Announced in Apple’s developer conference keynote a couple of weeks ago was an interesting feature for new apps that enables a small functional portion of your app to be downloaded when triggered by a QR code or NFC tag. Apple’s developer guidelines explain more.
‘Consider creating an app clip if your app provides an in-the-moment experience that helps people perform a task over a finite amount of time. For example:
– A rental bike could come with an NFC tag that people scan to launch an app clip that lets them rent the bike.
– A coffee shop could offer an app clip for fast advance orders that customers launch from a Smart App Banner on the coffee shop’s website. Customers could share a link to the website from the Messages app, which recipients then tap to launch the app clip from within Messages.
– A restaurant could let diners launch an app clip from the Maps app or a suggestion from Siri Suggestions, or scan an NFC tag at their table to pay for a meal.
– A museum could have visitors scan visual codes on labels next to displayed works to launch an app clip that reveals augmented reality content or provides audio commentary.’
This is perfect for all those parking meter apps that require far too much information to signup when all you want to do is pay and run.
