Onlo Mobile SDK for iOS

Before you start

• iOS 15 or newer
• Swift Package Manager or CocoaPods
• An Onlo workspace where you can open WebChat → Install

Quick start

Start anonymously even if your app has accounts. This proves the package, public key, network path, Messenger UI, and Inbox delivery before identity or push adds more moving parts.

1. Step 1

   Create an iOS Mobile SDK key

   In Onlo, open WebChat → Install → Mobile app, choose iOS, and select Generate key. Copy the public SDK key. It identifies this integration and is safe in app configuration; it is not the customer identity secret.

   Expected resultOnlo shows an active iOS SDK key and the released package version.

2. Step 2

   Install the released package

   Add the package exactly once. Wrapper apps must not install the iOS or Android core separately.

   Install iOS SDK 0.3.2ruby

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   # Podfile
   pod 'OnloSDK', '0.3.2'
   
   $ pod install

   Expected resultThe iOS project resolves the Onlo import and builds.

3. Step 3

   Initialize, start an anonymous session, and open Messenger

   Initialize once during app startup. Start the customer session before the Support control calls present. Replace the example key with the public key copied from Onlo.

   iOS · first working integrationswift

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   import UIKit
   import OnloSDK // iOS SDK 0.3.2
   
   func connectOnlo() async throws {
       try await Onlo.initialize(apiKey: "onlo_public_sdk_key_from_dashboard")
       try await Onlo.loginUnidentifiedUser()
   }
   
   func openSupport(from hostViewController: UIViewController) async throws {
       try await Onlo.present(from: hostViewController)
   }

   Expected resultTap Support and the native Onlo Messenger opens with a message composer.

4. Step 4

   Prove the complete message path

   On the phone, send “Where is order #5832?”. Open Onlo Inbox and reply “Your order shipped this morning.” Return to WebChat → Install → Mobile app and refresh the SDK status.

   Expected resultThe conversation appears in Inbox, the reply appears in Messenger, and the target shows Connected with a recent Last seen time.

Identity verification

Do this only if customers already sign in to your app. Identity keeps conversations attached to the same customer across devices and app reinstalls. Anonymous apps can skip this section.

1. Step 1

   Generate the identity secret in Onlo

   Open WebChat → Install → Mobile app → iOS → Identity verification and select Generate secret. Copy it directly into your backend secret manager. Never put this secret in the app, source code, build configuration, logs, or analytics.

   Expected resultOnly your authenticated backend can read the identity secret.

2. Step 2

   Mint a short-lived customer JWT on your backend

   Authenticate the app request first. Sign HS256 with the Onlo identity secret, use onlo-messenger as the audience, use your stable customer ID as sub, and expire the token within five minutes.

   Node.js backend · create userJwttypescript

   Return userJwt to the authenticated customer. Never return ONLO_MOBILE_IDENTITY_SECRET.

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   import {SignJWT} from 'jose';
   
   // Run on your backend after authenticating the app customer.
   const secret = new TextEncoder().encode(
     process.env.ONLO_MOBILE_IDENTITY_SECRET,
   );
   
   const userJwt = await new SignJWT({
     name: 'Alex Morgan',
     email: 'alex@example.com',
     customAttributes: {plan: 'pro'},
   })
     .setProtectedHeader({alg: 'HS256'})
     .setSubject('customer_12345')
     .setAudience('onlo-messenger')
     .setIssuedAt()
     .setExpirationTime('5m')
     .sign(secret);

   Expected resultThe app receives a fresh userJwt for customer_12345, not the signing secret.

3. Step 3

   Identify the customer and clear Onlo on logout

   Pass the fresh JWT straight to Onlo after your app signs in. Before your app switches accounts or finishes logout, wait for Onlo logout to complete.

   iOS · login and logoutswift

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   func connectSignedInCustomer(userJwt: String) async throws {
       try await Onlo.loginIdentifiedUser(userJwt: userJwt)
   }
   
   func disconnectCustomer() async throws {
       try await Onlo.logout()
   }

   Expected resultOnlo Inbox shows Alex Morgan instead of an anonymous installation, and the next app account cannot inherit that conversation.

Push notifications

Push is optional. Add it after chat works so customers receive reply alerts while the app is in the background or terminated. Onlo should not show a system alert while the customer is already reading that conversation.

Before this section, you need an Apple Developer account with access to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, a push-enabled App ID, and a physical iPhone. Final APNs delivery cannot be proved with the iOS simulator alone.

1. Step 1

   Enable APNs for the app target

   In Xcode, add the Push Notifications capability. In Apple Developer, enable push for the App ID whose Bundle ID matches the installed app, for example com.example.store.

   Expected resultThe app registers with APNs on a physical iPhone and receives a device token.

2. Step 2

   Give Onlo permission to send through APNs

   Create an APNs .p8 key in Apple Developer. In Onlo, open WebChat → Install → Mobile app → iOS → Push notifications and enter the Bundle ID, Team ID, Key ID, .p8 contents, and matching Sandbox or Production environment. Keep the .p8 key only in Onlo and your secret manager—never in the app or Git.

   Expected resultOnlo shows APNs ready for com.example.store in the selected environment.

3. Step 3

   Tell Onlo where this device can receive notifications

   Ask for notification permission from a clear customer action. After the Onlo customer session is ready, forward the current provider token and every later token rotation. Forward Onlo payloads when the customer taps a notification.

   iOS · token and notification tapswift

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   import OnloSDK
   
   // Your app requests permission and receives this token from APNs.
   try await Onlo.setAPNsPushToken(deviceToken)
   
   // Call from the notification-tap callback. Onlo checks access before opening.
   let handled = try await Onlo.handleNotificationTap(
     userInfo,
     from: hostViewController
   )

   Expected resultThe current device appears under registered installations in the Onlo push status.

4. Step 4

   Test the provider, then test a real reply

   First use Send to selected installation. Then send a customer message, background or close the app, and reply from Inbox. Test the real reply path because the provider test and conversation delivery are separate server paths.

   Expected resultThe selected-device test arrives, the real Inbox reply arrives while the app is backgrounded or closed, and tapping it opens the intended conversation.

Error codes

Use the stable code to decide what the app should do. Show customers a plain Support-unavailable message; record only the code, SDK version, platform, time, and request ID. Never log customer JWTs, push tokens, messages, Firebase credentials, or APNs keys.

Versions

These snippets target the latest public release, 0.3.2. Upgrade the package before debugging a client-version error. Onlo publishes a migration guide only when a release changes an installation step or public API.

The final app-size increase depends on the package manager, linked architectures, and release optimizations. Compare archived release builds before shipping.

• iOS 15+
• Swift Package Manager or CocoaPods
• A physical iPhone for final APNs delivery testing