Announcing AWS Mobile SDK v2.6 for Android and iOS

It is now recommended that developers to use the Amplify libraries to build iOS and Android applications on AWS>

Recently, we released the AWS Mobile SDK v2.6.0 for Android and iOS. The release has new features that make it easier for iOS and Android developers to integrate AWS backend services into their apps.  The new features include:

• A configuration pattern that makes it easier for developers to get started, and to target production vs. pre-production environments.
• A native authentication user experience, which allows developers to easily add sign-in and sign-up flows powered by Amazon Cognito.
• A new S3 transfer manager that provides easier integration of file upload and download capabilities.

Streamlined integration experience for AWS Mobile Hub

AWS Mobile Hub also introduced a single cross-platform configuration file that is generated based on the services and features you enable in your AWS Mobile Hub project.  This configuration file puts all of the AWS endpoints, regions, and identifiers into a single JSON file that can be shared between Android and iOS projects.  Using the JSON file means you no longer need to edit the Info.plist file (for iOS) or create a class of constants (for Android).  You can use the same configuration file for both iOS and Android versions of the app.   In addition, when you change environments (from a pre-production environment to a production environment, for example), you only need to change the single JSON file in the project.  No code needs to change.

Native sign-in and sign-up UI in iOS and Android

We now integrate fully native sign-in and sign-up UI components into the iOS and Android SDKs.  You can add sign-in and sign-up UI to your apps with just a few lines of code.  Supported sign-in providers include social providers like Facebook and Google.  For an example, see our recent blog post on implementing user sign-in on Android.

Cocoapods dependency management

The AWS Mobile SDK for iOS is distributed via Cocoapods and is also available for download.  This allows iOS developers to easily handle dependency management within the SDK.