BLE Custom Ads on iOS

Question

I hope to create BLE ads on iOS, where I can manage ads on a byte level.

One use case is to simulate iBeacon ads. What is the iBeacon Bluetooth profile (I want to advertise when my application is in the background, so I do not use CoreLocation)

I see no way to do this using the Core Bluetooth API. It's right? Are there alternatives using a private API or jailbreak?

Answer 1

I see no way to do this with the Core Bluetooth API. It is right?

Since in order to achieve this you need to install production-specific data, if nothing has changed, you will face the same problem as me. Explained here:

Manufacturer Data Promotional Key Not Enabled in CoreBluetooth

It's impossible.

Answer 2

My experience with iOS is that if this is something that doesn't appear in the API, there is no way around it other than jailbreaking. For low energy, the Bluetooth API is at the GAP / GATT level, and very few at the lower levels (if any). Advertising is a LL (link layer) feature.

To illustrate how limited access is: when scanning BLE devices, you will not have access to the MAC address of the iOS advertiser. In Android you have.

Answer 3

As others have already pointed out, iOS does not have an API that allows you to do this.

You can advertise as iBeacon, but only when your application is in the foreground. When in the background the ad is removed and therefore can no longer be detected (except for other iOS devices that are explicitly viewing this service UUID). Also see the documentation here: Basic Bluetooth Background Processing

If you share your precedent and what you want to achieve, there may be other ways to implement it.