daily-notification-plugin/docs/ios-native-interface.md

iOS Native Interface Structure

Author: Matthew Raymer
Date: November 4, 2025

Overview

The iOS native interface mirrors the Android structure, providing the same functionality through iOS-specific implementations.

Directory Structure

ios/App/App/
├── AppDelegate.swift          # Application lifecycle (equivalent to PluginApplication.java)
├── ViewController.swift        # Main view controller (equivalent to MainActivity.java)
├── SceneDelegate.swift        # Scene-based lifecycle (iOS 13+)
├── Info.plist                 # App configuration (equivalent to AndroidManifest.xml)
├── capacitor.config.json       # Capacitor configuration
├── config.xml                 # Cordova compatibility
└── public/                    # Web assets (equivalent to assets/public/)
    ├── index.html
    ├── capacitor.js
    └── capacitor_plugins.js

File Descriptions

AppDelegate.swift

Purpose: Application lifecycle management
Equivalent: PluginApplication.java on Android

• Handles app lifecycle events (launch, background, foreground, termination)
• Registers for push notifications
• Handles URL schemes and universal links
• Initializes plugin demo fetcher (equivalent to Android's PluginApplication.onCreate())

Key Methods:

• application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) - App initialization
• applicationDidEnterBackground(_:) - Background handling
• applicationWillEnterForeground(_:) - Foreground handling
• application(_:didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:) - Push notification registration

ViewController.swift

Purpose: Main view controller extending Capacitor's bridge
Equivalent: MainActivity.java on Android

• Extends CAPBridgeViewController (Capacitor's bridge view controller)
• Initializes plugin and registers native fetcher
• Handles view lifecycle events

Key Methods:

• viewDidLoad() - View initialization
• initializePlugin() - Plugin registration (equivalent to Android's plugin registration)

SceneDelegate.swift

Purpose: Scene-based lifecycle management (iOS 13+)
Equivalent: None on Android (iOS-specific)

• Handles scene creation and lifecycle
• Manages window and view controller setup
• Required for modern iOS apps using scene-based architecture

Info.plist

Purpose: App configuration and permissions
Equivalent: AndroidManifest.xml on Android

Key Entries:

• CFBundleIdentifier - App bundle ID
• NSUserNotificationsUsageDescription - Notification permission description
• UIBackgroundModes - Background modes (fetch, processing, remote-notification)
• BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers - Background task identifiers
• UIApplicationSceneManifest - Scene configuration

Comparison: Android vs iOS

Component	Android	iOS
Application Class	PluginApplication.java	AppDelegate.swift
Main Activity	MainActivity.java	ViewController.swift
Config File	AndroidManifest.xml	Info.plist
Web Assets	assets/public/	public/
Lifecycle	onCreate(), onResume(), etc.	viewDidLoad(), viewWillAppear(), etc.
Bridge	BridgeActivity	CAPBridgeViewController

Plugin Registration

Android

public class PluginApplication extends Application {
    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
        NativeNotificationContentFetcher demoFetcher = new DemoNativeFetcher();
        DailyNotificationPlugin.setNativeFetcher(demoFetcher);
    }
}

iOS

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                    didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        // Plugin registration happens in ViewController after Capacitor bridge is initialized
        return true
    }
}

class ViewController: CAPBridgeViewController {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        initializePlugin()
    }
    
    private func initializePlugin() {
        // Register demo native fetcher if implementing SPI
        // DailyNotificationPlugin.setNativeFetcher(DemoNativeFetcher())
    }
}

Build Process

1. Swift Compilation: Compiles AppDelegate.swift, ViewController.swift, SceneDelegate.swift
2. Capacitor Integration: Links with Capacitor framework and plugin
3. Web Assets: Copies public/ directory to app bundle
4. Info.plist: Processes app configuration and permissions
5. App Bundle: Creates .app bundle for installation

Permissions

Android (AndroidManifest.xml)

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />

iOS (Info.plist)

<key>NSUserNotificationsUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app uses notifications to deliver daily updates and reminders.</string>

<key>UIBackgroundModes</key>
<array>
    <string>background-fetch</string>
    <string>background-processing</string>
    <string>remote-notification</string>
</array>

Background Tasks

Android

• Uses WorkManager and AlarmManager
• Declared in AndroidManifest.xml receivers

iOS

• Uses BGTaskScheduler and UNUserNotificationCenter
• Declared in Info.plist with BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers

Next Steps

1. Ensure Xcode project includes these Swift files
2. Configure build settings in Xcode project
3. Add app icons and launch screen
4. Test plugin registration and native fetcher
5. Verify background tasks work correctly

References

• Capacitor iOS Documentation
• iOS App Lifecycle
• Background Tasks