrected binary.

Darn.  Can I ask for your help again on resolving this message?

Message was edited by: rodolfo1216

[Colin Holgate]

The iPhone 5 support is a completely different issue. You only need to include a 640x1136 splash screen, named Default-568h@2x.png to solve that problem.

[rodolfo1216]

I really appreciate your help Colin.  Please hang in there with me because I feel like I'm so close. 

I created the new default size image (which I named Default-568h@2x.png) and I added it into the "Included Files" area in the AIR setting screen in Flash, but (now not surprisingly) Flash removed it from the -app.xml file after publication.  Then I added the image manually to the -app.xml file and made this file Read Only.  I used this tag for the image: <image640x1136> and also tried this tag: <image-568h> but both times I get an error from Flash saying that I have an "unexpected element/attribute in the application descriptor file".

The email message I received from Apple says, "...must include a launch image with the -568h size modifier immediately following the <basename> portion of the launch image's filename. Launch images must be PNG files and located at the top-level of your bundle, or provided within each .lproj folder if you localize your launch images."

Can you please tell me what I should call the image and where I should put it?  Again - many thanks.

[Colin Holgate]

You don’t add it to the app descriptor file, you only do that for the icons. Just add the various splash screens to the General tab in the publishing settings.

[GoatCheese]

Let me chip in here... Just to summarize the complete process. Colin Holgate cracked it (thanks!). Been struggling to deploy a Flash App to iOS 7, and been getting various error messages in iTunes.

Fixed it by doing the following in Flash CS6. Should work in Flash CC as well:
-Using Air 3.9 (added by downloading Air 3.9, unzipping the file & linking it from Help > Manage AIR SDK).

-Select Air 3.9 for iOS in Publish Settings > Target.

-Add the useless splash 640x1136 screen (a black one in my case) named Default-568h@2x.png and add it in the Included Files box.
-Publish, Deploy and Pray!

[Colin Holgate]

One thing to note, that it seems to matter if the Default-568h@2x.png is located at the same level as the FLA or SWF. If it’s in a subfolder you may find that iTunes is still not happy when you do the upload.

[OMA2k]

rodolfo1216 escribió:

I used it in Flash CS6 to create my .ipa file.  The Icon area did not contain fields for icons of size 120, 76 and 152px. After submitting it to Apple I received the same error seen above.

I guess the problem is CS6 removes those icons when publishing or changing settings. Can you check if those icons are still present in the -app.xml descriptor? If they were removed, then re-adding them an using Colin's suggestion about write protecting the file should do the trick, though each time you need to change something in that file, you'll have to remove the read-only attribute and then add it back. Not very practical.

rodolfo1216 escribió:

I was wondering what the latest info was on this issue.  I really don't have the skills to use the command line.  Is there a simpler solution?  Really frustrated.  Appreciate any help you can give.

I can't believe a developer can say he doesn't have the skill to use the command line. If you can program in AS3, using the command line should be a piece of cake to you. You just have to go into your directory using the "cd" command and then run ADT with Adobe's instructions. Not hard by any means. Flash will always be behind what the latest version of AIR can do, so you should learn how to use the command line compiler for those cases.

Even the current version of Flash CC doesn't support iOS 7 icons nor Android high density icons, and it was released half a year AFTER that type of icons were introduced in Android (but before iOS 7).

[Grallator]

Not a helpful suggestion I'm afraid but I'm also having issues with CS6 and iOS7 requirements.

Please Adobe fix this and give us an update. We supported your software, even through the dark days of the App store not allowing Air apps. Please give back and give us an air SDK we can use in CS6 (and others)!

[OMA2k]

Grallator escribió:

Not a helpful suggestion I'm afraid but I'm also having issues with CS6 and iOS7 requirements.

Please Adobe fix this and give us an update. We supported your software, even through the dark days of the App store not allowing Air apps. Please give back and give us an air SDK we can use in CS6 (and others)!

Just use the command line ADT tool, it's not that difficult. If you don't find your way around, I can provide a few batch files that might help.

Still, I can't see why the latest 13.1 update of Adobe Flash Pro CC just released a few days ago still does not include the iOS 7 icons. This update would have been a very good opportunity to add them to Flash Pro.

[Femi Awosile]

What exactly is the problem that you are having? I may be able to help you.

Cheers

[Grallator]

@Femi, The problem relates to including all the new icon sizes required by iOS7. It appears that the kludge is to edit the xml file then make it read only so CS6 doesn't take out the new sizes when you publish.

@OMA2k, I'm afraid on not on CC - I use CS6. I think it'd be nice if Adobe could issue and update fix for this. Subscription is a nice business model for Adobe, but leaves the faithful still wanting a CS6 approach in the lurch.

[OMA2k]

Grallator wrote:

@OMA2k, I'm afraid on not on CC - I use CS6. I think it'd be nice if Adobe could issue and update fix for this. Subscription is a nice business model for Adobe, but leaves the faithful still wanting a CS6 approach in the lurch.

Well, since even the just released 13.1 update of Flash Pro CC still does NOT support the iOS 7 icons, it's even less likely to have that support applied to CS6, unfortunately. At least, there are several workarounds (editing the descriptor and making it read-only, or compile using the command line).

[spinlight]

I've seen several people say that editing the XML file and setting it to read only works. I'm still getting an error in Flash that says "Usage error (Incorrect Arguments)" when I try that.

By setting to read-only do people mean in the finder itself or from within Flash? I see that option for Android projects, but not iOS projects.

[Colin Holgate]

People mean from the Finder.