I'm looking into using the Channel API to push messages to my iOS client. I haven't completely wrapped my head around it, but the only way would be to use a hidden UIWebView that triggers an Objective-C method.
Would this work? To have a hidden UIWebView listening to channel messages? How would the web view be notified of new messages by the channel? How would I trigger an Objective-C method when a new message is received, such as an alert saying "You've received a new message."?
Are there any downsides to this approach?
I'm doing the opposite. I'm using Urban Airship to send iOS notifications to my iOS app, which is really an iOS wrapper around a UIWebView.
GAE Channels aren't particularly robust in my experience, I've noticed messages not get sent, especially when you have to re-establish a connection. I wonder if the UIWebView connection will get disconnected when the app goes to the background.