How to disable iPhone/iPad auto-lock while app is in foreground mode?

Question

I'm developing an music/video player app and just need to konw how to disable the auto-lock while my app is in foreground.

I know I've to use [[UIApplication sharedApplication] setIdleTimerDisabled:YES]; and [[UIApplication sharedApplication] setIdleTimerDisabled:NO]; at some point, but where is the best place to put them?

Daub

Answer 1

Enable the idle timer in

- (void)applicationWillResignActive:(UIApplication *)application

and disable it in

- (void)applicationDidBecomeActive:(UIApplication *)application

Utopian

It worked fine here but I'm wondering It'll work on dockstations and apple tv? Don't have any here to test. – Daub

I've heard that another option is to play a silent "sound". – Nims

@HotLicks that would probably result in your app getting rejected, but no one could say that for sure. – Takamatsu

Actually this is quite nice hack. Thank you very much :) – Sofer

This is not the correct place because when any alert appears, or the notification center or control center is up then the application resigns active and you risk the device auto-locking. – Vincentvincenta

Answer 2

The best place to disable it is in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions. The system will automatically take care of making the setting have no effect when the app is in the background.

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
    application.idleTimerDisabled = YES; 
    return YES;
}

I posted this alternative because the accepted answer does not prevent auto-lock when an alert appears (email, message, calendar event etc), or the notification center or control center is up.

Vincentvincenta

what if an application in the background? whether the auto lock disabled in this situation? – Chew

auto-lock is not disabled in the background, Apple don't allow it. – Vincentvincenta

Answer 3

Swift 3.0:

Inside AppDelegate.swift: application.idleTimerDisabled = true

Outside AppDelegate.swift: UIApplication.shared().isIdleTimerDisabled = true

Achondroplasia

Answer 4

And in Swift 3.0:

UIApplication.shared().isIdleTimerDisabled = true

Zany

Answer 5

my 2 cents: for xcode 9:

 application.idleTimerDisabled = true

.....AppDelegate.swift:28:15: 'idleTimerDisabled' has been renamed to 'isIdleTimerDisabled'

so:

application.isIdleTimerDisabled = true

Watersoak