Changes and enhancements for the Responsys Mobile SDK

This topic outlines the information you need to know about new or improved functionality in the Responsys Mobile SDK. Refer to the what's new for more information about what's new in Responsys.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Mobile SDK 6.52.0

iOS and Android

  • Introducing 3 new display formats for In-App messages - Intersitital, Banner-Header and Banner-Footer. See the iOS and Android
  • Added PIOMessageCenterUpdateNotification notification to notify application when new Message Center messages are fetched. See the iOS and Android guides for more details.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys SDK 6.51.0

iOS

  • We've added support for the XCFramework format.
  • Fixed an issue with In-App messages where in certain scenarios, the In-App message window was auto-closing which led apps to crash.

Android

  • We've added a new API that enables you to change the small notification icon color. Learn more.
  • Fixed an issue with Engagement Reporting, where in some cases a service was incorrectly reported as an Activity.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys SDK 6.50.0

React Native Plugin

iOS

  • We've added new APIs to support Scene-based iOS apps:

  • Added new API delayRegistration to delay registration events on app launch or app brought to foreground.

Android

  • Improved logging for In-App messages and Message Center. Extra log messages have been added at Verbose level to help you debug any issues with these features. See In-App Messaging for Android.

  • Fixed an issue where the android.support.v4.os.ResultReceiver class was not found at run-time for some devices. This affected the outgoing remote API requests.

Changes and enhancements in SDK for Android v6.49.1

Updates for Location API

  • With the release 6.49.1 of the Responsys Mobile SDK for Android, we have introduced two new APIs to help you control if/when the location permission prompt is displayed.
    • PushIOManager.setUseLocation(boolean useLocation)
    • PushIOManager.isUseLocationEnabled()
  • In SDK 6.49 and earlier, the location access feature was opt-out. With this release, this feature is opt-in and you will need to call the above API (or registerApp(true)) if you wish to let the SDK access the device location.

For more details, see the Location-based Push guide.

Firebase Messaging v22.0.0 Compatibility

With release 6.49.1, the SDK is now compatible with firebase-messaging 22.0.0 and including the firebase-iid dependency is no longer required.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 21C

Multiple Push SDKs for React Native Plugin

The Multiple Push SDK feature is now available for the Android React Native Plugin. This feature enables you to identify and display push notifications from Responsys when using multiple push SDKs in the same React Native app. Learn more.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 21B

Mobile SDK Logging Enhancements for Engagement and Conversion Reporting

The Responsys Mobile SDK now provides a detailed console log in XCode and Android Studio for Responsys Engagement and Conversion reporting. It helps you debug and investigate SDK Engagement and Conversion reporting issues.

See the platform specific topics for implementation details:

Multivariate Testing (MVT) for Push Campaigns

This feature enables you to set up and run multivariate tests (MVTs) for Push campaigns. MVTs can be run with either Push Opens or Push Conversions as the winning metric.

To use MVTs for Push campaigns in Responsys, you create the Push MVT campaign and create its test versions. Next, you add the campaign to a program orchestration and configure the MVT settings. You can review MVT results for ongoing or completed tests in the Program Analyze tab. You can review more detailed MVT analytics for ongoing or completed tests in the new Multivariate Tests report for Mobile Apps in Interactive Dashboards.

Learn more

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 21A

Cordova for the Standalone Responsys SDK

The Responsys Cordova plugin is now available. It allows developers to use the Responsys mobile services in Cordova apps (such as Push Notification, Message Center, inApp Messages). The plugin is designed to be cross platform, to leverage the same source code targeting both iOS and Android platforms.

This enables developers to make several platform-specific API calls as restricted to iOS or Android specifically.

Standalone Responsys Mobile SDK is required to use this feature.

Learn more about the Cordova Plugin for Responsys SDK

Mobile App Analytics

Native Mobile App Analytics are now available. Use this feature to better understand app user behavior and mobile app performance.

Marketers can understand app user behavior by tracking and analyzing 25 KPI metrics directly within Responsys. This is enabled through a Mobile App KPI Metrics Dashboard that enables you to:

  • Monitor 25 out-of-the-box Industry standard KPI metrics

  • Review a comprehensive set of KPIs that cover entire user lifecycle (from user acquisition to app uninstall)

  • Analyze KPI trends through past period comparisons

This enables you to better understand app user behavior by tracking and analyzing 25 KPI metrics directly within Responsys.

To enable this feature you need to log a Service Request (SR).

Your mobile app must be integrated with OCX Mobile SDK and OCX Responsys SDK.

Additionally, the Infinity Streams Cloud Service feature is required to integrate with the Infinity Analytics SDK.

Once the feature is approved, you will be provided a set of parameters to be configured in the Integration settings > Infinity data integration section of Account Settings.

Tips and Considerations

When navigating to the Mobile App Analytics area, some key Insights on KPI metrics and uninstalls are displayed for your app with the highest number of active users. You can then choose to navigate to the KPI Metrics Dashboard or the Uninstalls Dashboard to analyze the metrics in detail.

The KPI Metrics Dashboard shows app user behavior by tracking and analyzing 25 KPI metrics directly within Responsys.

  • Six KPIs that most Marketers are interested in are highlighted at the top: New Users, Active Users, Sessions, Conversions, Revenue, ARPU.

  • The 25 metrics are split into three Sections: User Acquisition and Engagement, Revenue, Uninstalls.

Learn more about:

For details on how to integrate with the Infinity Analytics SDK, refer to:

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 20D

Custom Handling of Deep Links in Push Campaigns by Apps

Apps can now intercept (on push open) the deep link URL specified in the Open URL attribute of Push campaigns and implement custom handling for these URLs.

This enhancement allows the app to ask the user if the user wants to open the URL in the app or the browser. Previously, the URL always opened in the browser.

This feature should be used with iOS and Android version 6.46.0 / 20D SDK onwards.

See the platform specific topics for implementation details:

New Columns Added to App Channel Lists

Two new app channel list columns are now available:

  • UNINSTALLED_AT_DATE_: data type is Date/Time Stamp

  • CHANNEL_DELIVERABILITY_REASON_: data type is String / Text Field (to 255 characters).

Their values will be NULL (empty) initially, and they won’t start getting populated until after the 21A update.

This change supports future improvements to the Responsys SDK. With update 21A and onwards, you will be able to view additional information for app uninstalls:

  • when (what time) an app uninstall was detected at Responsys; and

  • why an app channel list record was marked as Undeliverable

Tips and Considerations

Even though these new columns will not have values populated until our next update, they will be part of the Connect Export Data job output when you export an App Channel List or App Channel List Filter as of 20D. Therefore, you may need to adjust your post-export Connect Export Data job file handling. The columns will be exported in the order that they appear in the data viewer while viewing App Channel Lists. In existing lists, the columns are appended at the end, after the APP_LOCATION_PERMISSION_ column (in the order: … APP_LOCATION_PERMISSION_, CHANNEL_DELIVERABILITY_REASON_, UNINSTALLED_AT_DATE_). In new lists, CHANNEL_DELIVERABILITY_REASON_ will be displayed after CHANNEL_PERMISSION_DATE_, and UNINSTALLED_AT_DATE_ will be displayed after INSTALLED_AT_DATE_.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 20C

Documentation enhancements of note

Learn more about the newest SDK modules now available. See Oracle CX Mobile SDK to learn more.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 20B

Message Center

We've added new APIs that enable you to raise Message Center engagement events in your apps. For message center messages, you can raise events for message displays and message opens. Your apps must use an SDK version 6.45 or later to leverage these APIs. See the platform specific topics for implementation details:

Responsys Android SDK - Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) versions 20.1.1 and above have removed support for a previous mechanism of Notification Token generation. Due to this change, the Responsys Android SDK 6.44.x or earlier crashes when used with Firebase Messaging FCM 20.1.1 and above. Android App Developers using a version of Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) 20.1.1 and above must upgrade to a version of the Responsys SDK at minumum 6.45 for push messages to continue working. See the FCM Announcement here.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 20A

The Responsys Android SDK (Release 20A/Version 6.44 onwards), has migrated from Android support libraries to the Jetpack AndroidX libraries. Applications are required to migrate to AndroidX before using this version.

Additionally, applications using Responsys Android SDK (below Version 20A/6.44) and have already migrated to AndroidX can use the PushIO SDK with Jetifier enabled in the gradle.properties file.

Ensure you are using the latest Jetifier libraries (i.e greater than v1.0.0-beta04).

Documentation enhancements of note

We've enhanced our Geofences and Beacons documentation to better assist you through your setup. See Geofences and Beacons to learn more.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 19D

Xcode 11 Support

Before you build your iOS app with Xcode 11 (or with iOS 13.x libraries), you are required to integrate your iOS mobile app with Responsys SDK version 6.42.1 or later.

Why is this upgrade required?
If you build your app with Xcode 11 or iOS 13.x libraries and do not integrate your iOS app with Responsys SDK version 6.42.1 or later, your iOS mobile app users will not receive Push Notifications from Responsys. Xcode 11 and iOS 13.x libraries break the method used by Push Notification SDKs like the Responsys Push SDK to obtain a Push Notification token for apps.

By when do I need to upgrade my mobile app?
We recommend that you immediately upgrade your iOS app to use Responsys SDK version 6.42.1 or later. In doing so, you can ensure that your app will have the prerequisites required to build your app with Xcode 11 or iOS 13.x libraries and will avoid issues when upgrading to the latest Xcode versions.

iOS SDK and Change Log Links:

As always, we recommend that you use the latest version of our Push SDKs when managing your Mobile solution. For questions, contact Oracle Support.

Segmentation of Logged in Mobile App Users

We've added the ability for marketers to create segments to filter on logged in app users and logged out app users. The USER_IDENTIFIER filter is available in the Filter Designer under App Channel. To implement this feature, iOS apps must integrate with the 19D Responsys Push iOS SDK 6.43.0 or later.

An image of USER_IDENTIFIER_ in the Filter Designer

Provisional Authorization Support

Added support for iOS Provisional Authorization. After an app has implemented the 19D/6.43.0 SDK, marketers can make decisions based on whether or not certain users are Provisionally Authorized by using the new PUSH_PERM_AUTHSTATUS column in the App Channel List. This enhancement enables marketers to create segments of users that are opted-in to Provisional Authorization. For more information on how to use the new column in the App Channel List, see the Responsys Help Center.

Using Provisional Authorization iOS apps, starting in iOS 12, upon install you can give users a “trial run” or preview of notifications from your app. These notifications include a built-in prompt that asks users if they want to continue receiving notifications from your app.

See Provisional Authorization to learn more.

Segmentation of Mobile App Users based on App Icon Badging and Location Services

Oracle Responsys now tracks individual opt-in statuses for various mobile features so that marketers can target only relevant devices with their campaigns. Marketers can use these permission fields as attributes in a filter, and then target the filter with a campaign. To implement this feature, apps must integrate with the 19D Responsys Push SDK 6.43.0 or later for Android or iOS.

The new permission fields are:

  • APP_LOCATIONPERMISSION: Segments users who have granted app access to App Location Services for iOS and Android on their device.
  • PUSH_PERMBADGES: Segments users who have opted in to iOS App Icon Badging.

An image of APP_LOCATION_PERMISSION_ in the Filter Designer

See the Oracle Responsys Help Center for more information on the new fields and possible values, as well as how to create a filter.

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 19C

Android App Links

Added support for Android App Links. Android App links enables Email Marketers to deep link their Android end users in a standard, seamless and secure manner into their Android Apps. Similar to the existing support for Oracle Responsys iOS Universal Links, some of the highlights of this feature include:

  • Link from a Responsys email campaign directly into an Android mobile app (if installed)
  • Achieve email-to-app deep linking on Android devices, while preserving click tracking and selective app deep linking

See the Android App Links guide for more information.

Support for Multiple Push SDKs in one App

You can now integrate and use the Responsys Push SDK in your app even if your app already uses multiple other Push SDKs. Release 19C onwards, we provide a solution that apps can implement to enable co-existence of Responsys Push SDK with multiple Push SDKs within the same app.

For more details, see the platform specific topics:

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 19B

Authentication Key Support for iOS Apps

Responsys now supports Authentication Key Credentials for iOS Apps. The key advantage of using Authentication Key Credentials over .PEM files is that unlike .PEM files, Authentication Keys do not expire. Learn more about Generating an APNs Auth Key

App Icon Badges for Message Center

App Icon Badges are supported through Message Center messaging Campaigns. Marketers can display a Badge Count on the App Icon on an end user's device to indicate to the app user the number of new Message Center messages available. Marketers can Increment the Badge Count for every message sent to user's device. App Icon Badging with Message Center Messages can drive increased app user engagement rates.

An example screenshot of App Badging

For more details, see the App Icon Badges section for your platform:

Same App for Multiple Accounts

You can now use one Responsys app across multiple Responsys account. Previously, Responsys apps were restricted to a single Responsys account.

Responsys accounts may use a single app across multiple Brands or Geographic Regions. If you have multiple accounts in Responsys (each corresponding to a separate brand, organization, or geographic region) but have a single app that is used for each of these brands, organizations, or regions, you will now be able to configure and use the same app in each of your Responsys accounts.

At any given time an app user will be associated with only one of your Responsys Accounts. When an app user switches the brand, organization, or region on the app, they will be disassociated from the current Responsys account and associated with another of your other Responsys accounts.

NOTE: This feature is available under our Controlled Availability program. To request access to this feature, please contact your Customer Success Manager or log in to My Oracle Support and create a service request.

For more details, see the platform specific topics:

Support for AndroidX Libraries

The Responsys Android SDK (Release 19B / Version 6.41.0 onwards) supports AndroidX libraries. Apps using AndroidX libraries instead of Android Support libraries, can use the PushIO SDK with Jetifier enabled in the gradle.properties file.

In the gradle.properties file add the following:

    android.useAndroidX=true
    android.enableJetifier=true

Responsys to deprecate TLS 1.0 & 1.1 on June 1, 2019

Oracle is updating Responsys application security mechanisms to meet modern security requirements. On June 1st, 2019, Responsys will no longer allow inbound connections using TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 protocols. Responsys will continue to support inbound connections using the TLS 1.2 protocol.

Because Responsys already supports modern browsers that support TLS 1.2, there should be no impact on Responsys users. However, any Internet connections made to Responsys from browsers or external applications using TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1 will fail. For example, if a consumer uses an older browser not supporting TLS 1.2 to open a Responsys-generated email message, that message may not get rendered properly. Please note that Responsys will not generate any error or warning messages in response to an incoming request using TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1 protocols.

For APIs and App access, verify that all applications accessing Responsys, including custom apps, support TLS 1.2. If your application does not support TLS 1.2, it will not be allowed to establish a connection to Responsys. In the event that your application does not use TLS 1.2, it will need to be updated to allow connections via a supported protocol.

Learn more

Changes and enhancements for Responsys Update 19A

19A Responsys Push SDK version 6.40.0

The 19A Responsys Push SDK version 6.40.0 will be available from the download page following the deployments of the Responsys Update 19A to all pods. This release will support Oracle Responsys Update 19A features. We recommend that customers use the latest SDK version, but there is no need to upgrade if the SDK updates are not applicable for your mobile app.

For details about obtaining and using the latest released SDK version, see the Upgrade Guide sections for your platform:

REMINDER: Upgrade your Android Mobile App to an FCM-compliant version of the Responsys SDK

If you have not already done so, Oracle strongly recommends that you update your Android mobile apps to an FCM-compliant version of the Responsys SDK immediately. This will give your Android app users enough time to upgrade to your FCM-compliant mobile app before Google's April 11, 2019 deadline.

To upgrade your mobile app to use FCM:

For more details, see the section below about upgrading your Android app to a FCM-compliant version of the Responsys SDK.

Geofence and Beacon Events API

Responsys now supports geofence and beacon events. The Responsys Push SDK has added a set of open APIs that enable app developers to raise entry and exit events for geofences and beacons. You can integrate with a geofence/beacon solution of your choice, or integrate with a native geofence/beacon solution.

Once implemented, marketers will be able to use geofence and beacon events in their program orchestrations in Responsys. These location-based events will be triggered when a mobile device user enters or exits a geofence or beacon zone.

To enable this feature:

  • Your account must have the Responsys Events Interface feature enabled, which is a Controlled Availability feature. To request access to this feature, please contact your Customer Success Manager or log in to My Oracle Support and create a service request.

  • Your organization's mobile apps must be built with the 19A Responsys Push SDK (version 6.40.0) or greater, when it becomes available.

  • Your organization's mobile apps must also be integrated with your chosen solution for geofencing, or beacons, or both. Depending on your solution, integration may also involve setup by a Responsys user with access to the Responsys Events Interface.

Learn more:

For more details, see the Geofences and beacons section for your platform:

See the following topics in the Responsys Help Center for more information:

mParticle Kit for Responsys SDK

The Oracle Responsys Push SDK now supports an integration with mParticle through iOS and Android mParticle Kits, which serve as an integration layer between the Responsys and mParticle SDKs. If you use mParticle as a Customer Data Platform (CDP), this integration will enable you to forward events to mParticle for further analysis and processing.

To enable this integration: Follow the instructions found at the following locations:

Oracle Responsys - mParticle SDK Integration Resources

Reporting update: New Bounce Analysis and Deliverability Trends dashboards

Responsys users with the Mobile Apps Analytics Manager role have access to two new Interactive Dashboards for Push and In-app campaigns:

  • The new Bounce Analysis dashboard provides users with an in-depth analysis of hard and soft bounces for Push and In-App campaigns.

  • The new Deliverability Trends dashboard provides users with an in-depth analysis of mobile app campaign deliverability.

View the Bounce Analysis Dashboard and Deliverability Trends Dashboard topics in the Oracle Responsys Help Center to learn more.

Reporting update: Custom reports for mobile apps

For customers who require custom reporting capabilities, Interactive Dashboards Plus is now available for the mobile apps channel and supports push notifications and in-app messages.

To enable this feature:

  • You must have Interactive Dashboards Plus enabled for you to create custom reports for the email, SMS, and mobile app channels. To get the feature enabled, see the article Getting Started with Interactive Dashboards Plus on Topliners.

  • Once you have Interactive Dashboards Plus enabled, add the new Mobile Apps Analytics Author role to users who needs access to custom reports for mobile apps.

View the Custom Reports in Dashboards Overview topic in the Oracle Responsys Help Center to learn more.

Support for conversion window for push conversions from mobile apps

Responsys already supports a Push Conversion event, which attributes conversions inside the app to the push campaign that led the app user into the mobile app. In 19A, this has been enhanced to allow mobile app developers and marketers to define the conversion window for push conversion events that occur from within the mobile app.

Marketers and mobile app developers will be able to define the concept of a conversion window that is applicable for their business. For example, they could define the conversion window to log a conversion only if the mobile app user makes the conversion within a certain number of days of opening the push notification. They could also define the conversion window such that a conversion is logged only once for every push notification opened.

To enable this feature: You must integrate your mobile app with the 19A Responsys Push SDK (version 6.40.0) when it becomes available. You must also modify your mobile app code as needed to define your custom conversion window or to ensure that a conversion is logged only once.

Learn more:

For more details, see the Engagements & Push Conversions section for your platform:

Support for titles in Push notifications

In the 19A update, we have made an enhancement that allows marketers to design and launch push notification campaigns with titles. Marketers can use the title to compose more contextual push notifications. Such notifications catch the mobile app user's attention more effectively and can lead to better campaign performance.

Marketers can access the Title field by opening the Settings dialog located on the Responsys Push Message Designer page. The Title field supports personalization and emojis.

To enable this feature:

  • iOS: No updates are required. Titles are supported for mobile apps on iOS 8.2 or later devices.

  • Android: Your organization's Android mobile apps must be built with the 19A Responsys Push SDK (version 6.40.0), when it becomes available. NOTE: Some customers use a pre-6.40.0 workaround for titles on Android devices. In this workaround, the first line of the text notification before the carriage return/newline was being treated as the Push notification title. This workaround will not be supported after the mobile app is upgraded to the version 6.40.0 SDK. Marketers must use the Title field, and any first line will be treated as part of the text notification.

Mobile App Customers: Upgrade your Android Mobile App to FCM-compliant Responsys SDK version 6.38.1 or later

Recently, Google has made some changes to their current push messaging infrastructure that will require immediate action for all of our Mobile App users. To ensure your Mobile App messaging is working as intended, we encourage you to upgrade your Android mobile app to FCM-compliant Responsys SDK version 6.38.1 or later. To help you through the upgrade, we have provided some additional details and FAQs below.

Why is this upgrade required?

Responsys and all other push messaging solutions rely on Google servers and infrastructure to deliver push notifications to Android devices.

Google has deprecated their current push messaging infrastructure, Google Cloud Messaging (GCM). Google will remove the GCM client and server APIs as soon as April 11, 2019. Google is replacing GCM with Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) infrastructure. All push messaging solutions must upgrade to FCM, so that they will keep receiving push notifications on Android apps.

See Time to Upgrade from GCM to FCM for the official Google communication on this upgrade.

Is Responsys SDK compliant with FCM?

The Responsys Android SDK is FCM compliant as of SDK version 6.38.1, released on October 4, 2018.

How do I upgrade my mobile app to use FCM?

By when do I need to upgrade my mobile app?

Oracle recommends that you complete the mobile app upgrade immediately. This will give your Android app users enough time to upgrade to your FCM-compliant mobile app before Google's April 11, 2019 deadline.

If your Android Mobile app users have not upgraded to your FCM-compliant mobile app by April 11, 2019, they will not receive push notification from Responsys after April 11, 2019.

Note: Along with the SDK upgrade, it is also important to migrate your existing GCM (Google Cloud Platform) project to Firebase. Kindly refer to our guide Get FCM Credentials for more details on this.