

Instapaper 4.2.2 with Background Update Locations - macrael
http://blog.instapaper.com/post/24293729146

======
conroy
It's ridiculous that iOS doesn't offer an API for scheduled background tasks.
The clever tricks developers use to solve this problem (geofencing, silent
audio[1], etc.) shouldn't be necessary.

[1]: <http://www.148apps.com/news/silence-golden-pastebot/>

~~~
aw3c2
I tried to get a friend to use XMPP/Jabber for free (private, secure) text
messaging but it failed because of this. Improved my impression that iOS is
not capable of much while being pretty good at what it can.

------
pkulak
The lack of background scheduled tasks in iOS is turning into same origin
policies for JS in web browsers. Everyone gets around it with ridiculous hacks
(JSONP) to the point where the restriction is meaningless and it just causes
more work for devs and problems for consumers.

It is neat that people are finding these loopholes, though. Any Downcast devs
reading this? Hint hint hint...

~~~
ricardobeat
Despite the hacks (unnecessary since cross-domain xhr), the security benefits
of same-origin remain.

~~~
simonw
I couldn't agree more. Same-origin is one of the most important components of
browser security.

JSON-P doesn't mean that same-origin is a waste of time just because there's a
work-around - it demonstrates that sites should be allowed to opt-out of same-
origin protection if they have a reason to, leading to the development of
CORS.

Without same-origin protection, I could run JavaScript on any website which
silently used XMLHttpRequest to steal information from a web server running on
your company's internal intranet. All I'd have to do then is trick you in to
visiting my site.

------
metamatt
So neither the instapaper blog post (linked here) nor the news.me blog post
([http://blog.news.me/post/21643399885/introducing-paper-
boy-a...](http://blog.news.me/post/21643399885/introducing-paper-boy-
automatically-download-your-news)) comes right out and says it, but the point
here is that since iOS doesn't let an arbitrary program schedule itself in the
background or on a time-based schedule, but the iOS geofence APIs do let an
arbitrary program schedule itself when you cross a geofence, you can abuse the
latter to simulate the former?

------
rdl
Is there any way to just do this when it is on a wifi network (that I choose),
or does it have to go via cell tower? I guess if I'm on my home or office cell
tower, I'm almost always also on wifi.

~~~
speg
Instapaper has a setting to restrict downloads to wifi. I'm assuming this new
feature respects that.

 _edit: Apparentley Instapaper = Instagram when I am on HN way too early for a
Sunday._

~~~
chmars
It's an Insta_paper_ feature, not an Insta_gram_ feature.

<https://www.instapaper.com/>

------
macrael
This is an interesting way to approximate running in the background on a
timer.

~~~
macrael
Which Marco says he first saw in News.me

<https://twitter.com/marcoarment/statuses/209073534289448961>

Cool, Ive never seen that before.

------
toisanji
How is this implemented without effecting the battery life?

~~~
mikeash
Geofencing works off cell towers. Since the cell hardware is already tracking
towers anyway, the additional cost is minimal.

~~~
chmars
Geofencing works IMHO with all localization features available on iOS, i.e.
it's not limited to 3G/UMTS.

~~~
mikeash
But it only works on devices with a cell radio, so it's obviously being
triggered by that even if it might hit up other facilities once triggered.

