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External accessory apples (bluetooth) for MFI devices only?

The purpose of my bachelor's thesis will be to connect optical series using the bluetooth adapter to the iPad. I am currently struggling with restrictions on Apples. I often read on the Internet that I can use supported profiles to connect to any devices that support at least them. But APL technical analyzes often indicate that "the infrastructure of the external accessory is designed so that iOS applications can only communicate with hardware accessories developed in the Apple MFi licensed program." I do not think that those who write here simply lie for pleasure.

Can someone tell me about the experience if it works or not in combination, and that’s the point with non-MFi accessories?

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The External Accessory structure is really only for MFi, but you have two options:

  • Jailbreak (I can not give you any advice).

  • Use CoreBluetooth .

I used CoreBluetooth in my applications, and it can do this job depending on how much data you want to transfer. I don’t know what an optical series is, how much data you need, but we are talking about data transfer in byte order. CoreBluetooth works with Bluetooth 4.0 LE devices, now it is any iOS device released after (and including) the iPhone 4S.

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Some types of BT devices (i.e. hands-free modules, BT headsets), of course, do not have to be MFi.

Serial communication, on the other hand, is a completely different story. The BT accessory should implement an identification process - usually using an identification chip.

Interestingly, SPP (Serial Port Profile) is not even listed in the supported profiles.

But on the windowsill you can find some GPS MFi modules.

And this module is also interesting: OEM Bluetooth module for iPhone / iOS OBS414

You need to enter the MFi program before you can even get the technical specifications. Otherwise, the manufacturer will violate the NDA.

There is another workaround on how to communicate via BT: you can always implement the FSK hardware (or a similar modem) on the one hand (BT audio communication) and a software analogue of the application.

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