Launch host app from watch app

Question

I know that the openParentApplication api in watch kit extension can open the host app in the background but not in the foreground.

I also tried using openUrl() api of NSExtensionContext as below:

NSExtensionContext *ctx = [[NSExtensionContext alloc] init];

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"myScheme://today"];
[ctx openURL:url completionHandler:^(BOOL success) {
    NSLog(@"fun=%s after completion. success=%d", __func__, success);
}];
[ctx completeRequestReturningItems:ctx.inputItems completionHandler:nil];

Here too the host app is not launched. Am I missing something? or is it not possible to launch the host app from watch kit extension?

Answer 1

If you need to open your parent app in the foreground, use Handoff!

https://developer.apple.com/handoff/

Example:

Somewhere shared for both:

static let sharedUserActivityType = "com.yourcompany.yourapp.youraction"
static let sharedIdentifierKey = "identifier"

on your Watch:

updateUserActivity(sharedUserActivityType, userInfo: [sharedIdentifierKey : 123456], webpageURL: nil)

on your iPhone in App Delegate:

func application(application: UIApplication, willContinueUserActivityWithType userActivityType: String) -> Bool {
    if (userActivityType == sharedUserActivityType) {
        return true
    }
    return false
}

func application(application: UIApplication, continueUserActivity userActivity: NSUserActivity, restorationHandler: ([AnyObject]!) -> Void) -> Bool {
    if (userActivity.activityType == sharedUserActivityType) {
        if let userInfo = userActivity.userInfo as? [String : AnyObject] {
            if let identifier = userInfo[sharedIdentifierKey] as? Int {
                //Do something
                let alert = UIAlertView(title: "Handoff", message: "Handoff has been triggered for identifier \(identifier)" , delegate: nil, cancelButtonTitle: "Thanks for the info!")
                alert.show()
                return true
            }
        }
    }
    return false
}

And finally (this step is important!!!): In your Info.plist(s)