Facebook has announced version 3.0 of its iOS SDK that allows app developers to implement Facebook Open Graph in their apps. While many of the features are just tweaks for iOS 6 and general improvements, they could be invaluable for those who integrate Facebook in their apps.

What might prove to be most conveinent for users with the new SDK is that now it’s possible to use iOS 6’s native Facebook login to connect with Facebook apps. No longer will apps have to quickly switch between themselves and the native Facebook app for authentication. However, the SDK will still support this method of authentication for iOS 4 and above users. In fact, the new SDK, which is available now, will automatically log users in iOS 6 with this new authentication once it is available. This will be convenient for developers as well as users, especially those testing iOS 6 integration in their apps.

New UI views are possible with 3.0. Apps can now integrate Facebook Places check-ins, display a user’s profile picture, along with an advanced friend selector. The friend selector will support filtering by device type and by those that have authorized the app, to help users find their friends that use the app more easily. Facebook also claims that it has made user session handling easier with FBSession API calls that can intelligently handle and determine user state. As well, they’re claiming to improve the latency of API calls in general.

As well, for developers looking to get Facebook integrated into their apps, Facebook has launched iOS Dev Center, which provides tips and tutorials on how to implement Facebook Open Graph features into iOS apps. They also have sample code available for those looking to see how integration works in practice. The beta of the 3.0 SDK is available now.

Share