In today’s digital world, mobile devices are central to how consumers and businesses interact with Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, many IoT business use cases are directly impacted by how mobile operating systems, such as iOS and Android, manage apps when they are running in the background. These operating systems impose limits that can prevent apps from functioning effectively when not in the foreground. For IoT businesses, this can lead to disrupted services, unsatisfactory user experiences, and missed opportunities.
Key Business Use Cases Impacted by Background Limitations
There are several business-critical IoT use cases that struggle due to these operating system restrictions:
Real-Time Data Monitoring (Healthcare, Fitness, and Safety)
Many apps in sectors such as healthcare, fitness, and environmental monitoring rely on continuous data streams from IoT devices. For example, a health app might need to monitor heart rates or air quality sensors continuously. However, iOS and Android limit the amount of time apps can stay active in the background. This means the app can miss critical data if it’s not in the foreground, which can be problematic for industries that require real-time insights.
Automatic Device Reconnection (Smart Homes, Wearables, and Industrial IoT)
In smart homes or industrial settings, IoT devices (e.g., smart locks, wearable devices, or sensors) should automatically reconnect to a user’s smartphone when they come back into range. Unfortunately, these auto-connections are often hindered by mobile OS restrictions. Without constant connectivity, a smart lock may not open when expected, or a wearable might fail to sync properly.Many apps in sectors such as healthcare, fitness, and environmental monitoring rely on continuous data streams from IoT devices. For example, a health app might need to monitor heart rates or air quality sensors continuously. However, iOS and Android limit the amount of time apps can stay active in the background. This means the app can miss critical data if it’s not in the foreground, which can be problematic for industries that require real-time insights.
Proximity-Based Services (Retail, Access Control)
Retailers often want to provide customers with special offers or location-based services when they’re near the store, and security systems rely on proximity to trigger actions like unlocking doors. However, background limitations restrict an app’s ability to scan for these proximity events, resulting in lost opportunities for retailers and inconveniences for security systems.
Low-Power IoT Devices (Asset Tracking, Logistics)
Many IoT devices are designed to conserve battery power by staying in low-power modes when not actively in use. Mobile apps need to wake up these devices when required, but background limitations prevent apps from staying in constant communication, disrupting processes like asset tracking or environmental monitoring.
How We Overcome These Limitations with Alternative Solutions
Despite the challenges posed by these operating system limitations, we have successfully developed alternative approaches to ensure IoT solutions remain reliable and functional. Below are some of the strategies we use to help our clients deliver IoT solutions that work within the confines of mobile operating system restrictions:
Intelligent Device Reconnection Strategies
To address issues with auto-reconnections in smart homes or wearables, we’ve developed intelligent reconnection strategies that can work within operating system constraints. For example, on iOS, we use specific Bluetooth features that allow the app to “restore” its connection with a device once the phone is back in range. This makes sure that users don’t notice any disruptions in their smart home or wearable devices.
Using Notifications and Background Modes
One way to keep users informed and maintain app functionality is by utilizing push notifications to wake the app when important events occur. For example, in healthcare or fitness, the app can notify the user when there’s critical data, such as an abnormal heart rate or a sensor alarm. Additionally, both iOS and Android offer special background modes for apps using Bluetooth or location services, which we leverage to maintain necessary connections for our clients’ IoT products.
Cloud-Based Offloading
For IoT devices that need constant monitoring or interaction, we’ve found that offloading some tasks to the cloud can reduce the need for the mobile app to always run in the background. For example, in industrial IoT applications, the cloud can handle the continuous communication with devices, while the mobile app only interacts with the cloud when the user needs an update or alert.
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