The document discusses app-to-app communication capabilities across different mobile platforms like Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Firefox OS, and the web. It describes features like intents, extensions, charms, and web wishes that allow apps to share data and trigger actions between each other. The document also outlines proposed improvements like app store APIs that could help query for apps that support specific intents.

1. Web Wishes, Intents and
other app-to-app communication
Friedger Müffke

2. Good Examples - Android
Share
Book a table
Barcode scanner

3. Bad Examples - Android
Google Maps at first start loses information (VIEW)
OfficeSuite does not allow to confirm picked file (PICK_FILE)
Facebook launch new task on “install now” (VIEW)
Banking app to insert invoice data

4. What is new in Android Intents
Document provider intents
FitnessIntents.ACTION_TRACK, AlarmClock.ACTION_SET_TIMER
No more implicit service intents

5. Document Provider
CREATE_DOCUMENT
EDIT_DOCUMENT
returns openable content:// url
(similar to PICK_FILE)

6. App-to-App Communication
iOS 8 - Extensions
Windows Phones - Charms/Contracts
Rhomobile - Intents API
FireFox OS - WebActivities
Web - WebWishes (was WebIntents)

7. A2A - iOS
Action (UI, non-UI)
Document Picker, File Provider
Photo Editing
Share

8. A2A - Windows Phone
Charms: Search, Share, Start, Devices, Settings
Contracts/Extension:
Account picture provider
(extension)
AutoPlay (extension)
Background tasks (extension)
Update task (extension)
Cached file updater contract
Camera settings (extension)
Contact picker (extension)
File activation (extension)
File Open Picker contract
File Save Picker contract
Play To contract
Print task settings (extension)
URI activation (extension)
Search contract
Settings contract
Share contract
SSL/certificates (extension)

9. A2A - Rhomobile
Rho.Intent
Broadcast intents across platforms
send and start/stop listen

10. A2A - FireFox OS
Register activity in manifest
Set message handler “activity” with
postResult, postError
MozActivity (Intent object) with
onSuccess, onError

11. A2A - FireFox Android
From Web, open Android app via fixed mapping for
dial, open, pick, send, view
WebIntents Agent (Google Summer of Code 2012)

12. A2A Web
WebIntents are dead, …
Issue with User experience
… long live WebWishes
Registration in Manifest
CurrentWish
Duplex Communciation
Embedded Wish Services

13. A2A - Android app on Chrome

14. App Store API
Query for apps that implement an intent
Google Play
AppBrain
OpenIntents
Data as in F-Droid or One Platform’s APPDF

15. Friedger Müffke
fmdroid
+FriedgerMüffke
friedger